TESLA’s decision to expand its presence in Malaysia is due to the country’s strong foundation in the electrical and electronics (E&E) ecosystem, said Tengku Datuk Seri Zafrul Tengku Abdul Aziz.
According to the International Trade and Industry Minister, this is also why Amazon Web Services (AWS) chose to invest approximately of RM25.5 bil in the country by 2037 to establish their digital infrastructure.
“Our Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim has also announced that AWS investment will bring in high-end quality jobs for the locals and will have a spill over effect on our local economy,” he told reporters after officiating the Industry Excellence Award (AKI) 2024 ceremony at The Oasis, Johor Port in Pasir Gudang earlier today (March 5).
“So, when we talk about the automotive industries, companies like Tesla are coming here because we have the ecosystem that supports the E&E ecosystem.
“It is not so much on the incentive; it will help, but what makes Malaysia so attractive to these types of investors is that we can support the electric vehicle (EV) ecosystem.”
Tengku Zafrul also quoted Tesla as saying that a large portion of the company’s supply chain originated from Malaysia.
“So, they decided to relocate their business here, and this will have a positive impact on our economy, especially our SMEs and any new SMEs that might be created from the supply chain.
“Malaysia is actually the seventh largest E&E and semiconductor market in the world, so that is why when we invite investors to come, we must ensure that the ecosystem is also ready.
“So when they come here, they will have the support of the supply chain, vendors, services, parts, and others.”
The International Trade and Industry Ministry approved Tesla’s application to import battery electric vehicles (BEV) into Malaysia on March 1.
Tesla will also establish a Malaysian headquarters, as well as “experience centres”, service centres, and its “Supercharger” network.
On March 2, AWS revealed the establishment of a new infrastructure region in Malaysia as part of a public-private partnership with the Malaysian government. – March 6, 2023
Main pic credit: Bernama
