At a remote Mexico border crossing a few miles upriver from Laredo, Texas, a green highway sign welcomes friends of an American company in an instantly recognizable font: TESLA.
After moving its headquarters to Austin from Silicon Valley, Elon Musk’s firm has struck a deal with one of Mexico’s most pro-business states. Tesla Inc. suppliers now have a dedicated lane at the Colombia Solidarity checkpoint to quicken the crossing, said Ivan Rivas, the economy minister of Nuevo Leon.
“It was a simple incentive,” Rivas said in an interview. “What we want is a crossing that’s much more expedited and efficient. And maybe there will be a lane for other companies in the future like there is for Tesla.”
Tesla didn’t respond to an emailed request for comment, and Rivas, who didn’t negotiate the deal, was unable to provide further information. Other state officials didn’t return calls seeking comment, so it’s difficult to know what Tesla gave, if anything, for its express lane. The exact rules for usage and who administers any paperwork or passes needed to drive back and forth were also unclear.
Nuevo Leon borders the US for about 10 miles, and the Colombia Solidarity site is among the less popular crossings. At its busiest point, average wait time for commercial trucks is about 20 minutes. The state’s border authority is expanding the Colombia crossing to eight lanes from six.
The state is home to at least six suppliers for Tesla, up from zero companies tied to the electric-vehicle sector before 2021, Rivas said. He expects between 5% and 7% of the investment in the state this year to come from the EV industry.
The Tesla suppliers include Taiwanese companies EnFlex Corp. and Quanta Computer, French firm Faurecia SE, Germany’s ZF Friedrichshafen AG and APG Mexico, Rivas said.
“Nuevo Leon is turning into an electro-mobility hub,” Rivas said.
As for Musk, he proudly talks up his company’s factory presence north of the border, tweeting this week that “Teslas are the most made-in-USA vehicles.”
©2022 Bloomberg L.P.
