Tesla secures US$1.29 billion loan from Chinese banks for Shanghai car plant
- The US electric vehicle maker entered into agreements with lenders in China for a secured term loan facility of up to 9 billion yuan (US$1.29 billion)
- It also signed agreements for an unsecured revolving loan facility of up to 2.25 billion yuan
US electric vehicle maker Tesla entered into agreements with lenders in China for a secured term loan facility of up to 9 billion yuan (US$1.29 billion), according to a regulatory filing on Thursday.
The electric car maker said it has also signed agreements for an unsecured revolving loan facility of up to 2.25 billion yuan, adding that both the loans will be used for its Shanghai car plant.
China Construction Bank Corp, Agricultural Bank of China, Shanghai Pudong Development Bank and Industrial and Commercial Bank of China are the lenders, according to the filing.
Besides construction and production at the Shanghai factory, the loan may also be used to repay the 3.5 billion yuan debt due to be repaid on March 4 next year.
The factory, which is Tesla’s first car manufacturing site outside the United States, is the centrepiece of its ambitions to boost sales in the world’s biggest auto market and avoid higher import tariffs imposed on US-made cars.