KUALA LUMPUR (March 1): Putrajaya has approved electric car maker Tesla’s application to import battery electric vehicles (BEVs) into Malaysia, establish a head office, a Supercharger network, as well as experience and service centres.

Tesla’s presence in Malaysia is expected to create skilled and better paying job opportunities for workers in the BEV segment, while increasing the participation of local companies in the company’s ecosystem both domestically and globally, said the Ministry of International Trade and Industry (Miti) in a statement on Wednesday (March 1).

The ministry said it is facilitating Tesla’s entry through the introduction of the BEV Global Leaders initiative, which aims to help boost BEV demand in the local market, and further promote the development of the entire ecosystem to support BEV adoption.

Miti said Tesla is the first applicant of this initiative, which also seeks to secure investments from leading global BEV manufacturing companies in Malaysia.

“We are pleased by Tesla’s decision to establish its presence in the electric vehicle ecosystem in Malaysia. This demonstrates Tesla’s confidence in our economic fundamentals and conducive business environment,” said Minister Tengku Datuk Seri Zafrul Abdul Aziz. 

“Even as major global brands decide to invest and reinvest in Malaysia, Miti and its agencies will continue to enhance efforts to improve the ease of doing business, while continuously profiling Malaysia as pro-trade, pro-industry and pro-investment. 

“We will also strategically leverage our established electrical and electronics ecosystem to make Malaysia the preferred investment destination for technology related to electric mobility,” he added.