A senior Tesla executive said the company will not build an assembly plant in China until the market for electric cars reaches "a critical mass," the China Daily reported.

 

J.B. Straubel, Tesla's co-founder and chief technology officer, threw cold water on speculation that Tesla might be preparing to build a factory in China after another company executive said the company might produce the Model 3 in China.

 

Straubel made his remarks during an interview with China Daily on the sidelines of the International Transport Forum in Leipzig, Germany.

 

Only the U.S. has generated more Model 3 pre-orders than China. But IHS Automotive's Supplier Business newsletter reports that Tesla has set aside plans for a Chinese assembly plant because it has not found a suitable joint-venture partner.