IMAGE COPYRIGHT GETTY IMAGESA brief visit by Tesla boss Elon Musk to Luton has ignited rumours that he is considering a Tesla factory in the UK.
The electric car mogul flew into Luton Airport on a private jet last weekend and stayed two days, reports say. The Daily Telegraph reports that the visit coincides with a hunt by UK officials for “a major new car plant” location. The secrecy around the bids has led to speculation that Mr Musk may be involved.
The Telegraph reported (behind a paywall) that regional authorities – including those in Teesside and the West Midlands – were given an unusually short 48 hours to prepare bids for a 250-hectare site, without being told what company the bid was for.
The process was run by the Office for Investment, a new government office which is designed to help smooth out discussions between the public sector and private foreign investors post-Brexit.
Flight-tracking software showed that a private Gulfstream jet widely reported to belong to Mr Musk, landed at Luton Airport from California.
The plane then moved on to Germany, where Mr Musk paid a visit on Monday to the site of Tesla’s large “gigafactory”, which has been plagued by delays.
