Report: Tesla to Open Dealership in Tel Aviv

Electric car maker Tesla will be entering the Israeli market, and is set to open a “pop-up shop” in Ramat Aviv, Globes reported Monday. The company had previously run ads on its site seeking staff for the store, the newspaper said.

The store, which will sell paraphernalia associated with Tesla – items for vehicles, T-shirts, and the like – will apparently also be taking orders for cars, as one of the ads was for the company’s sales department, Globes wrote. A test car will apparently also be available for potential buyers to evaluate, the report said.

The opening of a store in Tel Aviv is part of a recent expansion by Tesla into international markets. In September of this year, the company sold 17,490 of its Model 3 vehicles in Europe, making it the best-selling electric car on the Continent for that month. Since the beginning of 2019, some 75,000 Tesla vehicles have been sold in Europe. Tesla has of its own volition entered large markets outside the U.S., but generally enters smaller markets – like Israel – only if there is demand. Teslas have been available in Jordan for the past three years, as there is demand there for the vehicle, the report said.

Prices for Israeli buyers are not yet available. The Tesla Model 3 sells for about $40,000 in the U.S., while the Tesla Y crossover model sells for $35,000. The report quoted market experts as saying that taking into account all taxes – purchase tax, electrical car surcharges that will kick in January 1st, and Value Added sales Tax (VAT), Israelis can expect to pay about NIS 200,000 or NIS 220,000 for the Tesla S model, which has a range of 400 kilometers, or a bit less for the Tesla Y, which has a range of 300 kilometers. The fully-featured S and X models will cost as much as NIS 500,000, the report added.