Tesla opened for orders in Thailand on Wednesday, according to reports bloomberg.
The company’s country manager for Thailand, Yvonne Chan, said at the launch event in Bangkok today that the Model 3 and Model Y will be delivered from the first quarter of next year. And so the Elon Musk-dominated manufacturer has become the latest player to try its hand at Southeast Asia’s largest electric vehicle market – which is currently dominated by China.
A supercharger is on the way
The first service center will also open in the first quarter, while the first supercharger facility will be operational by February. According to Chan, at least 10 more supercharger facilities will open in Bangkok next year.
Prices start at 1.76 million baht ($50,200) for the Model 3 and 1.96 million baht for the Model Y, and dozens of potential buyers flocked to Bangkok’s Siam Paragon center on Wednesday to inquire about prices and see offers, according to the news agency. the cars.
When you buy a Tesla, you buy an ecosystem. I’m very satisfied with the price and quality, Bangkok-based investment analyst Nonalin Thugsunthorn tells Bloomberg.
Maybe the factory too?
Thailand has become Tesla’s second market in Southeast Asia after Singapore, and among its biggest competitors will be China’s Great Wall Motor, which offers an Ora Good Cat from 763,000 baht in a country where the government contributes tax incentives to promote electric cars.
The country already has an extensive supply chain that supplies a number of mainly Japanese-owned companies with internal combustion engine cars. The government’s goal is for 30 percent of all vehicle production to be electric by 2030.
According to the news agency, Chan did not say anything on Wednesday about Tesla’s plans to build a factory in Thailand. BYD, another Chinese competitor to Tesla, has chosen to build its first foreign factory in Thailand, with production expected to begin in 2024.
According to 2022 figures from the United Nations, Thailand is the 20th most populous country in the world, with a population of 70 million.
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