Muafakat Nasional president Annuar Musa is seeking an explanation from the government following a news report which claimed Tesla would not be building factories in Southeast Asia, including Malaysia.
“Only several months ago, the prime minister announced that Tesla would open a huge electric vehicle (EV) plant in Malaysia with thousands of job opportunities for Malaysians.
“But now there is a news report that Tesla has cancelled its plan of investing in Malaysia but will invest in China instead.
“Perhaps, there will be an explanation from the government,” he said in a social media post.
Yesterday, Thai news portal The Nation reported that Tesla has cancelled plans to build EV manufacturing plants in Southeast Asian countries, including Malaysia.
Quoting a Thai government source, The Nation reported that the United States EV manufacturer will focus solely on charging stations.
“Tesla is currently only discussing charging stations, with the factory plans suspended not just in Thailand but worldwide. They are not proceeding in Malaysia, Indonesia, or anywhere else except for China, America, and Germany," the daily quoted the source as saying.
It also reported the move was “part of Tesla’s withdrawal of investment across Asia and beyond”.
Malaysiakini has reached out to Tesla, the Prime Minister’s Office, and Investment, Trade, and Industry Minister Tengku Zafrul Abdul Aziz for a response on the matter.
Tesla officially entered the Malaysian EV market last year after setting up shop in Cyberjaya and other locations and announcing plans to expand its network of EV charging stations.
A CNBC report in August last year says there are also plans for Tesla to manufacture EV batteries in Malaysia.
As part of efforts to draw investment from Tesla, the company was granted an exemption to allow its Malaysian operations to be 100 percent foreign-owned.
Anwar had repeatedly touted foreign investments by Tesla and other multinational companies as a sign of confidence in Malaysia’s political stability and economic direction. - Mkini
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