Gary Zhou 
Key Points
- ⏳ A Chinese Tesla supplier hinted at potential delays in the start of production at Tesla’s Giga Mexico facility.
- 🌐 Tesla informed Chinese suppliers to wait as it finalizes plans for Giga Mexico, suggesting a slowdown in the project’s progress.
- 📅 Initial estimates for Giga Mexico’s production start in Q1 2025 may have underestimated the permitting process in Mexico.
- 🏗️ Danish engineering consultancy Ramboll estimated that Giga Mexico’s construction might be ready by 2027, later than initially expected.
- 📝 Tesla has only submitted applications for a change of land use for a portion of the land it owns in Santa Catarina, Mexico, and hasn’t yet applied for construction activities on the proposed Giga Mexico site.
A Chinese Tesla supplier hinted that the company’s Giga Mexico production start might be delayed.
A China-based Tesla supplier–who wished to remain anonymous–informed the Mexican daily newspaper, Reforma, that the EV maker told its Chinese suppliers to wait as it solidifies plans in Mexico.
“Two or three months ago, there was a lot of rush, lots of pressure to look for a location. But one month later, they told us to wait,” stated the source.
The anonymous source stated that Tesla’s plans for Giga Mexico might move slower than expected. Some Chinese companies that planned to launch operations near Tesla Giga Mexico to support its production have delayed their plans.
In June 2023, Chinese suppliers commented that Tesla’s estimate for Giga Mexico’s start of production was around Q1 2025. However, the company might have underestimated the permitting process in Mexico.
Reforma talked with Danish engineering consultancy Ramboll about the rumors surrounding Giga Mexico’s construction. Ramboll estimated that Tesla’s Mexico site might be ready for construction in 2027, a few years later than initial expectations. The consultancy firm considered Mexico’s permitting process in its estimate.
The US-based EV manufacturer operates under the subsidiary Tesla Manufacturing Mexico in Santa Catarina, Nuevo León. The Ministry of Environment and Natural Resources has only received Tesla’s application for a change of land use regarding 260 hectares out of the 1,561 hectares it owns in Santa Catarina. Tesla has not yet submitted applications for construction activities on the proposed Giga Mexico site.
