Over the past two decades, Thailand has quickly become the motor city of Southeast Asia. Some of the most popular cars sold in the region roll off Thai ports day in and day out. If you need more proof of that, just take a look at the cars on our roads today.
Now, it looks like Thailand will be home to yet another automotive assembly plant. This time around, it’s Tesla that could be setting up a factory over there. That’s according to Thailand's Prime Minister, Srettha Thavisin.
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"Tesla would be looking into an EV manufacturing facility, Microsoft and Google are looking at data centers," said Srettha to reporters during the United Nations General Assembly. Per Reuters, the Prime Minister also spoke to Tesla CEO Elon Musk to discuss the state of the electric vehicle market.
By the looks of things, Thailand has all the potential to be Tesla’s ASEAN manufacturing hub. Aside from being Southeast Asia’s largest auto manufacturing country, Thailand also has a set and definite road map for electric vehicles, along with incentives that favor the vehicle type.
The country is also the region’s largest market for EVs, accounting for 78.7 percent of battery-powered vehicle sales in ASEAN for the first quarter of 2023. For reference, the Philippines only accounted for 0.04 percent.
However, Thailand isn’t the only country that’s in talks with Tesla when it comes to building a factory in the region. Indonesia officials also confirmed that they are in talks with the American automaker to potentially open a plant over there. Indonesia is ASEAN’s second-largest market for EVs next to Thailand with an 8 percent share.
But the major advantage Thailand has over Indonesia is Tesla brand presence. Tesla has been in Thailand for quite some time already and even offers the full lineup. In Indonesia, there are no official distributors or even manufacturer support just yet.
Either way, the possibility of opening a Tesla manufacturing facility could be good news for those looking to buy any of the brand’s models. Thanks to trade agreements within ASEAN countries, Tesla prices could come down and be more accessible to more car shoppers.
