Tesla Motors, with its new Model S sedan ready to begin deliveries this month, has expanded its retail network to The Westchester, the first new-edition design store on the East Coast.
The store features a hands-on exhibit of the Model S drivetrain, a design section where people can assemble the features of their car and a touch screen where shoppers can learn about how to charge the car, how far it can go under different conditions and other technological aspects of it.
“Our sales strategy is very different from the rest of the automotive industry,” said George Blankenship, Tesla”™s vice president of worldwide sales and ownership experience. He said Tesla encourages people to come in and browse, to experiment with the touch screen, and go home and think about it all. Their product specialists, not salesmen, work on salary, not commission.
Tesla is opening four more stores this summer in Santa Monica, Calif., Scottsdale, Ariz., Portland, Ore., and Miami Beach.
The Model S was designed from the ground up as an electric car. Its predecessor, the Roadster, Tesla”™s first car, was a two-seat sports car made in conjunction with Lotus Cars, the British manufacturer of sports cars. It cost more than $100,000, went 245 miles on a single charge and could go from 0 to 60 in less than 4 seconds. The Model S will cost half as much, can seat as many as seven and is somewhat slower to accelerate, going from 0 to 60 in about 4½ seconds. It has a touch screen on the dashboard with wireless capabilities that allows for streaming radio, navigation and web browsing. There are three battery pack options and each can be recharged using any conventional outlet. Tesla said it has 10,000 orders for it so far.
The cars can be serviced at regional service centers. Tesla Rangers travel from the service hubs to inspect, repair and maintain the cars.
Tesla”™s merchandising operation is in evidence in the store with T-shirts, water bottles, baby clothes, caps, warm-up jackets and toy cars and crayons for the kids.
Blankenship said right now it will take a year to get a Model S, but once things get up and running, he said they will be able to be produced in about three months. “Our production line is built,” he said, “and parts are being shipped to factories.” Tesla”™s one factory is in Fremont, Calif. Blankenship said the company “bought it about 20 months ago and is retrofitting it for the Model S.” He said Tesla expects to produce about 20,000 Model S cars a year.
