New Delhi, Dec 24 :
US electric vehicle maker Tesla Inc and a group of China banks have agreed a new 10 billion yuan (USD 1.4 billion), five-year loan facility for the automaker’s Shanghai car plant, three sources familiar with the matter said, part of which will be used to roll over an existing loan. China Construction Bank (CCB), Agricultural Bank of China (AgBank), Industrial and Commercial Bank of China (ICBC) and Shanghai Pudong Development Bank (SPDB) are among the banks which have agreed to give Tesla the financial support, one source with direct knowledge said. The Chinese banks earlier this year already offered Tesla a 12-month facility of up to 3.5 billion yuan, which is due to be repaid on March 4, 2020, according to a filing the automaker made to the US Securities and Exchange Commission.
That new loan will be partially used to roll over the previous 3.5-billion-yuan debt, according to the first source. The second source said the rest will be used on the factory and Tesla’s China operations.
The new loan’s interest rate will be pegged at 90 per cent of China’s one-year benchmark interest rate, the same as the 3.5-billion-yuan loan, the first source said. This is a rate that China banks offer to their best clients.
