Tesla Roadster European plans speed up
It appears that our faithful readers from the old country will soon have a reason to bust out that sack full of euros stashed under their beds. Because of the falling value of the Yankee greenback in relation to the euro, Tesla has decided to move up their plans to sell its amazing electric sports car in Europe. Although the factory in England has started cranking them out, the entire production scheduled for this year has already been sold, so orders taken will be for the 2009 model.
Launching the car in Europe will mean that a whole different set of rules and regulations will need to be adhered to. Tesla's sales and marketing guy, Darryl Siry, is quoted by Innovation Beat, from whence I garnered this information, as saying, "Emissions regulations we have no problem meeting." I expect the other red tape to take a bit of time and effort.
Because they are seen to be particularly friendly to electric vehicles, Sweden and Norway (the Danes are going to be pissed!) have been selected as the initial markets where efforts will be concentrated. Tax incentives for more environmentally-sensitive cars will help defray the costs there though the chilly temperatures may make a small dent in the vehicle's overall range.
The exact date for the European introduction is expected to be announced in a couple of months though if it were me sitting on that sack of euros, I'd contact them soon to try and ensure a place in line.
*Update: Darryl Siry of Tesla left a comment to correct the article saying that while Norway and Northern Europe have been discussed as "attractive markets", they have not been chosen as "initial" markets and Tesla should be available in Europe more broadly. Good news.
[Source: Innovation Beat]
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
Kardax 4:49PM (3/21/2008)
The flip side to this dollar-value thing is that imported stuff is getting more expensive. This means a Tesla Roadster, which is mostly made of imported parts, could see a big price hike in the near future, at least in the U.S. market...
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Darryl 5:24PM (3/21/2008)
I just posted this on InnovationBeat:
While we discussed Norway and other northern countries as attractive markets, I wouldn't go so far as to say we've selected them as the initial markets. When we look at selling in Europe I think we will cast the net much wider.
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rgseidl 6:06PM (3/21/2008)
@ Darryl -
that makes sense. London in particular ought to be a prime candidate because of the GBP25 congestion charge Porsche owners in the City will have to pay soon.
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Chris M 3:40AM (3/22/2008)
I suspect Tesla is now considering building the Roadster here in the US for the US market, either under contract or by buying an idle production factory from one of the Detroit Big 3. Then the Lotus plant can build Teslas for the Euro market.
Tesla was planning on building their own assembly line for their 2nd model, but it will be a few years before that is ready.
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