American electric vehicle giant Tesla has just emphasized the significance of the Southeast Asian market for its global expansion plans.
Tesla’s Senior Public Policy and Business Development Executive Rohan Patel stated on Tuesday that Southeast Asia expansion is a “priority” for the company due to its rapid growth rate and BYD’s continuous advancement, Reuters reported.
Tesla starts Model Y deliveries in Malaysia
Tesla has finally kicked off the Tesla Model Y’s customer deliveries in Malaysia on March 12, 2024. The initial batch of deliveries only comprised 80 Tesla Model Y units, as per SoyaCincau.
One of the first customers to receive the all-electric crossover was a TSLA investor @1stPrincipleInv, who shared the milestone on X. According to the post, he placed an order for the Tesla Model Y as soon as the order page became available. However, he still had to wait eight months to get his hands on the Tesla EV.
“…Today is the first delivery day of Tesla Model Y in Malaysia, and I’m super delighted to be selected as one of the first customers to get my car
As a Malaysian, the wait for Tesla to come in has been excruciatingly long. I ordered my Model Y literally the minute the order page is up, and I had to wait for another 8 months to get it delivered to me. But the wait is finally over!!!”
@1stPrincipleInv, TSLA investor
Senior Executive Rohan Patel congratulated the new Malaysian Tesla Model Y owner, highlighting Southeast Asia’s potential to become a strong powerhouse for electric vehicles and battery storage.
Tesla’s ongoing talks with the Thai government
Apart from Malaysia, Tesla is also apparently “in talks” with the Thai government for a potential investment in local manufacturing.
As EV-a2z recently reported, government official Supakorn Congsomjit announced that the Musk-led company and Thailand had been discussing a prospective production plant for electric vehicles or batteries after conducting a site survey in late 2023.
The government is trying to tempt the American electric vehicle pioneer with a 100% green energy offer to support the factory’s operation.
Why Southeast Asia?
Southeast Asia has advanced as one of the strongest electric vehicle markets across the world in recent years.
It could potentially offer Tesla a substantial customer base amid the slowing demand for electric vehicles in its home market, the US.
As Senior Executive Patel noted, the region will surely become a “major place of growth over the coming years in battery storage and electric vehicle adoption.”
Therefore, it is unsurprising that China’s BYD has also been intensifying its push in the region. The arrival of the Tesla Model Y will undoubtedly trigger a neck-and-neck competition with BYD’s lower-cost EVs.
