Tesla Motors says it will open more than 30 sales outlets and service centers this year in Europe, while also expanding its network of battery-charging stations on the continent, in a push to increase sales.
The move is part of Tesla’s aggressive plan to boost overseas deliveries in 2014, with the carmaker expecting combined sales of the Model S sedan in Europe and Asia to be nearly twice the number of sales in North America by the end of the year.
Tesla CEO Elon Musk forecasts global sales will jump more than 55 percent this year. This announcement comes shortly after the company released details about its future “Gigafactory” battery plant. Tesla and its partners (including Panasonic) want to invest $5 billion into a battery manufacturing facility that will be located in the U.S. Southwest.
Tesla sold 22,477 cars in 2013, most of them in the United States. However, the company has already begun selling the electric sedan in some European countries, including Belgium, Denmark, Germany and Switzerland, and will also introduce a right-hand-drive model this spring in the United Kingdom.
Tesla also wants to launch the car later this year in China.
Story References: Reuters
By Dan Mihalascu
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