A representative from Tesla’s US headquarters will meet with Malaysia’s Ministry of Investment, Trade, and Industry (Miti) on August 22 to discuss the company’s investment plans in the country, local media reported. Government officials were also reacting to a recent report that suggested Tesla had halted plans to build a factory in Thailand.
Minister of Investment, Trade, and Industry Tengku Datuk Seri Zafrul Abdul Aziz has officially stated that Tesla’s plans included in the previous agreement only included investments in Malaysia’s EV charging ecosystem, research and development, and related sectors.
“With regard to the issue of Tesla’s factory (in Thailand) that is being widely discussed, as of now, the information received was only a report from a third party and not officially from Tesla. To be fair to Tesla, they had not made any promises to open a factory here,” he said.
The minister made the remarks to reporters after the opening ceremony of the Mini MITIday program and the groundbreaking of the multi-purpose hall built under the Kampung Angkat Madani program at Kampung Tebuk Mufrad, Sungai Air Tawar on Saturday.
The ministry will meet with Tesla representatives on August 22 to discuss all the details. Tengku Zafrul said that an official statement with possible details of the discussions will be released after the meeting with the company. He made it clear that he does not have exact information at the moment, but is confident that all the company’s existing operations in Malaysia are operating as usual.
“I also wish to know what their plans are. For now, Tesla’s existing service center will continue to operate as usual,” he added.
Tesla has four experience centers in Malaysia. There, customers are able to get all the necessary services, from consultation before purchase, to servicing of the car if necessary. Tesla is also committed to building 52 charging stations in various locations throughout the Klang Valley, Johor, Melaka, Penang, and Pahang.
