FREMONT, California, Oct. 1 (Kyodo) — U.S. electric vehicle maker Tesla Motors Inc. said Saturday it will be ready to produce its new "Model S" electric vehicle by the end of this year at the plant it bought from the now-liquidated joint venture of Toyota Motor corp. and then General Motors Corp.
Tesla has received over 6,000 orders for its Model S car, Chief Executive Officer Elon Musk told reporters, while showing them the new plant in Fremont, California that it bought in 2010 and has been renovating.
The automaker plans to begin delivering the car in the United States in the latter half of 2012 with a sales target of 5,000 by the end of that year, he said.
Tesla bought the plant with a floor space of 464,500 square meters from New United Motor Manufacturing Inc., better known as NUMMI, which ceased operation in April 2010 as General Motors Co. withdrew following the old GM's bankruptcy.
Taking over NUMMI's production lines and manufacturing facilities as well as some of Toyota's methods for efficient production, Tesla has turned the plant into one with an annual output capacity of 20,000 vehicles.
Tesla has made a good start with the Model S, Musk said, adding that the automaker plans to maintain ties with Toyota.