Heads Up: Tesla Officially Enters its Second Market in Southeast Asia This Week
Tesla, the current king of electric vehicles, is officially launching in the Kingdom of Thailand this week, according to various news sources and a teaser from the company itself.
Last week, the luxury shopping mall Siam Paragon in Bangkok posted a teaser on its Facebook page announcing the arrival of one of the world’s bestselling EVs in the country this month. Siam Paragon is already home to the local showrooms of some of the world’s most luxurious car brands, including Jaguar, BMW, Aston Martin, Porsche, and Rolls-Royce.
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Nikkei Asia also posted a news item saying the company is set to officially open its first showroom in Thailand on Wednesday, December 7, just in time for the “yearend peak season for car sales.”
However, eagle-eyed motoring enthusiasts have known for months that Tesla was coming to Thailand. The carmaker filed to register its product for sale in the country in May this year. A few months later, in September, Tesla announced a slew of job openings based in Bangkok. The postings included positions for consumer engagement manager, senior accountant, business development manager, senior recruiter, as well as home charging developer and a “charging lead” for its “charging infrastructure.”
This would make Thailand only the second country in Southeast Asia to officially sell Tesla cars, after Singapore.
Of course, a few Tesla cars are already roaming the streets of Thailand thanks to owners privately importing the units.
Thailand is the region’s second-largest automotive market (after Indonesia), selling over 750,000 units in 2021.
Currently, the cheapest Tesla model is the Model 3, which retails for roughly around $47,000 (or about P2.63 million). The base price of the Model X, meanwhile, starts at around $106,000 (about P6 million).
The question now is, will Tesla ever make its way to the Philippines? Your guess is a good as ours.
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