The Ministry of Investment, Trade, and Industry (MITI) has dismissed a report by Thai daily The Nation alleging that US electric car maker Tesla has abandoned its plans to establish factories in Southeast Asia, including Malaysia.
According to FMT, a source from MITI stated that the report, which cited an unnamed government source, does not reflect an official statement from Tesla and lacks confirmation from the company itself.
“The report cited is not an official statement from Tesla, and confirmation would need to come directly from Tesla,” the MITI source emphasised.
Earlier today, The Nation reported that Tesla had halted plans for an electric vehicle (EV) factory in the region, mentioning Thailand, Malaysia, and Indonesia as potential locations. The report claimed that Tesla is currently only discussing charging stations and that their factory plans are suspended worldwide, with operations continuing only in China, America, and Germany. The report further suggested that Tesla’s decision to withdraw from the Asian market was part of a broader retrenchment of investment.
In July, Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim announced significant investments from Tesla and SpaceX, another venture of Elon Musk, in Malaysia. Anwar indicated that these investments would create tens of thousands of high-value jobs. He also mentioned that Tesla would establish its Malaysian headquarters and service centres in Selangor.
However, there was no prior indication of plans to build an EV factory in the region. As of now, Tesla has not issued an official response to the claims made in the report.