Tesla Motors Inc. is seeking a Chinese production partner for its electric cars as co-founder Elon Musk predicts a bright future for autonomously driven vehicles.

 

China's government has enormous concerns about pollution, Musk said in Hong Kong. The billionaire has held "a number of high-level meetings" with the government, he said without elaborating.

 

Tesla posted its strongest quarterly sales in China for the three months ended September, as it prepares to begin sales of its Model X crossover this year. Securing a local partner would help Tesla circumvent 25 percent tariffs on imported vehicles.

 

Musk cautioned that falling oil prices could dampen interest in electric vehicles. On the other hand, EVs are exempt from license plate quotas in Beijing and other major cities.

 

Among his predictions for the future are a Tesla truck, a manned flight to the International Space Station by his SpaceX venture before the end of 2017, and a majority of new cars to be driverless within 15 years.

 

Driving a car will be "like owning a horse," Musk said. "You do it for sentimental reasons, not transport."

 

Tesla is working with the government of Hong Kong, which has the highest per capita number of Teslas, to introduced home power charging stations. That could provide a model for other cities to follow.