Tesla eyes U.S. city for new Cybertruck factory

Tesla is looking for a place to build what CEO Elon Musk called “the most kick-ass of any pick-up truck,” the Cybertruck. And we know at least one city that it’s considering. 

Late Tuesday, Musk tweeted about the next Gigafactory, as Tesla car plants are called, with a general hint about where it would be based. 

A source familiar with the matter specified that Nashville is one of the locations being considered, but stressed that Tesla hasn’t made a final decision. There is no clear timeline on when the company will pick a location. 

Musk added the factory would help with Model Y production for East Coast deliveries. The Model Y is the upcoming compact SUV that starts around $40,000, much cheaper than the $80,000 Model X SUV.

The Nashville area makes sense for Tesla’s next EV factory. Tennessee has become a hub for the auto industry, especially when it comes to batteries and electric vehicles. Both Volkswagen and Nissan have invested in facilities there. As Musk pointed out, it’s also close to the East Coast. 

Tesla finished construction of its Gigafactory Shanghai location last year and broke ground at a German factory earlier this year. The Tennessee Gigafactory would be the third U.S. Tesla plant along with factories in Nevada, and Fremont, CA.