Thailand challenges Italy and India for Tesla's next Gigafactory

Rumours point to a meeting between Tesla and Thai Prime Minister to building a factory dedicated to electric cars and batteries.

By: Alberto Carmone

Mar 9, 2024 at 6:28am ET

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India and Italy are not the only countries in talks with Tesla about building a Gigafactory. For some time now, the American manufacturer has been looking for an ideal location to build a new factory dedicated to the production of batteries and cars.

Today, Thailand has been added to the list. Reuters reports details of a recent meeting between executives of the American company and the Thai Prime Minister, Srettha Thavisin.

The offer

According to the Prime Minister's statement, Tesla would have carried out an inspection at the end of 2023 to assess the feasibility of the project. For its part, the government of the peninsula would have offered a 3.2 million square metre plot of land, with the possibility of supplying the entire factory with "green" energy.

Tesla Model Y

We'll soon find out what Tesla has decided, as the American brand is expected to start building the factory (wherever it is) by the end of 2024. Nonetheless, Thailand could play several cards in its favour to make it even more attractive than other countries.

Making Thailand 'attractive' to Americans

Bangkok is the leading vehicle manufacturer and exporter in the South East Asian region and aims to become the main hub for electric car production in the near future, as well as one of the most important markets in the whole of Asia.

In terms of figures, over 2 million vehicles are currently produced in Thailand every year. In fact, Tesla has only recently arrived in the country, with orders for its models opening in late 2022, with the first deliveries taking place in 2023. In short, will the next Tesla speak Thai (too)?

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