Tesla CEO and Twitter owner Elon Musk recently continued his trend of praising Communist China, stating that a Chinese car maker is “most likely to be second” in breaking into the EV market in the way that Tesla has as they “work the hardest, and they work the smartest.”
Reuters reports that Elon Musk, the CEO of Tesla, expects a Chinese company is “most likely to be second” in the global EV market. China is Tesla’s second-largest market, accounting for roughly two-thirds of all electric vehicle sales globally in 2022, and houses the company’s largest plant.
When asked about the competition Tesla faces during the release of the company’s financial results on Wednesday, Musk said that he respected car companies in China and referred to the country as the most competitive market in the world. Although he avoided mentioning any specific Chinese automakers, he said, “they work the hardest, and they work the smartest.”
Due to increased competition and waning demand in China, Tesla has been lowering prices in the country. Price reductions in the US and other markets have followed. However, the company’s financial results demonstrated that recent significant price reductions were boosting demand and that the company is reducing costs to continue growing despite what Musk anticipates will be a recession this year.
Not for the first time, Musk has praised Chinese employees and rivals. He described Chinese automakers as the “most competitive in the world” in 2021 and noted that some of them excel at software. The Chinese workers who were”burning the 3:00 a.m. oil” to keep Tesla’s factories open during coronavirus lockdowns last year also received praise from him.
Given this, Tesla recently promoted China Chief Tom Zhu to oversee US factories and sales in North America and Europe to woo the best talent in China and maintain its leadership position in the market. Musk stated, “Our team is winning in China. And think we actually are able to attract the best talent in China. So hopefully that continues.”
With the Chinese government’s commitment to promoting the adoption of electric vehicles and the rising demand for allegedly “environmentally friendly” vehicles, the market for electric vehicles in China is predicted to continue expanding quickly. It is unsurprising that Tesla views China as a significant market and rival. Elon Musk, for his part, seems to be an unrelenting promoter of Communist China and its ideals.
Read more at Reuters here.
Lucas Nolan is a reporter for Breitbart News covering issues of free speech and online censorship. Follow him on Twitter @LucasNolan