
BERLIN (AP) β Germany on Wednesday hailed Teslaβs decision to build its first European factory in the country, days after the government said it would boost subsidies for buyers of electric cars.
Tesla CEO Elon Musk said during an awards ceremony in the German capital Tuesday evening that βweβve decided to put the Tesla Gigafactory Europe in the Berlin area.β
The company will also set up an engineering and design center in Berlin, Musk said. He wrote on Twitter that the new plant βwill build batteries, powertrains & vehicles, starting with Model Y.β
The Model Y is a small SUV scheduled to go on sale in the fall of 2020. It will start at $39,000 (35,400 euros) with a range of 230 miles (370 kilometers) per charge.
German Economy Minister Peter Altmaier called the announcement a βglorious successβ for the countryβs attractiveness as an auto industry location, especially in the race to develop and produce electric cars and batteries.
Altmaier said there had been competition for the plant among European countries in recent months, but denied that the government had offered any financial support to Tesla.
βSo far, subsidies havenβt been discussed,β he told reporters in Berlin. βItβs clear that Tesla will be treated the same way as all other automobile companies if it invests in Germany and creates jobs here.β
Still, Teslaβs announcement comes just a week after German officials and auto industry leaders agreed to increase by half the existing government incentives for electric vehicles with a list price of up to 40,000 euros ($44,500) β an incentive Tesla can expect to profit from indirectly.
The subsidy will also be extended from the end of 2020 currently to the end of 2025, and the government and industry agreed to aim for 50,000 publicly accessible charging stations nationwide by 2022.
Musk said that the plan is for the factory to be built near Berlinβs new airport, which is located just outside the city limits in neighboring Brandenburg state and currently slated to open next year after years of delays.
βWe definitely need to move faster than the airport, thatβs for sure,β Musk said.
Germany, home to some of the worldβs biggest automakers, has been overtaken by the United States, China and some European neighbors in the adoption of electric vehicles.
In July, Tesla announced plans to build its third Gigafactory β the first outside the U.S. β in Shanghai.
German automaker Volkswagen, which last week began mass production of its ID.3 electric car, welcomed rival Teslaβs decision to build the factory on its home turf.
βIβm happy that Elon is, letβs say, pulling us, but I think the German industry is really now strongly investing,β said Volkswagen CEO Herbert Diess, speaking alongside Musk at Tuesdayβs event. βAnd we will keep you alert.β
Auto industry expert Ferdinand Dudenhoeffer said additional competition could benefit German automakers.
βThis is good news for VW, Daimler and BMW,β said Dudenhoeffer, who heads the Center Automotive Research.