(Refile to correct typo in paragraph 3)
MEXICO CITY (Reuters) -Mexico Economy Minister Ebrard will soon try to meet billionaire and Tesla (NASDAQ:) chief executive Elon Musk to determine his plans to build an electric car factory in northern Mexico, he told local radio on Thursday.
Ebrard is a former secretary of state and veteran political operator, and reviving plans to build a giant Tesla factory in the northern state of Nuevo Leon would mark a major early victory for the administration of President Claudia Sheinbaum, who took office last month.
“I'm going to have a meeting with (Musk) soon so he tells me what he thinks and see what we can do so this project can move forward,” Ebrard told local radio station Radio Formula.
Last April, Tesla announced that it would use existing factories to produce new and more affordable vehicles, making investment in potential new factories, including in Mexico, unlikely in the near future.
US President-elect Donald Trump's victory in Tuesday's election also adds new complications to Mexico's plans, and the possibility of moving the factory to the United States.
During his first term as president, Trump frequently pressured US companies to maximize domestic manufacturing operations over factories abroad.