France’s Economy Minister in Bid to Woo Elon Musk’s Tesla

Tesla (NASDAQ:TSLA) may be enticed into expanding in France, which would boost the country’s anti-pollution stance and incentives for consumers to go electric. France’s Economy Minister Michel Sapin is due to meet Tesla’s Vice President for business development Diarmuid O’Connell Friday at the company’s production site in Fremont, California, to argue that if Tesla is going to expand, it should do so in France, a ministry spokeswoman said.
As quoted in the press release:

Sapin is attempting a variation on the tradition that sees French politicians heading to the U.S. amid the Las Vegas Consumer Electronics Show to advertise the country’s push for innovation.
In the European race to court Elon Musk’s $36.5-billion company, France risks falling behind. In November last year Tesla bought German firm Grohmann Engineering, and announced plans to hire 1,000 new staff. Tesla already has a satellite office in Amsterdam and an assembly plant in Tilburg in the Netherlands.

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