Tesla to open new Chinese-style EV design and research center

Leading electric vehicle manufacturer Tesla, with its Shanghai factory already commissioned and running, is likely to open a new electric vehicle (EV) design and research in China. The Palo Alto-headquartered company, according to Reuters, recently issued a recruitment notice for the new facility to develop Chinese-style vehicles.

Tesla’s notice stated that it will be recruiting designers and other staff to meet the goal. Applications will close on 1 February. The company wants to shift to a ‘Designed in China’ philosophy from its current ‘Made in China’ plans, the media quoted Tesla’s chief executive officer (CEO) Elon Musk as having said.  

The recruitment notice, however, was silent on where the new center will come up. Neither did it reveal when the operations would begin. The notice included a sketch of a concept vehicle with a short wheelbase, which indicates that the company is planning an electric car.

Tesla named the car Model 2 which has a resemblance to Model 3 and Model Y. The features of Model 2, however, differ in the more aggressive-style bodywork, especially at the back. The Model Y electric compact crossover car is expected to be commercially available from mid-2020.

Media reports suggest that Tesla is betting big on the Chinese market. The company has witnessed a robust growth in the last two years. China registered 6,643 Tesla vehicles in December and the country now has 42,715 units (2019), compared to 16,360 vehicles in 2018. 

Tesla is likely to offer personalized features in its future cars sold in China. The company, earlier, had announced that it will bring streaming video and gaming services on its in-car touchscreen infotainment systems of the vehicles sold in China by the first quarter of 2020. The services would include streaming channels from Alibaba-backed Youku and the comics-based Bilibili. Title-based game Mahjong and two poker versions from Shenzhen-headquartered technology company Tencent are also expected to be included in the package.

Industry analysts, meanwhile, have hailed Tesla’s plan to open the new design and research center which will particularly cater to China. No global car manufacturer has yet set up a design center in China, which makes Tesla’s plans a brave announcement, analysts said.

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