Tesla has filed to enter Thailand as its latest market expansion. Interestingly, it plans to sell not only its electric vehicles but also its batteries and solar products.
It has been a little while since Tesla has expanded into a brand new market. The company was trying hard to enter the Indian market for years, but the effort was put on hold earlier this month.
It looks like Tesla has now turned its attention to Thailand. Tesla has filed to register its product for sale in Thailand, according to a new filing that has been going around social media:
While Tesla hasn’t officially entered the country yet, there are already quite a few Tesla vehicles in Thailand. They have been imported privately by the owners – and that’s a factor that Tesla takes into account when considering entering a new market. If many people are willing to go through the trouble of importing the vehicle, there’s a good chance that there’s a market for its vehicles in the country. We even reported on the Thai police buying a fleet of Tesla Model 3 vehicles for police patrol back in 2020, pictured above.
The Thai auto market is more significant than most people would think; over 750,000 cars were sold in the market last year, and it is expected to ramp up to 800,000–900,000 this year. However, most of those vehicles are not in the same price range as Tesla vehicles.
Thailand would be the first Southeast Asian country where Tesla would officially sell its vehicles. Tesla’s map still doesn’t show any planned service centers or Superchargers, which are generally the first sign of the company entering a new market.
Interestingly, Tesla has also registered in Thailand to sell its solar and battery products, which have been limited to the US for the most part.
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