Tesla to return to California with new engineering HQ, Musk confirms

Tesla founder Elon Musk announced this week that the company's global engineering headquarters would return to California after he previously moved the company to Austin, Texas two years earlier. The corporate headquarters will remain in Texas. 

Musk announced the move alongside California Democratic Gov. Gavin Newsom on Wednesday. The company's engineering headquarters will occupy the old Hewlett Packard building in Palo Alto, according to The Hill.

Newsom contended that the return of the electric vehicle manufacturer would help the state retain its status as an automotive manufacturing hub.

"We are able to lay claim to 44 manufacturing headquarter companies in the electric vehicle space, but none that dominate like Tesla," he said.

Neither Musk nor Newsom specified the reason for Tesla's return to the Golden State and it remains unclear whether Sacramento offered Tesla any incentives to return.

Ben Whedon is an editor and reporter for Just the News. Follow him on Twitter.