Car Designers Wanted

Pictured above is the job posting, which appeared on WeChat

According to sources, Tesla is now open to hiring for a new design center in China and they’re doing the candidate search via WeChat, which is a Chinese multi-purpose app with a reported one billion-strong user base. Along with the company’s post on the social media-slash-messaging platform are images featuring a drawing of an automobile that can serve as a basis for what Tesla is expecting from its potential new designer hires.

Musk has previously hinted at plans of actually setting up a design studio in China during a recent visit to the Tesla Gigafactory in the country to mark the delivery of the first Tesla Model 3s there. He also talked about hiring people to create a ‘Chinese-style’ vehicle. It still remains unclear, though, whether the posted vehicle would be the exact basis for this particular vision.

Ideas to Reality

Musk’s Boring Company project was reportedly inspired by the Los Angeles traffic and the limits of the two-dimensional transportation network

This is certainly exciting news for China-based car designers, especially considering Musk’s reputation for moving on his ideas really quickly. In fact, he’s been known to get to work on his ideas in just a matter of a few weeks.

A good example of this drive in action is the Boring Company, which initially began as Musk’s ideas on the use of tunnels to ease traffic. It was founded by the entrepreneur in 2016 and has since become an independent entity from SpaceX, an aerospace manufacturer which is also his brainchild.

And while underground highways might be in vogue until the near future, the CEO’s bid to open a design studio in one of the biggest markets for automotive is a wise move on his part. With Tesla eyeing the Chinese market to potentially help grow its car sales, designing one catering to it specifically aids in that objective.

Tesla’s Gigafactory 3

Production for the Tesla Model in the China Gigafactory 3 began in October of 2019

It can be remembered that Tesla has already set down some roots in China with the Gigafactory 3, which produces battery cells as well as Tesla Model Y and Model 3 vehicles. The facility has a target production target of about 250,000 annually.

The first Teslas made in China were rolled out late in 2019, a year after construction began for the factory. The automaker reportedly has an agreement with the Asian country’s government to lease some 86 hectares for the long-term.