Tesla Motors Inc. Chief Executive Elon Musk announced Thursday that the Silicon Valley manufacturer of high-end electric cars will build its new all-electric sedan in the Los Angeles area.

The announcement was made at an event in Hawthorne, where Musk unveiled Tesla’s new all-electric four-door Model S sedan.

Musk said that the Model S sedan will be built in Southern California “close by” the Space Exploration Technologies Corp. facility. Space Exploration, more commonly known as SpaceX, is a Hawthorne company founded by Musk in 2002.

Musk said he could not reveal the exact location of the new Model S factory because the company has yet to sign an agreement, but he said that Tesla has a specific location in mind, plus a second choice.

The Business Journal previously reported that Tesla was eyeing a 78-acre site of a defunct Boeing Co. airplane plant in Long Beach as a possible location for the Model S factory.

Tesla is planning to manufacture 20,000 Model S vehicles a year and sell them at a base price of $57,400. Production on the new vehicle is expected to begin in 2011 and could create several hundred local jobs.