Tesla CEO Elon Musk announced on Wednesday that the maker of premium electric vehicles had just delivered its first customer cars for the European market.
It wasn’t specified how many they actually shifted, but it was noted that they reached happy new owners in Norway, the Netherlands and Switzerland, with the first being seen as their gateway into the market, and a point of strong demand – Norway could have as many as 800 Model S sedans on its roads by the end of 2013.
In fact, Tesla is so keen on the northern country that they have already commenced the construction of a Supercharger network that is said to cover 80 percent of the country’s population. This is a bit odd, considering that, they have already set up their headquarters and production facility in the Netherlands, but perhaps it makes for easier delivery of parts through one of the many large ports the Dutch have at their disposal.
Still, the intention is to not push for the European market too hard just yet, as they still need to consolidate their position in the US first. The market is seen as an important one though, and Musk said it is expected to account for around half the sales they plan for in the US, in coming years. It could match and even surpass it, though, but it’s really far too early to make any kind of claims of the sort.
By Andrei Nedelea
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