Somehow I’m not surprised. We Filipinos are nothing if not preternatural label whores. Yet there’s no satisfaction to be gained owning a Tesla in the Philippines, when no one knows what a Tesla is. At least, they didn’t when I last visited in January 2020.
Here in Southern California Filipino-Americans were still coveting Mercedes Benz and BMW SUVs (oh, and Toyota Siennas!), as the ultimate status symbol, when Tesla Model Ss and Xs first hit the market. Now, less than a decade hence, every Filipino-American family of middle class means is now striving for a Model Y. They’re ubiquitous now in my heavily Filipino-American neighbourhood. Give them another five years, they’ll be graduating to coveting the Lucid. Which I already have. Now that’s label-whore bragging rights for you!