Tesla signals entry to Singapore with job ads

Singapore

TESLA has posted fresh job advertisements for roles based in Singapore, signalling that Elon Musk's electric-vehicle (EV) maker is preparing to set up shop in the city-state it has so far skirted.

The car manufacturer, the world's biggest with a market cap of over US$400 billion, is looking for senior developers in Singapore, job postings on LinkedIn showed, which did not disclose how many people are being sought.

In July, Tesla began advertising for positions such as store leader and sales advisers in the city.

A Tesla representative in Beijing declined to comment.

Mr Musk has previously accused Singapore of not being supportive of EVs. Tesla does not have any showroom in the city, where the premium-car market is dominated by brands such as BMW and Daimler's Mercedes-Benz. The California-based company has been quick to expand in other major Asia-Pacific metropolitan markets, including Hong Kong, Sydney, Tokyo and Taipei.

Singapore said this year that it plans to phase out fossil fuel-powered vehicles by 2040, planning to add incentives to encourage consumers to buy electric cars. The republic has been relatively slow to adopt EVs, and Mr Musk said on Twitter in January 2019 that the government was unwelcoming.

Tesla plans to ship cars made at its new Shanghai factory to other countries in Asia, including Singapore, people familiar with the matter said this month. Shipments could start as soon as the end of this year or early 2021, they added. BLOOMBERG