Tesla

Middle East's first Tesla showroom launches in Dubai

If the Model T ushered in Henry Ford’s “car for the great multitude”, Wednesday night saw the UAE introduced to the world’s first affordable electric car in the shape of the Tesla Model 3. Telsa, founded by the billionaire Elon Musk, has earmarked the Middle East as its next area of expansion with the opening of a salesroom and service centre on the Sheikh Zayed Road in the heart of Dubai. The arrival of Tesla in the region coincides with the announcement last week that the company is ready roll the production lines on its latest Model 3 - which is expected to retail from around Dh128,000 - and hopefully opening up a new mass market for electric vehicles, which currently make just 0.2 per cent of world production. The new Tesla service centre, which faces the Burj Khalifa, is being matched with a growing network of specialist charging stations across the country, including five ultrafast superchargers between cities and nearly 50 “destination chargers” by the end of the year. Peter Bardenfleth-Hansen, Tesla’s director of new markets, said the company had chosen the UAE because of the country’s commitment to new renewable energy. “We are here because you are making a huge difference,” he said. “The UAE has been a beacon. “We want to accelerate the world towards a more sustainable future.” Among those invited to the launch were many of the country’s small but dedicated band of Tesla owners, who have defiantly driven electric cars in a country where petrol rules the roads. Jimmy Grewal had only bought his Model X just two days ago. “I’ve been waiting since 2008 when Tesla first came out.” Now married and with children, he wanted a car that was family friendly, but “with sports performance.” “I’ve looked at my driving patterns, Abu Dhabi and the Northern Emirates, and the car has enough range.” Ajlan Saeed had owned his Tesla S60 for two years, buying nearly new in Abu Dhabi. It had been an unwanted gift for the previous owner. He was part of a group of Tesla owners who supported each other until the company expanded into the UAE. “We’ve been waiting for this for so long, although with Telsa’s you don't get many issues or service requirements. This is a good feeling.” He has already ordered the new Model 3. Tesla was founded by the South African billionaire in 2004 and has built a reputation for high quality electric cars whose performance has challenged many existing luxury car manufacturers. Since delivering its first vehicle in 2008, Tesla has sold around 170,000 cars, a relatively small slice of the electric vehicle market, which itself is also still developing. The five seater Model 3 has a range of around 350 miles on a single charge, depending on conditions, but making it a practical proposition for return journeys between Abu Dhabi, Al Ain and Dubai. Buyers in the UAE will most likely have to wait until the New Year to receive the first Model 3. They will also need to put down a deposit of Dh4,000.

United Arab Emirates · 11 Jul 2017

Tesla opens first Mideast store in Jordan

US-based automaker Tesla has officially opened a new retail store in Amman, Jordan, its first service centre and store in the Middle East region. The new store is located on Al-Ommal Street, Al-Sena’a in Al Bayader Wadi Seer. With both award-winning, all-electric Model S and Model X on show, the store will also include the Tesla design studio. Tesla announced its arrival in both the UAE and Jordan earlier this year, inviting customers to visit the online design studio and order the Tesla vehicle that best suits their lifestyle. First orders of Model S and Model X vehicles are expected to arrive in summer 2017. In addition to convenient home charging, Tesla has designed the most sophisticated electric vehicle charging network in the world, including Superchargers and Destination chargers networks, so owners can travel wherever and whenever they want. With eight Destination Charging locations now available in Jordan, Tesla has also opened four Supercharging locations, allowing drivers to recharge their vehicles in minutes rather than hours. With an industry-leading NEDC range of up to 632 km, Tesla’s award-winning Model S is designed from the ground up to be the safest, most exhilarating car on the road. Model S delivers unparalleled performance through Tesla’s unique, all-electric powertrain and accelerates from 0 to 100 kph in just 2.7 seconds. Model X is the safest, fastest and most capable SUV on the road. With standard all-wheel drive and up to 565 km of range (NEDC) on a single charge, Model X fits an active lifestyle and includes ample seating for seven adults and all of their gear. Model X is incredibly fast, accelerating from zero to 100 kph in as quickly as 3.1 seconds. Prices start from JD52,600 ($74,000) for Model S and JD61,900 for Model X. – TradeArabia News Service

Jordan · 16 May 2017

Tesla targets Middle East drive with Dubai debut

DUBAI (Reuters) - Tesla Inc TSLA.O has started selling its luxury electric cars in Dubai, marking its first foray into the Middle East. Sales of luxury cars in the Gulf states are among the highest in the world per capita, although some brands have suffered as lower oil prices have dampened consumer demand. California-based Tesla is accepting online orders from customers in the United Arab Emirates, a pop-up store in the Dubai Mall and a Tesla service center being built on Dubai’s Sheikh Zayed Road, which is due to open in July. Founder Elon Musk said on Monday that Tesla will open a store and service center in Abu Dhabi in 2018 and plans to expand to Bahrain, Oman and Saudi Arabia. Musk declined to elaborate on his wider plans or timeline for expansion outside the UAE at a press conference in Dubai. Telsa’s prices start from 275,000 dirhams ($74,884) for its Model S, which has a range of 632 km from a single charge and 344,000 dirhams for the Model X, which can travel up to 565 km. Customers who take delivery of the cars, which will begin in July of this year, will be able to charge their vehicles at home or at 28 locations across the UAE, which Tesla hopes to increase to 50 by the end of the year. Outside the U.S., Tesla’s website says it is in Mexico, Canada, Europe, Australia, China, Hong Kong, Japan and Taiwan. ($1 = 3.6723 UAE dirham)

United Arab Emirates · 12 Feb 2017