Tesla picks Austin, Tulsa as finalists for new US factory

Tesla has picked Austin, Texas, and Tulsa, Oklahoma, as finalists for its new US assembly plant, a person briefed on the matter said Friday. The person says company officials visited Tulsa in the past week and were shown two sites.

It wasn’t clear if there were any other finalists in the mix. the person didn’t want to be identified because the site selection process is secret.

The electric car maker has said it wants the factory to be in the center of the country and closer to East Coast markets.

The stakes are high for state and local governments. Tesla has said the plant will be larger than its factory in Fremont, California, which employs 10,000 workers.

Companies typically play finalists against each other in order to get the best package of tax breaks and other incentives.