Automotive Exports July 2018

Monthly automotive aftermarket magazine
Tesla to set up shop in
Istanbul’s upscale Zorlu Mall
Electric car producer Tesla's CEO,
Elon Musk, announced in February
that the company is planning to
enter the Turkish market this year
and has posted job ads looking
for staff to be employed in Turkey.
Based on the company's job
advertisements, Tesla's Istanbul
store is expected to open in the
city's luxury Zorlu Center mall in
Istanbul's Levazım neighborhood.
Tesla carries out configuration
and order processing for its
automobiles in its stores. Tesla
sales are conducted through an
online platform via pre-order.
After registering on Tesla's official
website and paying $1,000 for
an order number, customers can
generally receive their cars within
12 to 18 months.
Turkish people are now able to
order from Europe and the prices
of a brand-new Tesla car start at
110,00 euros ($128,424). The
price of second-hand Tesla ranges
from 77,000 euros to 100,000
euros.
Tesla Motors Netherlands B.V.,
Tesla's European headquarters,
was previously reported to be
looking for an area to set up
a maintenance center on the
Anatolian side of Istanbul. The
Model 3, starting at $35,000 in
the U.S., was introduced April
1, 2016 and sold with a prepaid
reservation of $1,000. The model
received more than 400 orders
in the first month after its release.
While deliveries have begun in
the U.S., the vehicle will enter
Europe late this year. The Model 3
is expected to go on sale in Turkey
in 2019 at an estimated price of
about TL 326,940 ($69,700), or
70,000 euros.
An agreement signed with Gersan
Electricity Trade and Industry for
fast charging stations is the first
signal of Tesla entering Turkey.
While there are currently more
than 150 Tesla vehicles in Turkey,
the lack of repair services is a big
problem, with owners currently
having to send their vehicles to
Europe for maintenance, coupled
with problems around obtaining
automobile insurance.
Tesla to launch in Turkey
later this year, Musk says
Electric car maker Tesla plans
to launch in Turkey, its chief
executive said.
"Btw, planning to launch Tesla
in Turkey later this year," Elon
Musk said in a post on his Twitter
account.
"Love your country & will be
there in person for the launch,"
he added.
The company produced more
than 300,000 electric vehicles as
of February.
The Model S, its most popular car,
has sold more than 200,000 units
so far and was the world's bestselling
electric vehicle in 2015
and 2016.
The firm released two more
models -- the Model X SUV and
Model 3 sedan -- in September
2015 and July 2017, respectively.
Last year, the company also
unveiled its electric truck-the Tesla
Semi.
Turkey had a total of nearly 12.2
million registered cars by the end
of March, according to the most
recent data from the Turkish
Statistical Institute (TUIK).
There were 729,500 new
passenger car registrations in
Turkey last year, according
to the European Automobile
Manufacturers Association,
compared with 15.1 million in the
European Union.
While Turkey is highly dependent
on oil imports, electric cars could
provide some relief for its gasoline
consumption.
There are a few hundred Tesla
owners in Turkey, who order the
cars from abroad.
But the low number of charging
stations and limited services are
some of the biggest hurdles for
the electric vehicle market in the
country, according to experts.
22 JULY 2018