The collaboration between Malaysia and Tesla is not only limited to the electric vehicle (EV) sector, revealed Investment, Trade and Industry minister Tengku Datuk Seri Zafrul Aziz to reporters during the soft launch of the 2023 International Electric Mobility Showcase (IEMS) yesterday. As you may recall, a meeting between prime minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim and Tesla CEO Elon Musk is expected to happen this week to discuss the possibility of the billionaire and his company making further investments in Malaysia.
Zafrul explained that the collaboration will involve other sectors as well, though further information surrounding this is still undisclosed at this time. He also told reporters that the meeting between Anwar and Elon will be done through a call, which is expected to take place sometime before the end of this week.
“There is more than just the EV sector that we are talking about in this potential collaboration,” the minister said. “What we want is to attract more potential or investment commitment in the automotive sector and other sectors that we can market within Malaysia.”
Anwar stated last week that both domestic and foreign investments are necessary to help increase Malaysia’s economy and employment, as well as to reduce its debts. The prime minister added that he had already met with investors from Japan, Saudi Arabia and China to discuss on increasing and expanding their investments in the country.
Meanwhile on a related note, Tesla is slated to officially launch its brand and EVs in Malaysia next week on 20 July 2023. Additionally, Zafrul revealed in April that the company is also expected to install at least 50 of its Supercharger systems in the country by 2026, with at least 15 open to all EVs.
(Source: Bernama)
