Tesla Pulls Out Of Singapore, Citing Lack Of Tax Breaks

Tesla is pulling out of Singapore, barely six months after establishing an office in the city state, citing the failure to obtain green technology tax breaks from the Economic Development Board of Singapore. Without tax incentives, the all-electric Tesla Roadster would cost around S$400K to S$500K (RM 951K to RM 1.2 million), a price range that can get you most of the Porsche and Maserati models.

Speaking to Straits Times, a Singapore newspaper, Tesla Motors Asia-Pacific director, Kevin Yu, claimed to have garnered some bookings for the Roadster at S$250K (RM 594K), the likely price if the tax breaks were to be granted. Unfortunately, the Economic Development Board found the Roadster to not meet certain “technical requirements”.

A few green car enthusiasts even wanted to buy the electric supercar at the unsubsidised price which could go up to S$500K. But Yu added that the numbers are too few for Tesla to justify further investment in Singapore. The company's “limited resources” will now be diverted to other countries more welcoming to the Roadster's electric technology.

Among the countries cited are Malaysia and Hong Kong, where electric vehicles such as the Roadster are fully tax exempted. Japan offers a 2.61 million yen (RM 95K) cash rebate to buyers of the Roadster, while some cities in the U.S. and Europe are providing tax incentives as well. Now, Tesla, will we in Malaysia get to see you soon?

AboutSeow Yaohan

Seow Yao Han strives to bring you the latest and the most comprehensive information on cars available in Malaysia. But it's never easy for him to talk and write cars in this part of the world because what you lust after is often not what you drive home. When the euphoria of test-driving that branded, super-expensive sports car dies down, he just goes home in his less-than-glamorous ride.