Electric car maker Tesla Inc. (NASDAQ:TSLA) has finally joined other automakers and suspended production at its U.S. assembly plant.
Tesla announced late Thursday that it will idle production at its lone U.S. assembly plant, choking off the supply of cars to customers as the first quarter of 2020 comes to a close.
The decision, announced in a written statement, followed several days of public pressure on Tesla about the carmaker continuing to run the factory despite the spread of the coronavirus and a county shelter-in-place order. Tesla said the facility will stop production at the end of the day on March 23rd.
“Despite taking all known health precautions, continued operations in certain locations has caused challenges for our employees, their families and our suppliers,” Tesla said in the statement.
Tesla shares gained $14.85, or 3.5%, Friday morning to $442.49
