Tesla CEO Elon Musk has hinted interest in taking over a factory space in Fremont, California recently abandoned by General Motors, spurring talk that something may be done to save 2,500 jobs at GM's Oshawa plant, set to shut down in late 2019.
In a 60 Minutes interview airing Sunday evening, the electric carmaker CEO teased the possibility of an expansion in the U.S., while saying he isn't phased by GM's planned restructuring with a move toward electric and self-driving cars.
Musk, a billionaire, says his main focus is making sure the market for electric vehicles is alive, well and increasingly successful, even if they aren't Tesla vehicles.
On our media partner CP24 Sunday afternoon, Unifor national president Jerry Dias said he won't believe it until he sees it.
"I don't think he's serious," he said. "Tesla almost went bankrupt this year. This year they're likely to lose a couple hundred million dollars."
"So do I see them as sounding attractive? The answer is yes, but is that the solution for General Motors in Oshawa? The answer is no."
Meantime, General Motors says it wants a certain American tax incentive to remain in place.
The company says the 75-hundred dollar incentive for ``green'' cars is crucial to make sure that electric vehicles would be a viable technology.
Critics have said the incentive is a waste of taxpayer money.
Other plants that would be impacted by GM's restructuring are located in Ohio, Michigan and Maryland.
"Less than two per cent of the North American are electric vehicle sales, so that doesn't even fill up one assembly plant," Dias added.
"The only way that the operation stays open in the short term - and in the long term - is with General Motors, and that's why we're not letting them off the hook, and that's why Canadian consumers are punishing them in a significant way."
- With files from NBC News and The Canadian Press