FINALLY the speculations can come to an end as Tesla announces that it will officially enter the Malaysia market come July 20.
This puts to rest the long-standing rumours, which started as early as February, about the electric vehicle (EV)-focused automotive company eventually entering the local market.
At the time local media noted a name change to its subsidiary in the Companies Commission of Malaysia database from Tesla Services Sdn Bhd to simply Tesla Sdn Bhd.
Tesla Services has been in Penang since 2017, primarily to provide financial services and support to the Europe, the Middle East and Africa (EMEA) region and Asia-Pacific (APAC) region.
The turning point came when International Trade and Industry Minister Tengku Datuk Seri Zafrul Tengku Abdul Aziz, via social media postings, said the ministry had approved the company's application to import battery EVs (BEVs) into the country.
The company is the first applicant of the ministry's BEV Global Leaders Initiative that aims to boost demand for BEVs.
Anticipation of its imminent entry was further fuelled by the company's massive walk-in recruitment day held last month at the Cyberview Sdn Bhd office in Persiaran Apec, Cyberjaya.
Thousands of jobseekers then turned up to apply for the many available positions which mostly included: sales advisor/inside sales advisor, enterprise sales advisor, delivery advisor, customer support specialist and service advisor.
The event lasted until 4pm in the evening by which time the company informed attendees that it was impossible to meet every applicant on the day itself and they should drop their resume to which the company would get back to them.
No further official details were given on what the launch would further entail - such as which of the models and services will be offered at launch.
Going by the region's activity it is assumed that the Model 3 sedan and Model Y sport utility vehicle (SUV) will at least be making their local official debut - the models are also the only ones officially available in Singapore and Thailand, with the Model S and X yet to make their regional debut.
The Model 3 is equipped with a dual-motor All-Wheel Drive (AWD) engine and can cover 547km (WLTP) on a single charge.
With a 15-minute recharge at Supercharger locations, the car can travel up to 270km.
The Model 3 can accelerate from zero to 100kph in 3.3 seconds and has a top speed of 261kph. Its cargo space measures at 649 litres.
The Model Y, which also features a dual-motor AWD, can cover 514km on a single charge. A 15-minute recharge at a Supercharger location can give it a 261km range.
It can complete the century sprint in 3.7 seconds and has a top speed of 250kph. It boasts approximately 2,100 litres of cargo space.
In Thailand, the Model 3 is priced from 1.75m baht and the Model Y at 1.96m baht. Based on the current conversion rate, these prices are approximately RM228,050 and RM253,980, respectively, minus tax.
The brand's popular Superchargers will most likely be making their official entry as well given it was previously mentioned to be part of the entry business plan in Zafrul's initial social media posting on the company.
Adopting a 480-volt direct current (DC) fast-charging technology, each stall connector can supply electrical power at a maximum of 72kW, 150kW, or 250kW, depending on the Supercharger generation.
Through the Tesla app, users can search for stall availability and monitor the charge status. Drivers can also plan out their charging route with a first-party proprietary trip planner app.
According to its website, the placement and function of the Superchargers are strategically planned to charge the car in 15 minutes (hence, the listed charge times) since it is assumed that cars rarely need to be charged above 80 per cent, allowing the EV to constantly be on the go instead of waiting in line.
It has yet to be announced which generation of Superchargers Malaysians will be getting or their potential locations. Currently, there are more than 40,000 Superchargers placed along prime routes globally.
Malaysians can also expect to find out more details on the company's head office and service centres during the launch.