The first shipment of Tesla Model 3 cars, comprising over 100 units, has arrived from China. This morning’s handover ceremony saw about 20 customers taking delivery of their cars from Tesla Malaysia’s headquarters in Cyberjaya – still the only location in the country for deliveries to customers, for now.

Also launched is the first Tesla service centre, located just behind its headquarters building. This is the only authorized Tesla service centre in the country. All other outlets claiming to represent Tesla are not recognized by Tesla Malaysia.

Reflecting Tesla's design, which features minimal mechanical parts, the service center's setup is relatively basic, with only 7 service bays, including one for tyre alignment.

When asked if the service centre will accommodate requests from owners of parallel imported Teslas, a Tesla Malaysia representative explained that the vehicle’s warranty is tied to the country where the vehicle was first registered in, so Tesla Malaysia cannot provide support for parallel imported cars. The Tesla Malaysia represetantive also emphasized that this is the same practice for nearly every car manufacturer, regardless of whether it’s an EV or internal combustion engine vehicle.

However, the service center may accept minor tasks, such as tyre-related work, for a fee, but it will not perform diagnostics or repair work on parallel-imported cars.

A body-and-paint center, for post-accident repairs, is also planned to open soon in Sungai Besi.

Also launched is the Premium Connectivity service, an in-car Internet service for RM 35.99 per month, allowing customers to take full advantage of the car’s features, including navigation (with live traffic information), music / media streaming, web browsing, and more.

To recap, the China-made Tesla Model 3 is priced in Malaysia as below:

Tesla Model 3 Rear-wheel Drive (513 km, WLTP): RM 189,000

Tesla Model 3 Long Range Dual Motor All-wheel Drive (629 km, WLTP): RM 218,000