Tesla in the Philippines: Cheaper model priced at P2.1M

Tesla opened its first store in the Philippines on Friday, showcasing this electric vehicle at their flagship experience center inside the Uptown Parade mall in Bonifacio Global City. (Photo by Alden Monzon)

The Elon Musk-led automotive maker Tesla Inc. marked its maiden entry into the Philippines with its first store in Taguig amid the burgeoning popularity of electric vehicles (EVs) here.

The company yesterday launched its “flagship experience center,” which has a 1,900-square-meter showroom, at the Uptown Parade mall in Bonifacio Global City.

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“I picked the Philippines [because] it’s the [newest] market in the world,” Tesla regional director Isabel Fan said in her speech during the center’s launch. “At Tesla, our mission is to accelerate the world’s transition to sustainable energy,” she added.

Two models for sale

She said the company would initially introduce to the Filipino market two models, Model Y and Model 3.

She said other models would make their way to the Philippines in the future but gave no definite timetable.

Model 3 is priced at P2.109 million for the rear-wheel drive trim, P2.489 million for the long-range, and P3.099 million for the performance version.

Model Y is priced at P2.369 million for the rear-wheel drive version, P2.689 million for the long-range trim, and P3.299 million for the performance type.

The order fee for both models is P15,000, while delivery and administration fee is P12,000.

Tesla said buyers would be able to customize their vehicles, allowing them to modify the exterior, interior and other features.

Tesla said a charging facility inside the Uptown mall would also be available soon and would feature four supercharging stations. More would be opened in strategic locations across the Philippines to cover popular destinations, the company said.

The charging stations would be available on a pay-per-use basis for a rate of P19 per kilowatt-hour. Full charging would cost approximately P1,140.

Megaworld Corp. chair Andrew Tan told reporters they were in discussions with Tesla about their other properties hosting future charging stations. Megaworld owns Uptown Parade.

“One thing is for sure. They will deploy their charging stations all over our malls and properties,” he said, adding Tesla was also looking at its hotels and townships.