By Ryan Randazzo and Ronald J. Hansen, The Republic | azcentral.com
When Tesla Motors Corp. in February announced four states as finalists for a massive battery factory, it touched off a high-stakes, low-profile bidding war in the Southwest for what could be one of the largest manufacturing projects in the nation in recent memory.
The competition among Arizona, Nevada, New Mexico and Texas has left groups in each state comparing what each has to offer over the others while wondering whether some X factor could leave them on the outside looking in.
Each state has a menu of incentives, taxes and business attractions, though geography and other concerns are likely to weigh heavily in the company’s decision, site-selection experts say.
The unusual announcement brought the secretive site-selection decision into the national spotlight. Simply being named a finalist was a gift to the four states in terms of marketing their business-friendly environments, but only one will get the ultimate trophy of a factory.
