Now that we know that Tesla is officially coming to Malaysia, Tesla will suddenly be on the purchase consideration of many who have not considered a car from the American brand before this.
It’s understandable of course. First you have to have to get through mental barrier of the idea of using an electric car as a daily driver instead of an internal combustion engine car, with concerns of battery range and the availability of chargers being the primary deterrent.
Then, even after you have accepted that an electric car could be your next car, there’s the concern of aftersales support for Tesla cars in Malaysia. The closest official service centre right now is in Singapore, and owners from the Greentech leasing program have been sending their cars back to Hong Kong for major work.
Grey import Tesla buyers have so far been maintained by third party workshops run by enterprising Malaysians such as Exotic Mods, who seem to have been doing a good job so far. So far, I have never heard of an unrepairable Tesla based on my lurking in Tesla owner groups.
Still, its undeniable that the absence of official support may be a little too much to stomach for the risk appetite of many car buyers, and an official Tesla presence here in Malaysia will change that.
But how much will Malaysian Tesla buyers pay for their cars? Fully imported electric cars are currently exempted from import duty and excise duty. The only duty they will have to pay is 10% SST.
So it’s logical that Tesla Malaysia official imports might be cheaper than the grey import Teslas currently on sale because the grey importer’s profit margin would be out of the picture. But how much could they be priced at? Perhaps we could take the pricing of Teslas in our northern neighbour Thailand as a guideline.
The following is the price of the Tesla Model 3 and Y in Thailand, which are the only Tesla models currently on sale there (no Model S and X yet):
- Tesla Model 3 SR+ – THB 1,759,000
- Tesla Model 3 LR – THB 1,999,000
- Tesla Model 3 P – THB 2,309,000
- Tesla Model Y SR+ – THB 1,959,000
- Tesla Model Y LR – THB 2,259,000
- Tesla Model Y P – THB 2,509,000
At today’s exchange rate, this is how much the above prices would be in Malaysian ringgit:
- Tesla Model 3 SR+ – RM225k
- Tesla Model 3 LR – RM256k
- Tesla Model 3 P – RM296k
- Tesla Model Y SR+ – RM251k
- Tesla Model Y LR THB RM290k
- Tesla Model Y P – RM322k
If you add on 10% as a buffer for SST, could this is be what Tesla cars could be priced at in Malaysia?
- Tesla Model 3 SR+ – RM247k
- Tesla Model 3 LR – RM281k
- Tesla Model 3 P – RM326k
- Tesla Model Y SR+ – RM276k
- Tesla Model Y LR THB RM319k
- Tesla Model Y P – RM354k
What do you think of the potential pricing, would you be attracted to purchase a Tesla in Malaysia? If yes, what model and variant would you be looking at? Cruise around with the family in a Long Range Model Y, or hoon around in a Model 3 Performance? Let us know your thoughts in the comments below.
The post Tesla car prices in Malaysia when purchased through official channels – can Thailand pricing be a clue? appeared first on Paul Tan's Automotive News.
* This article was originally published here
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