Thailand, Indonesia still waiting for Tesla confirmation on possible factory cancellation
A week after news broke that Tesla might cancel plans to build factories in Thailand, Malaysia or IndonesiaThe respective countries are still waiting for the leading electric vehicle manufacturer to confirm or deny the rumors, according to Bangkok Post OfficeThai government spokesman Chai Wacharonke said the Land of Smiles has yet to receive a response from the company about the planned investment.
Tesla is reportedly reassessing its global investments amid slowing sales and intense competition, particularly from Chinese rivals. The automaker has Construction of Gigafactory in Mexico halted until after the US election, after candidate and former president Donald Trump vowed to increase tariffs on domestically produced cars.
Instead, the company is focusing on increasing production at its existing facilities in the United States, China and Germany, building new and more affordable models. “Tesla is reviewing its investment plans globally, not just in Thailand,” Chai said. “However, there is no confirmation yet.” [about halting the investment plan in Thailand] from the company. The news has been reported. We are waiting to hear from them.”
Tesla’s potential investment in Thailand is first pointed out by (now former) Prime Minister Srettha Thavisin in Septemberafter meeting CEO Elon Musk on the sidelines of the United Nations General Assembly in New York. Srettha then visited the company’s Fremont plant in November. and is said to have convinced the company to build a factory in Thailand. In March, it was reported that Tesla was in talks with the government about a potential manufacturing facility.
When told that Tesla might pull out of the investment and focus solely on building more charging stations, Srettha said he was unaware of the company’s decision, adding that government groups were still in talks with the automaker about a business plan.
Likewise, Indonesia is still waiting for news of a Tesla battery and electric car factory in the archipelago, after the two sides signed a deal in 2022 for the company to supply up to US$5 billion (RM22.1 billion) of nickel from the country. Last year, it was reported that Tesla would announced a battery factory “in the coming months,” But that trace has gradually faded.
For his part, Malaysian Minister of Trade, Investment and Industry (MITI) Tengku Zafrul Tengku Abdul Aziz said that although the government has held talks to attract investment, Tesla never committed to building the factory. The company has surpassed the ministry’s requirement to install at least 50 DC fast chargers with a capacity of over 180 kW, as outlined in the BEV Global Leaders program, of which Tesla is the only participant.
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