(Reuters) – Tesla will build its next factory near Austin, Texas, Chief Executive Elon Musk announced late on Wednesday.
The 2,000-acre site on the Colorado River is about 13 minutes from downtown Austin, Musk said during the company’s second-quarter earnings call.
“It’s going to be an ecological paradise … open to the public,” he said.
Musk said Tesla would consider site runner-up Tulsa, Oklahoma, for future production.
Musk and his team met earlier this month with officials in both states, which were competing to land the $1.1 billion plant.
Musk on Wednesday said the plant will build Tesla’s new Cybertruck and its heavy-duty Semi truck, as well as the Model 3 and Model Y cars for eastern North America.
Texas Governor Greg Abbott said in a statement on Wednesday: “Tesla is one of the most exciting and innovative companies in the world, and we are proud to welcome its team to the State of Texas,” said Governor Abbott. “Texas has the best workforce in the nation and we’ve built an economic environment that allows companies like Tesla to innovate and succeed.”
(Reporting by Paul Lienert in Detroit; Additional reporting by Tina Bellon in New York; Editing by Matthew Lewis)
