Model E production facility location and strategy

[Cankooo1]

I would like to discuss the potential locations strategy and partnerships behind the Third generation vehicles. We all know that model E will be the biggest milestone for Tesla and it is a core of the master plan.
Currently I believe most probable set is as follows:

• Model S, X and powertrains production in California
• Battery production: Texas or Arizona (~20% Panasonic ownership)
• Third generation vehicles production facility with high volumes- China (~30% Chinese ownership in return of funding the facility) Powertrains and batteries are exported from USA. Without importing tax, China could be biggest consumer for model E. Also to reach 30% profit on third generation vehicles the factory needs to be in China. Part of the produced vehicles will be exported to USA and Europe.

Digging in the Chinese web for more than a month specifically for Tesla, have no doubt that government and investment community in China will support and invest in this facility. I will try to combine in this thread the Macroeconomic Factors as well as other reasons and the abilities for China to support this production.

 

[Rifleman]

From my understanging, Tesla intends to produce the third gen vehicle in the same factory that Model S is currently being produced in. The factory is still at only a fraction of the production output it had when Toyota ran it.

 

[pz1975]

I just had a eureka moment! Maybe this has already occurred to all of you, but it's one of those "I can't believe I didn't think of this before" things for me.

Originally Model 3 was going to be called Model E, but that was changed to Model 3 in some part because Ford has a trademark on "Model E". So they pick the name Model 3 and Elon says it will possibly be written as 3 horizontal bars on top of each other (and not vertical). But look at the Tesla logo - the "E" is written as 3 horizontal bars on top of each other so it looks like a clever way of making it Model E without actually naming it that!

 

[ecarfan]

I have been assuming that the Model 3 logo would look like the Tesla "E". Others have posted this before.

 

[Robert.Boston]

Writing it as three horizontal lines also has the happy property of making it conform to the Chinese numeral 3.

 

[ecarfan]

Indeed, it seems the obvious thing for TSLA to do!