Tesla leveraged local authorities to reopen Shanghai factory, eyes expansion in China - Reuters
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Authorities in Shanghaiâs Lingang Special area aided Tesla (NASDAQ:TSLA) in getting its Shanghai Giga factory up to speed, per a new Reuters report published on Tuesday.
A letter seen by the outlet indicates over 6,000 workers were transported to perform disinfection duties after persistent supplication by the Austin-based EV manufacturer. The efforts helped secure an April 19 reopening for the factory, breaking a nearly month-long shutdown amid stringent anti-COVID restrictions. 
"They fought for three consecutive days, working round the clock and non-stop to guarantee our company's workers could return to the factory," Reuters reports the letter to say, adding that further expansion in the market is expected. 
According to Reuters, Tesla (TSLA) signaled its intention to open another plant near Shanghai that will be capable of producing 450,000 cars per annum. The letter is alleged to tout the planned plant as "the world's largest vehicle export hub."
Shutdowns in Shanghai have been a sore spot for numerous electric vehicle manufacturers in China in April. Nio (NIO), Xpeng (XPEV), and Li Auto (LI) each cited the work stoppages as the culprit for major cutbacks in delivery figures for the month.
Tesla (TSLA) has yet to provide an update on its April sales figures in the market. 
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