Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim will hold a virtual meeting Tesla Inc’s Chief Executive Officer Elon Musk by the end of this week, according to Trade Minister Zafrul Aziz.
Zafrul also confirmed local media reports that Tesla will officially launch in Malaysia on July 20. He spoke to reporters after soft launching the International Electric Mobility Showcase 2023, an EV-focused event scheduled for October in Kuala Lumpur.
Tesla in March said it will sell its electric cars in Malaysia to tap into the rising foreign demand for EVs in Southeast Asia. The company plans to open an office in the country, introduce service centres and build a network of superchargers. The Star newspaper on Friday cited Anwar as saying he will meet Musk this week to discuss further investments in the Southeast Asian country.
The discussion may go beyond exploring EV investment opportunities in Malaysia, Zafrul said.
“I think there is more than just EV sector that we are talking about, for this potential collaboration,” he said.
Zafrul said that Malaysia aims to increase its network of EV chargers tenfold within the next two years. Malaysia has about 1,000 chargers currently, but remains aggressive in its pursuit to install 10,000 chargers by 2025.