Tesla nears final approval to sell its cars in Singapore, source says

Tesla cars could be on Singapore’s roads in as early as two weeks. The electric-vehicle (EV) maker has received a pre-delivery inspection approval from the country’s Land Transport Authority (LTA), according to a source who was at the inspection center.

Tesla Model 3 production unit 1 / Photo credit: Elon Musk on Twitter

This is one of the last steps that a dealership takes before bringing a car to market in Singapore. After this stage, US-based Tesla should get the final greenlight for the sale of its cars to customers in the city-state within 14 days, the source adds.

Tesla and LTA didn’t immediately respond to Tech in Asia‘s query about its launch plans.

The Elon Musk-led company has been preparing for its Singapore debut over the last few months.

In July 2020, the EV manufacturer announced that it is seeking a country manager in Singapore to lead its sales operations, help bring it to market in volume, and streamline its retail presence across the country. Tesla also listed openings for five other positions in the city-state.

Last month, Singapore was added as a location on Tesla’s website map. However, the opening date wasn’t confirmed.

The development comes amid the Singapore government’s push for electric cars. Its ambitious plan to phase out internal combustion engine vehicles by 2040 and make EVs more attractive from 2021 was unveiled in Deputy Prime Minister Heng Swee Keat’s budget speech last year.

According to reports, Tesla is also looking to set up its own EV infrastructure in the Lion City.

This would definitely be incentive enough for the Singapore government to push for a faster rollout of Tesla cars.