Tulsa, Oklahoma, has transformed its iconic Golden Driller statue to look like Tesla founder Elon Musk in a bid to attract the company'...
Tulsa, Oklahoma, has transformed its iconic Golden Driller statue to look like Tesla founder Elon Musk in a bid to attract the company's new factory to town.
The statue is joining the effort to lure the automaker to build its new U.S. assembly plant in Oklahoma's second-largest city.
The new look for the 75-foot tall, golden statue in the heart of the city was unveiled by city officials on Wednesday.
The makeover includes a bright-red Tesla logo on its chest, a Tesla belt buckle and a mask to make the oil field worker resemble Musk.
City officials unveiled the new look for the 75-foot statue on Wednesday. It was first erected in the 1960s outside the Tulsa Convention Center in tribute to the state's petroleum industry
The Golden Driller statue receiving a Tesla facelift on Tuesday. The iconic Tulsa, Oklahoma, landmark was transformed in a bid to attract the company's new factory to town
It was revealed at a press conference Wednesday afternoon at the Tulsa Expo Center, where dozens of Tesla electric cars were parked outside a building that hosted the international petroleum trade show for years.
'I think it's pretty cool,' said Tulsa Mayor G.T. Bynum, standing beneath the mammoth statue.
'It's a way of showing how we want to roll out the red carpet and partner with this company.'
The company has reportedly picked Tulsa and Austin, Texas, as finalists for its new factory that is expected to employ more than 10,000 people.
No timeline for a decision has been announced.
The new factory would construct Model Y utility vehicles. It would be Tesla's second U.S. auto-manufacturing factory.
Oklahoma touts its low tax rates and cost of living, particularly its low utility costs, when trying to woo businesses from other states.
The oil worker statue has a new painted mask to make it look like Telsa CEO, Elon Musk
A Tesla Model 3 drives in front of the Golden Driller as it gets a Tesla facelift in Tulsa Tuesday. Tulsa's iconic 75-foot statue now has a bright-red Tesla logo on its chest, a Tesla belt buckle, and a mask to make the oil field worker look more like Tesla CEO Elon Musk
The statue was transformed in a bid to win Tesla's second U.S. auto-manufacturing factory which could employ more than 10,000 people. Austin, Texas, is also in the running
An auto manufacturer would qualify for numerous tax incentives, including a Quality Jobs program that provides cash rebates to companies that create good-paying jobs, a sales tax exemption that covers purchases of machinery and equipment, and a five-year property tax exemption.
The state also has a specific automotive engineer tax credit that provides a corporate income tax credit of up to 10 percent of the engineer's salary, and a $5,000 annual income tax credit to the worker.
'It is clear that Tesla and Tulsa were forged in the same spirit,' Mayor Bynum told Roadshow.
'Tulsa is a city that doesn't stifle entrepreneurs - we revere them. And as Tesla continues to rapidly change transportation all around the world, I can't imagine a better place for them to further that important work than Green Country.'
The Golden Driller statue was erected in Tulsa in the 1960s in tribute to the state's petroleum industry.
It is the fifth tallest statue in the continental United States.
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