Elon Musk is expected to visit China this week in what would be his first trip to the country in three years, according to people familiar with the matter.
The billionaire is expected to meet senior Chinese officials and visit Tesla’s Shanghai factory, the people said, asking not to be identified because the information is private. He will potentially meet Premier Li Qiang to discuss Tesla’s full self-driving technology, which the automaker is seeking to introduce in China, one of the people said.
Musk’s private jet was recently over the Yellow Sea, west of South Korea, according to flight tracking website ADS-B Exchange.
Tesla didn’t immediately respond to a request for comment. Representatives from Shanghai’s government press office and the State Council Information Office of China also didn’t immediately respond to a request for comment.
Bloomberg reported earlier this month that Tesla is nearing the final stages before starting trial production of its revamped Model 3 sedan in Shanghai, which Musk is betting will compete more effectively with Chinese rivals. The revised version is slightly longer than the earlier version, is sportier and has a sleeker interior design.
Tesla’s Shanghai plant accounted for more than half its global production in 2022, and the facility can now produce as many as 1.1-million cars a year. Shipments from Tesla’s Shanghai facility dropped in April, a sign consumers may be casting around for other electric vehicles as manufacturers across the country drop their prices.
Musk’s planned visit was reported earlier by Reuters.
The US automaker contributed almost one-quarter of Shanghai’s total automotive production value last year, and local authorities pledged earlier this month to continue to boost ties with the company through autonomous driving and robot modules.
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