Elon Musk is worried about not being able to resume production in the Bay Area, says it's a 'serious risk' to Tesla's business

• Tesla CEO Elon Musk says being unable to resume production at its San Francisco Bay Area factory is a "serious risk" to the company's business.
• Musk made the remark during the company's earnings call Wednesday, in which he noted that Tesla's Bay Area factory in Fremont makes "the vast majority" of Tesla's cars.
• He also criticized US shelter-in-place orders introduced to curb the spread of COVID-19, describing them as "fascist" and "unAmerican."
• The automaker reported an unexpected profit for the first quarter of 2020, defying Wall Street's expectations.
• Visit Business Insider's homepage for more stories.

Elon Musk says being unable to resume production at Tesla's San Francisco Bay Area factory is a "serious risk" to the company's business.

Musk made the remark during Tesla's earnings call Wednesday, in which he bemoaned the current closure of its Fremont factory.

"I should say we are a bit worried about not being able to resume production in the Bay Area, and that should be identified as a serious risk," he told employees at the automaker.

"We only have two car factories right now: one in Shanghai and one in the Bay Area. And the Bay Area produces the vast majority of our cars – all of [our models] S and X and most of the 3 and all of the Y."

Tesla's Bay Area factory, based in Fremont, is its only car-producing factory located in the US.

The 48-year-old also bemoaned the existence of the shelter-in-place orders in place across much of the country – calling them "fascist" at one point during the call.

"[People] should be allowed to stay in their house, and they should not be compelled to leave. But to say that they cannot leave their house, and they will be arrested if they do, this is fascist," he said.

"The extension of the shelter-in-place or, frankly, I would call it forcibly imprisoning people in their homes against all their constitutional rights, that's my opinion, and breaking people's freedoms in ways that are horrible and wrong."

Despite Musk's misgivings, Tesla performed better-than-expected in the first quarter. The electric automaker reported a surprise profit for Q1 2020, with many analysts anticipating it would post a loss.

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