Tesla Motors, maker of a high-performance electric plug-in roadster assembled by Lotus in the UK, is reportedly eyeing European sales ahead of schedule.
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The weak dollar versus the euro and a stuttering US economy have increased the urgency with which it is considering European sales.
Tesla Motors has just opened its first retail outlet in Los Angeles coast and has begun taking orders in Europe via the Internet, AFP reported. The report said that it plans to show the Roadster off at the Cannes Film Festival this month and at the Monaco Grand Prix and Le Mans motorsport events.
“The minute the Roadster was unveiled, we had interest from Europe,” Tesla vice president Darryl Siry told AFP.
The AFP report said that Telsa is focusing on Europe a year ahead of schedule and plans to soon open stores in Paris, London, Munich and other European cities.
Tesla is aiming to build up to volume of around 2,000 units a year of the Roadster, seen as a pioneering sports model that can raise the image of plug-in electric cars ahead of future higher volume plug-ins.
See also: Q&A with Tesla’s ‘Car Guy’
