Thailand’s new Prime Minister Srettha Thavisin said on Thursday she had held talks with Tesla chief Elon Musk during a visit to New York and discussed the electric vehicle industry.
Thailand, Asia’s fourth-biggest car assembly hub, has offered incentives to electric vehicle and battery makers and cut taxes for local electric vehicle buyers to remain a regional auto hub.
Srettha, who is in New York to attend the United Nations General Assembly, said she had spoken to Musk about electric vehicle maker Tesla and his rocket and satellite company SpaceX, including his Internet venture Starlink.
“We look forward to further discussions,” Srettha said on social media.
In a statement, the Thai government said Srettha told Musk in a video conference that his government is ready to support investment under the current existing incentive framework.
“Tesla praised Thai human capital, which was suitable for investment,” the statement said.
Among the car manufacturers with factories in Thailand are Toyota and Honda. The country produces 1.5 to 2 million vehicles annually, about half of which are for export.
Electric vehicles are steadily gaining traction in Southeast Asia, a market dominated by Japanese automakers and accounting for less than 1% of Tesla’s global sales, according to Counterpoint Research.
Source: Terra
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