@unk45 : Re Brazil workforce that is interesting, especially as it differs from my personal observation. I am used to visiting clients in Brazil, at their factories that range from mid-tech to high-tech. My observation has been that whilst there is a lot of competition for skilled workforce, so too is there sufficiency of supply coming through the system. I'm also used to Brazilian made vehicles all over Mercosur. In Mercosur at present I cannot envisage anyone putting an automotive factory in Argentina until they have proved they can run a stable political and economic system for at least a decade (which is to say, never). Which really only leaves Brazil as a viable choice. In my opinion there is a sufficient market to absorb two lines of product (a 3 and a Y line) which gives time for the 2/Z, and the van products to become available, both of which would be sufficient to take a Brazil-based factory to 2m/yr or so.
@MP3Mike : However you make a very valid point re the unproven nature of the Brazil market wrt Tesla. There is no Tesla Supercharger network or sales & service network in Brazil.
Given this, if Tesla are seeking focus then the obvious choices are either USA, EU, or China. However if Tesla are seeking some form of further diversification at this stage then there are only three other countries that meet the tests of being a proven & sufficient market* with existing Tesla networks: Mexico, South Korea, Japan. So really that gives Tesla six candidate areas to choose from depending on how Tesla prioritises the various factors in their selection mix. I am unsure of the extent to which Mexico has any better access into Mercosur though, as a way of testing/developing the Brazil market - didn't the 2002 FTA process run into quicksand ? Can anyone comment knowledgeably on that ?
Which is to say that a lot of people will be taking a keen interest in the movements of Tesla senior management team over the next six months.
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* I exclude Australia due to it probably being an insufficient market, and Turkey is a basket case right now under the madness of Erdogan (besides which, if you zoom in on the red dots in Turkey, they turn a disappointing grey).
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