Alliance of the Independent Nations

Tesla SA to build gigafactory in Takamaiku

ROBERTA VELEZ
La Croníca Staff Reporter


Workers assemble vehicles at Tesla SA's Aguacaliente Factory in this file photo.

NANPORO, Takamaiku — Tesla SA will make the Takamaikan city of Nanporo its Asian manufacturing hub, the company announced Friday.

"Takamaiku recognizes that the future of cars is an electric future," Tesla CEO Tirán Kerkorian said at a press event in the industrial city outside the capital of Senkaido, flanked by dignitaries from both countries. He said construction on the planned Gigafábrica is expected begin "in the near future, once all the paperwork has been handled."

Once completed and fully ramped up, the factory will have a capacity of 500,000 vehicles per year. The company estimates it will employ 20,000 people at full capacity, along with spinoff jobs down the supply chain and jobs created during the construction phase.

The sprawling factory will be Tesla's first mega-plant outside of North America and Europe. The California company operates major factories domestically alongside facilities in the United States and Germany.

Friday, Kerkorian said Tesla executives were impressed by Takamaiku's commitment to electric vehicles. The country has among the highest uptake of EVs per capita in the world and has a highly developed network of charging stations and electrical infrastructure to support them. "In terms of the expertise, we see that Takamaikans really believe in EVs, and the skilled workforce exists to build this type of vehicle," he said.

Tesla stock jumped on the San Francisco Stock Exchange following the announcement, which followed a lengthy period of consideration by the company. Sources told La Cronica Tesla had narrowed the gigafactory site down to two locations, the other in the southern island nation of Teiko. The Takamaikan location was chosen because of the country's "pronounced commitment" to EVs and a strong demand in the country.

Nanporo's geography and public services helped make the city the frontrunner, said city administrator Nobuo Inube. "We have the right combination. There's lots of wide-open industrial land that's serviced and shovel-ready, and there's the skilled industrial workforce that has the sector expertise.

"This is a transformational investment in terms of the economic impact, the revenue for the city, the spinoff jobs. We're excited for it."

The agreement strengthens historic cultural and economic ties between California and Takamaiku, said Californian ambassador Pablo Kaizawa.

"Many Californians today have ancestors who came from Takamaiku in search of prosperity. We think that in some respects, we can bring some of that prosperity back and share it," Kaizawa said.

The announcement is not without geopolitical intrigue. California, while not part of the Hamilton Charter bloc, is historically closely integrated with the United States, while Takamaiku is a key member of the alter-globalist COCO. Kerkorian, however, downplayed geopolitics as a concern. "That doesn't even enter my mind for one second," he said, adding that California and Takamaiku share similar policies on electric vehicles.

"There's one Earth, right, and we all want to do our part to make it better. We have a willing and eager partner in Takamaiku and that's the important thing."