Elon Musk has emphasized that his Shanghai factory produces the "highest quality" Teslas. The CEO of Tesla recently concluded his first visit to China in three years, during which he held meetings with several government officials and expressed gratitude to the workers at the massive Shanghai factory.
Musk departed from Shanghai's Hongqiao airport on Thursday via his private jet, wrapping up a whirlwind 48-hour trip, as reported by Variflight, a Chinese flight data app.
This visit marked Musk's first time returning to the country since January 2020, when a video of him dancing onstage at Tesla's Shanghai factory gained significant attention.
Before his departure, Musk had a meeting with Chen Jining, the Communist Party chief of Shanghai, as stated by the city government. Chen encouraged Tesla to increase its investment and operations in Shanghai and to introduce more new products, technologies, and services to the city.
Musk commended the achievements of Tesla's Shanghai facility, which commenced operations in 2019, and expressed his desire to collaborate further with the city across various domains, as stated in the official statement. After arriving from Beijing, he visited the Gigafactory late on Wednesday. (According to Variflight, his jet landed in Shanghai at 9:26 pm on Wednesday.)
In a video shared on social media by Tesla China, Musk addressed a large gathering of workers and expressed his appreciation, saying, "Thank you for being here late at night." He proceeded to acknowledge the remarkable work done by the team, stating, "I would very much like to congratulate you on the amazing work that you have done. It's been incredibly impressive how you have been able to overcome so many difficulties and so many challenges."
Musk's words were met with applause and cheers as he continued, "I just want to let you know, it warms my heart." He punctuated his sentiment with a fist pump to his chest. Displaying a heart sign with his hands, he added, "I tell people throughout the world, the cars we produce here are not just the most efficient in production, but also of the highest quality."
Tesla's Shanghai Gigafactory stands as the automaker's largest car manufacturing facility outside of the United States. According to Tesla's financial results, in 2022, the company successfully delivered 1.31 million vehicles worldwide, with over half of them originating from Shanghai.
In an interview with the Financial Times in May 2022, Elon Musk praised the dedication of Chinese employees, commending their commitment to working tirelessly even during the midst of a two-month Covid lockdown in Shanghai. He acknowledged their efforts, mentioning how they burned the midnight oil to achieve their goals.
Remarkably, just six months later in November, the Shanghai factory achieved a new milestone by delivering over 100,000 vehicles in a single month, setting a fresh record. This accomplishment is particularly noteworthy considering the temporary suspension of production due to Covid-related restrictions.
Musk's trip to China involved numerous meetings with key figures in the government and technology sectors. Upon his arrival in Beijing on Tuesday, he began by meeting with Qin Gang, the country's foreign minister, as stated in a ministry statement.
Subsequently, Musk held separate meetings with the ministers responsible for technology and commerce. These discussions encompassed various topics, including electric vehicles, connected cars, US-China relations, and Tesla's progress in China, as indicated by government releases.
Despite Twitter being blocked in China, Musk refrained from posting any tweets during his visit. However, shortly after the trip, he shared posts on both Twitter and Weibo (China's equivalent platform).
In his messages on both platforms, Musk extended his congratulations to the Giga Shanghai and Tesla China SDS teams for their exceptional work in overcoming numerous obstacles over the years.
Additionally, there are reports suggesting that Musk met with Zeng Yuqun, the chairman and founder of CATL, a prominent Chinese EV battery manufacturer and a Tesla supplier. An image of their meeting was published by Paper.cn and circulated widely on social media. CNN's request for comment from Tesla regarding this meeting has not yet been answered.
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