KUALA LUMPUR – Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim’s “forward-looking policies” is what convinced Tesla Inc to have its regional office in Malaysia, said Tesla regional director Isabel Fan.
With its head office planned to be set up in Cyberjaya, Tesla founder Elon Musk is guaranteed by the federal government to neither have to work nor share profits with a local partner.
Malaysia’s tariff-free imports also enabled Tesla to sell its cars below US$50,000 (RM225,825), which is about 75% cheaper than its retail price in Singapore or Indonesia, said Indonesia’s American Chamber of Commerce managing director A. Lin Nuemann in an opinion piece published in Nikkei Asia, today.
Other than benefiting consumers in Malaysia, the Tesla deal also allows the company to establish a network of service centres and charging stations for its cars in the country.
Ultimately, this creates job opportunities for Malaysians while taking the greener initiative towards achieving sustainability.
The move also puts Anwar’s federal administration in the best spotlight, especially now that the country is going into state elections for Negri Sembilan, Selangor, Kedah, Penang, Terengganu, and Kelantan on August 12.
Last month, the prime minister met with Musk to discuss Tesla’s investments in Malaysia via a virtual call that lasted about 25 minutes.
In a statement, Anwar said he welcomed the company’s interest and investment decision as well as Musk’s willingness to come to Malaysia. – August 1, 2023