Tesla hosted Srettha Thavisin, the Prime Minister of Thailand, at its Fremont Factory in Northern California ahead of what could be a potential partnership between the electric automaker and the Southeast Asian country.
For a few years now, Tesla has been friendly with several high-ranking officials who represent countries in the Eastern Hemisphere. That includes India and Thailand, two countries that have been working to establish a business partnership for several years.
Thailand has been pressing hard for Tesla to invest in its country and bring some capacity of its business to the region in an effort to encourage the use and purchase of electric vehicles.
Tesla officials, including CEO Elon Musk, have met with Thailand brass on several occasions. Last month, it was announced that Thavisin would be meeting with Tesla, and that meeting finally happened yesterday.
Thavisin toured the Fremont Factory on Monday, which was where Tesla built all of its EVs until Gigafactory Shanghai came online in 2020. Additionally, he met with some of Tesla’s executives and saw the Cybertruck.
“My pleasure visiting Tesla’s home in California,” Thavisin wrote on X. “Great discussion on the future collaborations on EV & Clean Energy. It is my hope that this collaboration will cement Thailand as the hub for EV and renewable energy in the years to come. [I] look forward to seeing more Tesla presence in our home country.”
My pleasure visiting @Tesla home in California. Great discussion on the future collaborations on EV & Clean Energy.
It is my hope that this collaboration will cement Thailand as the hub for EV and renewable energy in the years to come.
Look forward to seeing more Tesla… pic.twitter.com/TfkV47VUbl
— Srettha Thavisin (@Thavisin) November 13, 2023
It is not the first time Thavisin has teased Tesla’s potential entrance into the Thailand market.
During a September meeting with Musk, the Prime Minister said Tesla would be “looking into an EV manufacturing facility” in Thailand, among several other high-profile investments from major companies like Google and Microsoft.
It would be an interesting move to see Tesla launch its next Gigafactory in Thailand, as several locations are vying for the opportunity to host the next EV production facility from the company.
India, France, South Korea, Canada, and Chile have all been mentioned recently as candidates for where Tesla will put its next production plant.
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