Slovakia’s automotive production scene is comprised of three factories: Volkswagen in Bratislava, PSA in Trnava and Kia in Žilina which together racked up an impressive 980,000 production figure in 2013.
However, it’s now reportedly being eyed by Tesla as the possible location for its first actual production site on European soil.
Tesla opened its first production-related facility in Europe just over a year ago, in Tilburg, the Netherlands. It’s not a fully-fledged factory, though, but rather more of a final assembly plant that puts the finishing touches on vehicles shipped over mostly complete from the US; it also serves as a distribution hub.
The Slovak Spectator says the Silicon Valley-based maker of all-electric vehicles is already discussing the possibility of a Slovak Tesla plant with local officials. It’s not official news, though, and AutoblogGreen asked Tesla and got the following reply from a company spokesperson: “This story seems quite speculative, and we don’t comment on such rumors.”
The local source’s side of the story differs, though. It quotes Miriam Žiaková, a spokesperson for the Slovak Economy Ministry as saying the following: “The SARIO agency (Slovak Agency for Development of Investments and Trade)has established contact with Tesla Motors representatives who are considering opening a plant in Europe over the long-term horizon.”
We are still a long way away from it happening, if it ever happens at all, as Tesla CEO, Elon Musk, announced that he would not build such a facility in Europe before he sold 160,000 vehicles on the continent; he hasn’t and it will still probably take some time.
Video of Silicon Valley plant inner workings courtesy of Wired