Electric vehicle maker Tesla to open office in Malaysia

KUALA LUMPUR (Reuters) – Malaysia on Wednesday said electric vehicle (EV) maker Tesla Inc will open an office in the Southeast Asian country and establish a network of charging stations for its cars.

Tesla’s application to import battery-run EVs into Malaysia has been approved, and the company will also open showrooms and services centres, Malaysia’s trade ministry said in a statement.

The U.S. firm’s presence in Malaysia is expected to create skilled jobs and increase participation of local companies in the Tesla ecosystem, the ministry said.

Malaysia did not say when Tesla would open an office.

Tesla, which is run by Elon Musk, did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

(Reporting by A. Ananthalakshmi; Editing by Kanupriya Kapoor)