The first Tesla Roadsters have arrived in Poland, Turkey, Japan, Hong Kong and Canada in recent weeks as the electric vehicle maker rapidly expands its retail footprint.
Tesla Motors has sold more than 1,200 Roadsters to customers in at least 28 countries. The Roadster has high performance acceleration, but produces zero tailpipe emissions and is twice as energy efficient as leading hybrids. It consumes no petroleum and plugs into conventional sockets throughout North America, Europe and Asia.
Among the first Canadian owners are Vincent and Maggie Argiro, who drive their brilliant yellow Roadster amidst British Columbia’s gorgeous mountain and oceanfront scenery.
“The 2010 Roadster feels solid, quite refined,” the Argiros wrote in a blog for Tesla enthusiasts. “The driving was both thrilling and more relaxing than we had experienced with other sports cars we have owned. Breathing totally clean air around us was so refreshing and made it that much more shocking when we re-entered the filthy exhaust stream of a petro-burner ahead of us!”
The couple is selling their Ferrari 360 Modena, which they now describe as “excellent condition, but a bit obsolete.”
Tesla’s first car in Hong Kong went to Philip Liang, CEO of medical device manufacturer General Sensing. Tesla’s first car in Japan went to serial entrepreneur and BizSeek founder Takao Ozawa.
“As an early adopter, I wanted to invest my own money to show the rest of society what the electric car experience is like,” said Ozawa, who drives his Jet Black Signature Roadster Sport in and around Tokyo. “And now that I own a Tesla, I’ve found that not only is it efficient and beautiful – but it’s really, really fast!”
The Roadster qualifies for a wide variety of incentives in numerous countries, including sales tax waivers, income tax credits and cash rebates. For instance, Hong Kong residents do not pay first registration tax on the Roadster – a savings of up to HK$1 million (US$128,600) on a car with a retail price of HK$1.2 million (US$154,358).
In addition, many of the world’s biggest cities offer free metered parking, free road tax and free use of the high-occupancy vehicle and bus lanes for the Roadster.
Tesla sells cars directly to clients, both online and in a growing network of regional showrooms worldwide. Electric vehicles don’t need routine oil changes, exhaust system repairs or other costly service required by conventional gasoline cars. In most countries, Tesla will dispatch trained technicians to customers’ homes or offices to perform the recommended annual software upgrade.
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