Who Owns Slate Auto & Where Are Its Vehicles Built?

For the past decade or so, EVs have become a primary focus of manufacturers in the automobile industry. Virtually every major automaker in the world is now offering battery-powered EV models in their respective lineups. The EV movement has stretched far beyond efforts made by the major carmakers, though, with several new companies popping up over the years focused entirely on producing EVs, including the likes of Tesla, Rivian, and Lucid.

Slate is one of the newer players on the EV scene, with the brand having been in existence since just 2022. Though the brand is still new to the market, the company came into being with a noble purpose: to design and manufacture a no-nonsense EV truck that is more affordable for everyday drivers than most of the competition. And while questions abound regarding Slate's pickup truck, its $27,500 starting MSRP is attention-worthy at the very least.

Moreover, Slate's truck purports to be one of the most customizable vehicles on the market, with the company's founders determined to ensure customers have the option of paying only for the features they truly want. Slate's ownership team includes the billionaire brigade of Jeff Bezos, Mark Walter, and Thomas Tull, and it will build its EVs in the United States.

Despite backing from Amazon mastermind Jeff Bezos, Slate trucks have not yet joined Hyundai in being available through the online retailer. That is largely due to the fact that Slate's vehicles are not in production yet. The company is, however, accepting reservations for its EVs and is expected to begin delivering those pre-orders sometime late in 2026. The bare-bones pickup truck is the company's flagship vehicle, though Slate offers customization packages that can transform it into an SUV if you desire. 

With Slate eyeing 2026 for delivery of its first round of vehicles, the question then becomes where the company will be manufacturing its EV pickups and SUVs. If you're a "Made in America" sort of consumer, you'll be happy to know that Slate should suit your needs, with the company setting up shop in the American Midwest. Slate's manufacturing facility will be located in Warsaw, Indiana, with company bosses procuring a 1.4 million-square-foot factory space for production purposes.

Per reports, the facility was operating as a printing press until 2023, so considerable renovations have no doubt been undertaken to convert the space into a functional automotive factory. As of this writing, it appears the Indiana facility will be Slate's lone base of production. It is unclear, however, what the plant's manufacturing capacity might be, or how many people will be employed there. Those factors will likely depend on how many trucks Slate can sell before and after the facility is up and running.