U.S. electric carmaker Tesla Motors is rolling up its sleeves to launch its vehicles in South Korea by opening its showrooms and receiving orders for its luxury models, market sources said Sunday.
According to the sources, Tesla Korea, the local distributor of the company, sent an email to potential customers on Feb. 28, and said it will open stores in Seoul and Hanam, on the eastern outskirts of the capital, next week.
At the stores, clients can test-drive the S 90D, the first Tesla model that will be on sale in the country.
The initial price of the four-door all-wheel sedan is set at 121 million won (US$105,000) and can go up further after add-ons, according to the carmaker.
Tesla Korea has received preorders for the S, X and 3 models on its Web site since last year and will begin delivering the cars to local customers around June.
It said it will set up 25 charging stations throughout the country in the first half, with at least six of them to be opened before June.
The Model S is said to have a maximum driving range of 378 kilometers per charge, by far the widest among all electric cars currently available. (Yonhap)