Auto suppliers jump on Tesla to fully own China plant report

BEIJING: Auto-parts suppliers shares jumped in Asian trading after Wall Street Journal reported that Tesla Inc reached an agreement with Shanghai’s government to build a fully owned manufacturing facility in the city’s free trade zone.

“As far as I know, there is no such agreement,” Guo Lei, an official at Shanghai’s Economy and Information Technology Commission who is in charge of new-energy vehicle projects, said in a phone interview yesterday. In a statement, Palo Alto, Californiabased Tesla reiterated that it’s working with Shanghai’s government to explore local manufacturing.

Tesla signed a preliminary agreement with local authorities to produce cars in the city, a move that would help lower manufacturing and shipping costs, sources told Bloomberg News in June. They said they weren’t aware of any material change when they were contacted yesterday about the Wall Street Journal report.

Tesla’s production plans in the largest auto market are closely followed by investors and industry executives alike as China accelerates electric-car development and works on a timeframe to phase out conventional-engine cars. Chinese authorities are considering a proposal to allow overseas carmakers to set up wholly owned electric vehicle factories in free-trade zones, a move that would give Tesla a greater range of options, people familiar with the matter said last month. Current rules require foreign automakers to have joint ventures with local companies for domestic production.

Tianjin Motor Dies Co closed 2.6% higher in Shenzhen, after rising as much as 7.3%. Beijing Zhong Ke San Huan High-Tech Co, Dongguan Eontec Co and Cheng Uei Precision Industry Co also pared earlier gains. Ningbo Xusheng Auto Technology Co surged by the 10% daily limit in Shanghai trading.

“We expect to more clearly define our plans for production in China by the end of the year,” Tesla said in a statement via WeChat. “We continue to evaluate potential manufacturing sites around the globe to serve the local markets. While we expect most of our production to remain in the US, we do need to establish local factories to ensure affordability for the markets they serve.”

Local production would make it easier for Tesla to access China’s auto-parts supply network and engineering talent pool at lower costs, accelerating sales growth and helping it compete with BYD Co – China’s largest maker of electric cars – for market dominance, according to Bloomberg Intelligence.

China has identified new-energy vehicles as a strategic emerging industry and aims to boost annual sales of plug-in hybrids and fully electric cars 10-fold in the next decade. Last month, the government unveiled a set of emission rules, requiring almost all carmakers to manufacture zero- and low-emission vehicles starting in 2019.