The PM’s hopes of turning Thailand into a “hub of EV manufacturing” have just been dashed, with Tesla confirming it’s ditching plans to set up a manufacturing plant in the kingdom.
Last November, PM Srettha Thavisin announced that Tesla was expected to choose Thailand as its EV manufacturing hub in Southeast Asia. Not so, says the company, having just laid off the Tesla delegation who visited Thailand in November and December and met with the PM.
Srettha also visited the company’s Fremont Factory in California, while he was in the US to attend November’s APEC Economic Leaders’ Meeting. At the factory, he met with Tesla executives and posed with the company’s flagship vehicle, the Cybertruck.
PHOTO: Paul Tan
Around the same time, the PM made his announcement that Tesla was considering 3 potential factory sites in Thailand and was poised to invest more than US$5 billion in the first quarter of 2024.
However, Tesla says it will now 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.”
SOURCE: Nation Thailand
