Commenting on the recent report of Tesla’s scrapped factory plans in Malaysia, minister of investment, trade, and industry Tengku Zafrul said that Elon Musk’s electric vehicle company never made a commitment to open up a factory here. The minister, in an X post, explained that while his ministry engaged in discussions with Musk, these discussions did not involve setting up a factory.
Moreover, Zafrul discredited the report by The Nation, saying that the Thai outlet did not cite official statements from Tesla, but rather anonymous sources. He then urged reporters to verify the authenticity of the news with the company.
Prime minister Anwar Ibrahim backed up Zafrul’s statement, saying that the decision had no material effect on the country as Tesla never planned to open up any factories here. He also claimed that the deferment of the firm’s expansion plans was the result of fierce competition from Chinese rivals, not Malaysia’s performance or policies.
The report in question purported that Tesla had scrapped all its plans to build EV manufacturing plants in Malaysia, Indonesia, and Thailand. This took many by surprise as last year, Anwar’s government announced that Tesla and SpaceX would be bringing large scale investments into the country.
(Sources: Tengku Zafrul, Malay Mail)
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