More strangeness at Tesla Inc. (NASDAQ:TSLA) as the electric car maker abruptly suspended production at its Shanghai, China manufacturing plant.
It was only a few weeks ago that Tesla announced it would restart manufacturing at its plant on the outskirts of Shanghai. However, after resuming a few days ago, the company told factory workers to leave on May 6 and not return until May 9.
Media reports claim that Tesla stopped production because of a component shortage and delays in receiving parts for its Model 3. The production halt means that Tesla isn’t making any cars worldwide currently because its other vehicle-assembly plant located in Fremont, California is shuttered due to the coronavirus. That’s made the Shanghai factory even more important to Tesla as the U.S. is weeks behind China in terms of reopening its economy.
Tesla said in a statement that its Shanghai factory is conducting normal maintenance work and production-line adjustments.
Still, the halt to manufacturing in China comes after several strange incidents involving Tesla Chief Executive Officer Elon Musk. On a recent earnings call, Musk complained that the pandemic lockdown violates people’s constitutional rights. Musk then Tweeted that Tesla’s share price is too high and announced that he is selling all of his worldly possessions. A few days later, Musk listed two of his California homes for sale.
