According to the latest news, Tesla Motors has been granted $15 million in tax credit by the California government.
"Reports surfaced late on Thursday evening from California Governor's Office of Business and Economic Development or GO-Biz to add Tesla amongst nearly 60 other companies to receive tax credits from a threshold of not less than $50 million state funds," Business Finance News reported.
The tax credit for the electric vehicle (EV) manufacturer was reportedly granted on a 4-1 vote with board member Madeline Janis opposing.
The Tech Bulletin said Tesla will be able to get the full amount "by creating 4,426 positions by 2019." Those jobs supposedly should have $35,000 minimum annual salary and a $55,000 mean salary. But currently, the company has already created 9,000 jobs. That figure makes the Palo Alto, Calif.-based automaker the largest employer in the manufacturing industry.
Tesla Motors vice president of business development Diarmuid O'Connell said the tax credit would allow his company to create more than 4,000 jobs in the sunshine state.
Meanwhile, Tesla is set to expand its lineup with the upcoming Model X. According to The Washington Post, CEO Elon Musk said the SUV-minivan EV will be "paying more attention to the needs of women."
"The SUV first unveiled in 2012 seats seven, offers all-wheel drive and comes with 'falcon wing' doors that fold upward instead of swinging out. It's expected to start selling as soon as September for about $70,000."
The Model X is noticeably different from Tesla's sportier offerings such as the Roadster and the Model S which Musk called "a little too guy-centric."
Selling more vehicles to women could help turn around Tesla Motor's fortunes as they make up a significant portion of the automotive market.
Citing IHS Automotive data, The Washington Post reported that the country's top-selling compact SUVs "are mostly registered to female buyers." Moreover, an industry group said that "women spend $300 billion a year on vehicles and maintenance."
