Elon Musk, speaking at his Tesla Shanghai gigfactory this week, praised the talent and work ethic of the Chinese, whereas, he said, Americans "are trying to avoid work at all," the New York Post reports.

Asked which electric vehicle competitors impress him the most, Musk said Volkswagen and Chinese startups yet to come.

Musk said he expects "very strong companies" to emerge in China and give Tesla a run for the money.

"There's just a lot of super-talented, hardworking people in China that strongly believe in manufacturing, and they won't just be burning the midnight oil — they'll be burning the 3 a.m. oil," Musk said.

In 2018, Musk slept on the Tesla factory floor when the manufacturer was struggling to ramp up its Model 3 sedan.

Earlier this month, Tesla said it is planning to open a second factory in the Shanghai area to have the capacity to build two million cars a year.

As for the current COVID-19 lockdowns in China, Musk said he is in talks with the Chinese government to lift them in coming days.