Tesla EV sales boom in Singapore, pushing rivals' models off the streets

FILE PHOTO: A Tesla car charges at a Supercharger station in Singapore October 22, 2021. Picture taken October 22, 2021. REUTERS/Edgar Su

SINGAPORE (Reuters) - In wealthy Singapore, where new vehicle registration is tightly controlled to manage the city state's traffic and pollution, Tesla Inc is having a moment: surging sales are gobbling up rivals' market share.

The buying frenzy in one of the world's most expensive places to own a vehicle - Tesla's most basic Model 3 costs nearly S$200,000 ($148,300) in Singapore, largely due to an ownership levy, compared with less than $40,000 in the United States - underscores the U.S. firm's ascent in the global auto industry.