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Tesla Motors Buys Michigan-Based Automotive Supplier

Palo Alto-based Tesla Motors is making good on allusions to a possible future footprint within the state of Michigan, having just acquired Riviera Tool – a stamping supplier rooted in Grand Rapids, Michigan.

The news comes to us from the Detroit Free Press, who doesn’t disclose the purchase price of the tooling company. The Free Press does, however, report that an unnamed source within Tesla Motors has stated that Riviera Tool is to be renamed Tesla Tool & Die. It’s expected that the automaker will continue to purchase from other stamping parts suppliers as well, while Tesla Motors gradually adds to the existing staff at Riviera.

The acquisition of Riviera Tool by Tesla Motors is rooted in a need for increased production efficiency, as the maker of electric cars attempts to ramp up production of the Model S sedan while introducing the Model X crossover later in the year. The deal could even be considered a promising sign that Tesla Motors is committed to keeping its promised Q3 launch date for the X.

The Free Press is quick to point to a statement from the Automotive News World Congress in Detroit, held back in January, wherein Tesla Motors CEO Elon Musk remarked that having a footprint in the state of Michigan was “not out of the question. Maybe Michigan shouldn’t stop us from selling cars here. That would be a nice gesture.” The comment elicited laughter from the crowd.

Aaron Birch is an automotive enthusiast and writer/filmmaker from Detroit, MI. As a rule, he only buys cars older than himself.

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