Tesla is expected to announce plans to build a manufacturing plant in Mexico that could include producing battery-electric Class 8 commercial vehicles.
The brand recently delivered its first Tesla Semi would join a lengthy list of heavy-duty truck-makers south of the border. Current Class 8 commercial vehicle makers in Mexico include Freightliner, Kenworth, Navistar, Hino, International, Mercedes-Benz, Isuzu, Scania, Cummins, and Detroit Diesel, among others. Local media outlets in the Santa Catarina, Mexico, area reported the likelihood of a plant coming after the New Year. Other outlets confirmed that Tesla had purchased enough land to build a plant.
“Tesla will come to Santa Catarina. The investment will be finalized in the coming weeks; after the end of the year, it will be announced. The commitment is that it must be completed immediately after the start of 2023. We know that it will generate employment, and it will be located in the only area available, which is the west of that municipality. It is not possible to inform more because there is a confidentiality contract,” Milenio reported in Spanish.
Based in Austin, Texas, Tesla already has its own lane at the U.S.-Mexico border crossing in Nuevo Leon. It uses the border-crossing location to trade with local automotive suppliers, according to reports. CEO Elon Musk expressed interest in building factories in Canada and Mexico as part of the organization’s North American production footprint.
The exports of heavy-duty trucks produced in Mexico increased by 50 percent in November, compared to the same month in 2021. The 14 members of Mexico’s National Association of Bus, Truck and Tractor Producers (ANPACT) completed 17,491 heavy-duty vehicles in November, with exports rising by 47 percent year over year.
“We have maintained a very good level of production. We have positive figures since we are in full economic reactivation, but perhaps we will fall short of breaking the 2019 record. The accumulated growth that we have observed in exports and production is due in part to improvements in the supply chain, in addition to the economic recovery,” ANPACT President Miguel Elizalde reportedly said. “We hope that by 2023, if these averages are maintained, we will have new record production and export figures.”
Approximately 94.4 percent of all truck exports were shipped to the U.S. Canada accounted for 2.4 percent, followed by Columbia and 1.7 percent. Freightliner reportedly manufactured the most trucks from Mexico in November at 9,884, a 67 percent year-over-year increase. International Trucks produced 5,232, and Kenworth manufactured 1,408, according to reports.
Building a Tesla plant in Santa Catarina continues a near-shoring shift in which manufacturers have pivoted away from China and U.S. companies take advantage of lower costs in Mexico.
Sources:
Tesla is expected to announce plans to build a manufacturing plant in Mexico that could include producing battery-electric Class 8 commercial vehicles.
The iconic brand that recently delivered its first Tesla Semi would join a lengthy list of heavy-duty truck-makers south of the border. Current Class 8 commercial vehicle makers in Mexico include Freightliner, Kenworth, Navistar, Hino, International, Mercedes-Benz, Isuzu, Scania, Cummins, and Detroit Diesel, among others. Local media outlets in the Santa Catarina, Mexico, area reported the likelihood of a plant coming after the New Year. Other outlets confirmed that Tesla had purchased enough land to build a plant.
“Tesla will come to Santa Catarina. The investment will be finalized in the coming weeks; after the end of the year, it will be announced. The commitment is that it must be completed immediately after the start of 2023. We know that it will generate employment, and it will be located in the only area available, which is the west of that municipality. It is not possible to inform more because there is a confidentiality contract,” Milenio reported in Spanish.
Based in Austin, Texas, Tesla already has its own lane at the U.S.-Mexico border crossing in Nuevo Leon. It uses the border-crossing location to trade with local automotive suppliers, according to reports. CEO Elon Musk expressed interest in building factories in Canada and Mexico as part of the organization’s North American production footprint.
The exports of heavy-duty trucks produced in Mexico increased by 50 percent in November, compared to the same month in 2021. The 14 members of Mexico’s National Association of Bus, Truck and Tractor Producers (ANPACT) completed 17,491 heavy-duty vehicles in November, with exports rising by 47 percent year over year.
“We have maintained a very good level of production. We have positive figures since we are in full economic reactivation, but perhaps we will fall short of breaking the 2019 record. The accumulated growth that we have observed in exports and production is due in part to improvements in the supply chain, in addition to the economic recovery,” ANPACT President Miguel Elizalde reportedly said. “We hope that by 2023, if these averages are maintained, we will have new record production and export figures.”
Approximately 94.4 percent of all truck exports were shipped to the U.S. Canada accounted for 2.4 percent, followed by Columbia and 1.7 percent. Freightliner reportedly manufactured the most trucks from Mexico in November at 9,884, a 67 percent year-over-year increase. International Trucks produced 5,232, and Kenworth manufactured 1,408, according to reports.
Building a Tesla plant in Santa Catarina continues a near-shoring shift in which manufacturers have pivoted away from China and U.S. companies take advantage of lower costs in Mexico.
Wondering what type of transmission do theses trucks use and where will they be produced?