Tesla had promised to ring in the new year with
a price increase in the Brexit-ready UK, but this is one resolution that’s going to take a bit longer to go into effect. Previously scheduled for January 1st, a five-percent raise on all Tesla vehicles will still happen, but now on January 15th instead. Tesla says that, “exceptionally high demand” was the reason for the grace period.
As we noted when the price increase was first announced, the reason for the hike is the weakening British pound. Compared to the dollar, the pound is
about 17 percent weaker since the Brexit vote took place last summer. It’s also about 10 percent weaker than the euro. That’s a substantial difference on an electric vehicle that
starts at 58,900 pounds.
Costs for all sorts of things have gone up since the Brexit vote, from
wine to
Toblerone to
books to
general consumer goods like shampoo, so it’s not just EV fans that are feeling the pinch. How a five-percent increase in Model S and X prices across the pond will impact Tesla’s UK sales will be interesting to watch in the coming year.
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