Apr 09, 2009 09:59 ET
Tesla to Open First EU Regional Sales & Service Center in London
Automaker also plans stores in Munich, Monaco and others in the
United States
SAN CARLOS, Calif. --(Business Wire)-- Apr 09, 2009
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.
Tesla Motors
Rachel Konrad, +1-650-701-2664 (PR)
rachel@teslamotors.com
Marie
Bleuel, +44 175 362 6782 (Multilingual Sales)
mbleuel@teslamotors.com