Tesla's Vice President, Grace Tao, dismissed reports claiming the electric vehicle maker intends to remove Chinese-made parts from vehicles produced in the United States, emphasizing that a supplier's country of origin is not a deciding factor in its procurement decisions.
Tao responded to the speculation via Weibo, a Chinese microblogging platform, stating that Tesla selects suppliers based on stringent, objective criteria: quality, cost, technological maturity, and long-term supply continuity. She clarified that the company maintains these standards globally, without discrimination based on location.
The clarification came after a recent report suggested Tesla might seek to eliminate Chinese-made components from its U.S.-manufactured vehicles.
Tao highlighted that Tesla's success in the Chinese market is largely attributed to its Shanghai Gigafactory's "Made in China" approach, which has allowed the company to achieve high cost-performance in the region.
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