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Tesla just registered a new electric car firm in China

As China plans to fully open its auto market to foreign ventures, Tesla ignites plans for its first non-US Gigafactory.

Zoey Chong Reporter
Zoey is CNET's Asia News Reporter based in Singapore. She prefers variety to monotony and owns an Android mobile device, a Windows PC and Apple's MacBook Pro all at the same time. Outside of the office, she can be found binging on Korean variety shows, if not chilling out with a book at a café recommended by a friend.
Zoey Chong
A Tesla charging station.  Teslas business in China has

Tesla just registered a new electric car firm in China, where it boasts 24 stores, 114 supercharging stations and 348 regular charging stations.

Zhang Peng/LightRocket via Getty Images

is preparing to set foot on Chinese soil as the country begins lifting a cap on foreign ownership of domestic auto ventures.

Last week the automaker registered a new electric car firm in Shanghai, China, according to a filing with the National Enterprise Credit Information Publicity System. It was first noticed by Reuters.

Called Tesla (Shanghai) Co Ltd, the firm will focus on electric cars , spare parts and batteries, as well as the development of photovoltaic products.

The move follows an earlier report that Tesla would unveil the location of a new Chinese "Gigafactory" as early as next quarter. Earlier this month, Tesla chief  Elon Musk thanked Beijing for scrapping limits on foreign ownership of local electric car firms.

The company, registered in Shanghai's free trade zone area, lists Tesla's China head Zhu Xiaotong as its legal representative and Tesla Motors HK Limited as its only shareholder.

"We don't have anything new to add on this news for now," a Tesla spokeswoman told CNET in an emailed statement, adding the company hopes to share more "in the coming months."

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