Car Production On Mars? Elon Musk Says He Wants To Do It Before He Dies

Elon Musk wouldn’t mind building his electric cars in outer space and said he hopes to do so before he dies during the Tesla (TSLA) 2021 shareholder meeting on Thursday.

Musk made the proclamation when he was asked by one of the meeting’s attendees when Tesla would start “off-plant” building of vehicles, Fox News reported.

According to the news outlet, Musk quipped, “Off-planet factory? I like the way you think,” adding, “So, we are many years before Tesla’s first off-planet factory. I mean, I would like to see one before I am dead. That would be cool."

The Tesla CEO continued, “So, I don’t know what we got like 40-years-ish. Hopefully, before I am dead, basically. That would be great.”

Musk has already sent his cherry-red Tesla Roadster into space in February 2018, strapped to the side of the Falcon Heavy rocket. The car was complete with a test dummy in the driver’s seat and emblazoned with a message on the car’s circuit board that read, “Made on Earth by humans.”

Since then, Musk has set his sights on building a city on Mars by 2050 through his space company SpaceX. He previously said he would like to die as an inhabitant of the city, but “just not on impact,” Fox News reported.

The news of Tesla’s possible long-term outer space production plans comes as the electric car company announced on Thursday that it is leaving its headquarters in Fremont, California, and moving it to Austin, Texas, citing high living costs and long commutes for workers in Silicon Valley.

As of Friday at 12:15 p.m. ET, shares of Tesla were trading at $786.24, down $7.37, or 0.93%.