Reuters reports that Faraday Future, the Chinese-backed startup gunning to enter the U.S. electric car market, has reduced the planned size of a Nevada factory, and will produce only two models instead of seven. The carmaker has faced repeated hurdles since its public debut in 2015, most recently including cash flow issues that left suppliers unpaid and may have contributed to several executive departures.

Instead of a planned $1.3 billion investment in a 3-million square foot Nevada factory that would produce 150,000 cars a year, Faraday Future has reportedly told the city of North Las Vegas that it will build a 650,000 square foot factory. According to sources speaking to Reuters, the facility could build fewer than 10,000 cars a year.

The company issued a statement following the report, denying that it was scaling back its ambitions. Instead, the company says it has divided its construction plans into two phases, with the initial phase aimed at earlier completion to bring its first vehicle, the FF91, to market more quickly.

But Reuters' sources outline other long-term strategic shifts. Most notably, production of most Faraday vehicles is now said to be centered in China’s Zhejiang province, where a plant with a 450,000 vehicle capacity is planned.

Most intriguingly for those who have followed the Faraday saga, that facility will also produce LeEco’s LeSee sedan. LeEco is owned by Faraday's main backer, Chinese entrepreneur Jia Yueting, with which the U.S. startup has had an unusual and sometimes troubled relationship. Jia reportedly tasked Faraday workers with designing the LeSee, without reimbursing Faraday for the work, and a shift to Chinese production could further erode Faraday’s autonomy.

Perhaps the most disappointed party if Faraday falls short would be the state of Nevada, which early last year approved $215.9 million in tax incentives for Faraday, as part of a larger state strategy to attract energy and transportation investment. Those incentives may be moot if Faraday doesn’t meet certain investment benchmarks.

In a more immediate threat to Faraday's goals, Nevada's state treasurer told Reuters that Faraday hasn’t delivered a performance bond required for the state to begin funding infrastructure development around the factory site. That presumably includes necessities like roads, threatening the viability of even the scaled-back factory plan.

路透社报道，由中国人出资、旨在打入美国电动汽车市场的新创企业法拉第未来公司（Faraday Future）已经调整了位于内华达州工厂的建设规模，并将其计划生产的车型数量由原来的7款减少为两款。自2015年公开亮相以来，这家汽车制造商不断遇到麻烦，就在前不久，公司的现金发生了问题，导致对供应商的欠款以及数位高管离职。

法拉第原本计划投资13亿美元，在内华达州建设一座27.9万平方米的工厂，年产汽车15万辆。目前有报道称，公司对厂址所在地北拉斯维加斯市表示，将建设一座面积为6.04万平方米的工厂。此外，有消息人士向路透社透露，工厂的年产能将不足1万辆。

报道一出，法拉第即发表声明，否认下调目标，还称已经将建设计划分为两个阶段，先期完工后将推出首款汽车FF91，并迅速开展营销。

但消息人士说，法拉第已经做出了长期的战略转变。其中最值得注意的，是有消息说，法拉第的大部分汽车将主要在中国浙江省生产，公司计划在那里建设一座产能为45万辆的汽车工厂。

最让关注法拉第的人感觉有趣的，是浙江的这座工厂还将生产乐视生态公司（LeEco）的LeSee豪华轿车。乐视生态的老板是法拉第的主要投资人、中国企业家贾跃亭，他与法拉第这家美国新创企业的关系不同寻常，有时不太和谐。据报道，他将设计LeSee的任务交给了法拉第的员工，却未支付费用。贾跃亭把汽车转到中国生产有可能进一步削弱法拉第的自主性。

倘若法拉第的工厂缩水，最失望的恐怕要属内公华达州了。去年初，该州批准了给法拉第的2.159亿美元税收激励，这是它吸引能源和交通投资的大战略的一部分。要是法拉第达不到一定的投资门槛，这些激励也就无法实施了。

对法拉第达成其目标的一个更加直接的威胁是，内华达州财政部长对路透社表示，法拉第并没有兑现与内华达州的履约保函，因此该州也不会出资建设工厂周边的基础设施，其中应该包括公路之类的必需设施。这使得即便建厂计划缩水，其可行性也成了问题。（财富中文网）

作者：David Z. Morris

译者：Ms