We've already heard plenty of rumors about the potential for a Tesla Gigafactory in Canada, and even Tesla hasn't ruled it out. Now, we've learned that Canada's Minister of Innovation, Science, and Industry François-Philippe Champagne was recently at the North American International Auto Show in Detroit, where he mentioned he was leaving for California to meet with an automaker.
The meeting mentioned by Champagne was scheduled for today, so hopefully, more news will come out of the story. However, people are already speculating that he's likely meeting with Tesla to discuss plans for a Gigafactory in Canada in the future. Tesla is the only major automaker in California, and it would just make sense since there's already been talk about the EV maker considering Canada as a potential option for one of its upcoming factories.
As you can see from Champagne's tweet above, he mentions meeting with GM, Stellantis, and Ford at the show. The minister adds that he's taking his team to California to talk with another automaker about investments and job creation. The Minister said just last week that he's already been talking with Tesla, among other carmakers. Just a few weeks ago, Champagne also visited a Tesla facility in Ontario, Canada.
At this point, the Canadian leader could really be meeting with just about any automaker in California, though he likely had the opportunity to meet with most at the show in Detroit, which has many brands pretty tied up over the next several days. Tesla doesn't typically go out of its way to attend auto shows, and its original plant is in California, though it has moved its headquarters to Texas.
Teslarati points out that both Rivian and Lucid are also active in California, and both companies have been pushing forward with new plans of late. If Champagne happens to be meeting with either of the two EV startups, there's a potential for positive news on that front as well.
The publication also claims that the site that tracks Tesla CEO Elon Musk's private jet had him traveling to Hawthorne, California, recently. For those unaware, SpaceX is located in Hawthorne.
This is a developing story. If more information is made public related to the talks, we'll provide an update. In the meantime, we should point out that Tesla hopes to reveal the future location of its next Gigafactory before the end of 2022.
