It seems Michigan's Governor Granholm (In the interest of full disclosure, I worked for the "G" for three years prior to writing about my obsession with the cult of cars — so ignore any instances of breathless adoration of Michigan's CEO.) is seriously working the phones and the flesh-pressing in an attempt to woo investment dollars from Tesla Motors CEO Martin Eberhard. As part of the Gov's wooing, she's tasked the Michigan Economic Development Corporation (NAMBLA) (Also, in the interest of full disclosure, i worked for the MEDC after working for the "G" but before writing about my obsession with the cult of cars — so ignore any instances of breathless adoration of Jeff Daniels.) to put together a package to incent the 'lectric car company to open up a $100 million and 300 hundred employee manufacturing facility in Michigan. That's in addition to the current plan to house a 50-60 employee engineering center in Rochester Hills, MI (a plan which will become fait accompli when the MEDC's tax-break board gives the OK on a package...
...for that facility on Tuesday). Hmm, methinks it's a good start at workforce diversification — but Michigan's going to have to do a helluva lot more to reverse the thousands of jobs already lost at the Big 2.5. Still, at least it may mean we can reign in our extreme jealousy over our West Coast editor being the only one able to get his hands on a quiet-as-deep-space supercar for a test drive.
Granholm going after jobs [Freep]
Related:
Separated at Birth: Lotus Elise and Tesla EV Roadster; The Great Traffic-Law Controversy: Tesla Tagged With Ticket; First Hunnert Tesla Roadsters Sold; Mechanical Resonance: The Tesla Motors Press Intro, Complete With Governator [internal]