Tesla seems to be setting the stage for an expansion into the Philippines’ automotive market. This was hinted at by several job listings on Tesla’s Careers website for positions that are based in Manila, Philippines.
A look at Tesla’s Careers website shows that the electric vehicle maker is hiring for several key roles in the Philippines, including a Leads Generations Program Manager, a Store Manager, a Service Manager, and a Delivery Manager. A number of job openings related to vehicle parts and service were also posted by the company.
All of Tesla’s Philippine-based job listings on its Careers website today are based in Taguig, Manila, which is home to Bonifacio Global City, a central business district and one of Metro Manila’s most high-end areas. The district is currently home to several premium dealerships from automakers like Lamborghini, Maserati, Porsche, Audi, and Lexus.
The Philippines’ electric vehicle market is still in its infancy, with the vast majority of the country’s cars sold every year still being powered by the internal combustion engine. The adoption of hybrids in the Philippines has only started to pick up pace in recent years, and there are still very few battery electric vehicles being sold in the country.
Today, the Philippine’s electric vehicle market is comprised of more affordable offerings such as the Cherry QQ Ice Cream (sold in the country as the Jetour Ice Cream EV), mid-tier EVs such as the BYD Atto 3, and luxury electric vehicles like the Porsche Taycan and the Audi e-tron GT. A few Teslas have been sold in the Philippines, but all of them were privately imported.
To succeed in the Philippines, Tesla would have to work extra hard to debunk some longtime and long-addressed myths about electric vehicles. But if Tesla is successful in this, the company could establish a strong presence in one of Southeast Asia’s most robust automotive markets—one which sold 441,000 units in 2023.
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