Donald Trump‘s winning the 2024 presidential election is expected to have a negative impact on the electric vehicle sector.
Tesla Inc TSLA could benefit from CEO Elon Musk’s close relationship with the president-elect. However, the company’s plan to build a Gigafactory in Mexico could be at stake.
What Happened: Tesla reportedly plans to build a gigafactory in Mexico. The facility could produce sub-$30,000 vehicles, Model Y units, batteries and the Cybertruck.
Tesla hasn’t confirmed its plans in Mexico. Still, the country’s economic minister is asking questions after Trump won on Election Day.
“I’m going to set up a meeting with (Musk) soon so that he tells me exactly what he’s thinking and see what we can do so this project moves forward,” Mexico Economy Minister Marcelo Ebrard told local radio Thursday, as reported by Reuters.
Original plans for Mexico and other new factory locations may have been delayed due to the election with Tesla saying in April that it would use its existing factories to build new more affordable vehicles.
Trump’s past term in the White House put pressure on foreign-made items shipped to the United States. Prior to the 2024 election win, Trump has been promising to put a 200% tariff on vehicles imported from China and Mexico.
Tesla did not respond to a request for comment on its plans in Mexico to Benzinga.
Did You Know?
Why It’s Important: Tesla has several gigafactories around the world that produce and export vehicles to key regions like Europe and Asia.
A gigafactory in Mexico was likely less about exports to other countries and more about bringing vehicles into the U.S.
Investors and analysts will continue monitoring Trump’s win and whether it impacts Tesla and the EV sector.
Price Action: Tesla stock closed Friday up 8.1% to $321.22. The company hit a new 52-week high of $328.71 during the trading session. Tesla stock is up 31.5% over the last five days and up 29.3% year-to-date in 2024.
Read Next:
Image: Shutterstock
Market News and Data brought to you by Benzinga APIs
© 2024 Benzinga.com. Benzinga does not provide investment advice. All rights reserved.
