Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro to meet with Tesla representative as part of his visit to the USA

Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro will arrive in the United States on his fourth visit today since his election in 2019. As part of this trip, he should meet with representatives of Tesla.

Bolsonaro has a strong determination to strengthen trade and investment ties with the United States. According to Foreignbrief, as part of his business trip to the US, the president will meet with Tesla to discuss the construction of a plant in Brazil.

The Tesla plant in Brazil would be a significant victory for Bolsonaro. He is fighting to reduce the effects of a two-year recession. Brazil's auto industry was among the sectors most affected by the recession. Thanks to the efforts of the president, in particular his attempts to promote private business, the country's economy grew by 1.1% in 2019.

Brazil currently offers 3% + tax breaks for the production of hybrid and electric cars. The country is also the largest supplier of cars to Latin America, and it is expected that by 2025 the market for electric vehicles in the region will grow by 30%.

Minister of International Affairs Derian Campos. Photo credit: Secom/SC

The government of Santa Catarina is also preparing a mission to Tesla. The state wants to bring an electric car factory here.

According to Minister of International Affairs Derian Campos, a personal meeting with Tesla executives doesn't yet have a date and place. But he has been in contact with the company since last year.

The initial contact was through correspondence sent by the Minister to Tesla CEO Elon Musk on September 17, 2019. The text describes the entrepreneurial and innovative potential and characteristics of Santa Catarina. In particular, innovation centers located in Florianopolis and divisions of BMW and GM, in Araquari and Joinville, respectively, in the north of Santa Catarina, in addition to mentioning Embraco and WEG, with factories in Joinville and Haragua do Sul.

Text of the letter:

"September 17, 2019

Dear Sir Musk

We are in contact with you from the Secretariat of International Affairs of the Santa Catarina State Government - Brazil.

You may have heard of Santa Catarina as a state that encourages student experience that created a filter for astronauts from the International Space Station.

The capital of Santa Catrina, Florianopolis, is the national benchmark for technology and innovation; Currently, it houses three technology centers, three business incubators and several innovative offices.

Florianopolis is also one of the five smartest cities in Brazil, according to the rating of the urban system. Florianopolis ranks second in education in categories, as well as second in technology and innovation; and fourth in health, economics, and entrepreneurship.

Some aspects and initiatives that may interest you give an idea of ​​what Santa Catarina has to offer as human capital, namely: Sapiens Parque, ACATE, The Rotfather, Certi Foundation.

An example is a startup called CogniSigns, which developed an early autism diagnosis program/system for ASD.

Although it is a small state in size, Santa Catarina has been selected by the most important automobile companies in the world, such as BMW and General Motors, in addition to host world leaders in the electric sector, such as WEG and Embraco, which have their headquarters and R&D centers in Santa Catarina.

Given this, we believe that our staff is the right place for Tesla's investments in Brazil and South America.

We are in a state of opportunity. Take a few minutes to get to know Santa Catarina and get amazed (video). Therefore, we look forward to meeting you at your discretion.

Sincerely,

Derian Campos, Secretary for International Affairs of the State of Santa Catarina - Brazil."

Featured image: Reuters