Still no word yet from Tesla Motors on where the electric carmaker will build its upcoming four-door sedan, the Model S. While both the cities of Downey and Long Beach have made very public efforts to entice the company, Tesla has officially remained mum on the issue.
The Long Beach City Council on Tuesday approved an estimated $28 million in tax and other incentives in an effort to attract Tesla to close a deal on purchasing a former Boeing production facility that is now vacant. Meanwhile, Downey mayor Mario Guerra this week announced that a deal with Tesla had been completed to acquire a former NASA site and produce their cars there.
Production of the Model S will create an estimated 1,000 jobs once up and running.
Tesla quite literally shook up the automotive world in recent years with the successful production of the Roadster S, a $100,000 electric sports car that used a Lotus Elise chassis and exhibited exceptional performance and impressive battery range.
The challenge to produce a more mainstream car in the Model S is daunting, to say the least. Tesla is designing and building the sedan from the ground up, a multi-million dollar effort in itself. While about 500 Roadsters have been built and delivered, Tesla plans to produce the Model S in exponentially greater numbers.
But first, they need a site.