After receiving a $465 million low-interest loan from the U.S. Department of Energy, Tesla was tasked with locating a manufacturing plant that was at least 20 years old to retrofit as a Tesla production facility. Tesla has been publicly shopping in both Long Beach and Downey, California, but Downey’s mayor is now saying that the deal is “99.9 percent done.”
According to a local newspaper, Downey Patriot, Downey’s City Council could convene as early as this evening to formally approve the deal with Tesla. The location in Downey is a former NASA site that was the oldest in the country – dating back to 1929.
It is only fitting that the former NASA site responsible for more major space programs than any other NASA site in history, now be the site for the pioneering of another science – the electrification of the automobile. This location will be specifically tasked with the production of Tesla’s all-electric 2012 Model S luxury sports sedan.
Tesla’s decision for the former NASA site in Downey may come as no surprise to those closely following the selection process. Tesla’s CEO, Elon Musk, made it known that the City of Long Beach failed to make a reasonable effort to obtain Tesla’s business very public earlier this year.
Long Beach had a former Boeing site that would have qualified Tesla for special tax incentives potentially worth millions of dollars in savings.
11/24, 1:55 PM
posted by:
NMOFGMs Daddy
i wish i could get half a billion loan from the feds.
11/24, 2:07 PM
posted by:
yarddog82abn
Funny how Toyota (who is not in a good place) is planing on leaving L.A. and Telsa ( who is up and rising) is planing on making L.A. it’s new home…
Funny how some fall hard, relay hard…
11/24, 2:20 PM
posted by:
vicdub85
I wonder how many job openings?
11/24, 2:29 PM
posted by:
yarddog82abn
They say they expect 2500 jobs… Local business is also expected to double, another 300 to 500 jobs with that, so not bad…
11/24, 2:56 PM
posted by:
DenverGuy217
Great news for CA
11/24, 3:01 PM
posted by:
AFSOCSARGE
This is Fantastic News !
I hope Tesla does well with it’s new plant. The Tax incentives and good marketing should be a winner across the board for all concerned parties.
-Sarge
11/24, 4:49 PM
posted by:
Smegley Wanxalot
LMAO. Downey is a bigger crap-hole than even Detroit!
11/24, 6:53 PM
posted by:
beemerdude
yarddog82abn:
Toyota is not ‘planning on leaving L.A.’ The NUMMI plant closing is in Northern California (400 miles away).
And Tesla is not ‘planning on making L.A. it’s new home.’ It is looking into opening a manufacturing plant there. Headquarters is staying in the Bay area.
11/25, 8:40 AM
posted by:
shaver
Having grown up in that area. I doubt any employees other then the janitor will be risiding in Downey. Or Downer as my dad calls it. Downey used to be farms and orange groves, they built houses there in the 50s and 60s, went to **** in the 70s (but what didn’t). Reminds me of the place Gran Torino is set in.
11/25, 11:37 AM
posted by:
jdasch1
The electric car is a much easier vehicle to build than a gas car. Everthing is module plug and play. I just hope Tesla gets smart and uses the traditional dealer route to sell/service cars instead of their pipe dream manufactorer dealer network idea. I will be buying another brand if they don’t open up the distribution to the traditional network. I would rather bitch to a dealer than the maker about my car…things get done better that way.
11/27, 10:10 AM
posted by:
Bankruptcy2009
I want to see that 50K 300 Mile range Tesla S Sedan produced that will be a generation changer car that should spell the end for the ICE engine.