Menlo Park. Los Angeles. Chicago. Washington, DC. New York. London. These cities share at least one thing in common: they are all home to current or future Telsa Motors stores. Tesla officially announced today that London will be the location of its first official EU regional sales and service center. Two more stores are planned for Münich and Monaco. All three are on schedule to open sometime in 2009. Unlike the nondescript Chicago store location, the London digs have an interesting car history. Until it went bust last fall, the building was used by the Segrave Supercar Club (sort of a ZipCar for the rich). Tesla-haters, feel free to make your comments about the, ahem, karma of the location now.
Tesla says they're planning on starting European deliveries of the Roadster in late June and that, eventually, just as many Tesla vehicles will be sold on one side of the Atlantic as the other.
Tesla says they're planning on starting European deliveries of the Roadster in late June and that, eventually, just as many Tesla vehicles will be sold on one side of the Atlantic as the other.
[Source: Tesla]
PRESS RELEASE:
Tesla to Open First EU Regional Sales & Service Center in London
Automaker also plans stores in Munich, Monaco and others in the United States
April 9, 2009
SAN CARLOS, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)-- Tesla Motors is opening a regional sales and service center in London, the first of three European stores that the electric vehicle manufacturer plans to launch this year.
The London facility will open this spring at 49-51 Cheval Place , formerly the Segrave Supercar Club. The showroom is in the popular Knightsbridge district, walking distance from Harrods department store and convenient to Heathrow Airport .
Tesla is scouting sites in Munich and Monaco . Tesla will begin delivering cars to European customers in late June. These cars will comply with all EU safety, environmental and durability regulations.
"We expect that Tesla sales will eventually be split evenly between the US and Europe ," said Tesla CEO, Chairman and Product Architect Elon Musk. "Opening three Tesla stores in Europe this year is a critical part of that plan."
Greater London is a key customer market and premier showcase for Tesla – not only for the Roadster sports car but the Model S sedan, which Tesla expects to produce in 2011. The Model S, which will be among the world's first mass-produced, highway-capable EVs, will carry five adults and two children up to 480 kilometers per charge.
London Mayor Boris Johnson, a fan of the Roadster, said Wednesday he hoped to introduce 100,000 EVs and to build 25,000 charging stations in the capital. Prime Minister Gordon Brown – also familiar with Tesla – said EVs would be one cornerstone of his economic recovery plan.
Teslas qualify for a $7,500 US federal tax credit and enjoy incentives in several European countries and cities, including waivers of luxury tax, reductions in VAT, free parking and free charging. In London , Teslas are exempt from the congestion charge, a saving of up to £2,000 per year for commuters.
Tesla's first showrooms opened last summer in Los Angeles and Menlo Park , Calif. Tesla will open another store this spring in Chicago. Tesla is finalizing site selection in Manhattan , Miami and Seattle and is scouting sites in Washington , D.C.
About Tesla Motors
Based in California 's Silicon Valley , Tesla Motors builds electric vehicles with exceptional design, performance and efficiency, while conforming to all North American and European safety, environmental and durability standards. The Roadster, which has a 0-to-60 mph acceleration of 3.9 seconds, is the only highway-capable EV for sale in North America and Europe . It is twice as efficient as a Toyota Prius and has a range of 244 miles per charge. Tesla expects to produce the Model S sedan in late 2011. The anticipated base price of the seven-person sedan will be $49,900 after a $7,500 US tax credit.
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