How will Tesla sell their cars in the future?

[Mitrovic]

Tesla has one store in Switzereland and another "dependance".

Tesla has plans to offer several models in three years. How are they going to sell them? Tesla Stores owned by Tesla opening in every major city, or are they going to work with dealerships?

[WhiteKnight]

100% company owned stores. no dealers.

[Mycroft]

Unless it ends up not working for some reason, I think they're going to stick with their Internet and Apple-type store plan.

If it were me, I would set up the maintenance shops in low cost, centralized suburbs, and use them to allow for more test drives and future inventory needs.

[Larry Chanin]

If it were me, I would set up the maintenance shops in low cost, centralized suburbs, and use them to allow for more test drives and future inventory needs.

Hi Mycroft,

I think that they are headed in that direction. Here in Florida we have a Store/Service Center located in an industrial park in Dania Beach near two interstate highways. We were told that the Store (sales) functions are being relocated to a high traffic Miami Beach location and the Dania Beach location is being expanded to be exclusively a maintenance shop.

Larry

[tdelta1000]

Hi Mycroft,

I think that they are headed in that direction. Here in Florida we have a Store/Service Center located in an industrial park in Dania Beach near two interstate highways. We were told that the Store (sales) functions are being relocated to a high traffic Miami Beach location and the Dania Beach location is being expanded to be exclusively a maintenance shop.

Larry

Now that's some interesting news that TM is going to open a Miami Beach sales location.

[NigelM]

Now that's some interesting news that TM is going to open a Miami Beach sales location.

SW Florida would be much more interesting....

[Larry Chanin]

SW Florida would be much more interesting....

Hi Nigel,

You bet'cha.

And we were told that a new Store/Service center is planned for either the Tampa or Orlando area before year-end!

Larry

[tdelta1000]

Tesla has plans to offer several models in three years. How are they going to sell them? Tesla Stores owned by Tesla opening in every major city, or are they going to work with dealerships?

This is a valid question true enough...How will TM manage the movement of products through its stores if demand continues to rise? The first run of the Models S has sold out and Tesla Motors has yet to put out an official marketing campaign.

I think TM may or could set up two distribution points for getting the vehicles out to its customers. One center could be in some place like Texas which would serve the mid west and the other could be in Georgia serving the east coast. The centers would do the final prepping and ship to the stores.

[medved]

The first run of the Models S has sold out and Tesla Motors has yet to put out an official marketing campaign.

I don't think Tesla will need a huge marketing campaign (other than what they have now: online, press, word-of-mouth) in the next 2-3 years. Next year they will produce just about 10000 cars for the North American market. It's just a drop in the ocean. When you have a great product it sells itself, especially when you have such a limited inventory. But you really need to have a great product. Because if you don't, even the commercial won't help you:

[AnOutsider]

B) can be solved with demo cars, which I assume dealers will get. I guess if they allow the sale of demos then A) can be solved as well. I agree though, SOME inventory will be needed for those types of buyers -- though at the higher price points more buyers are likely used to ordering.

I hope that as things get underway and the backlog is cleared that the wait from order to delivery is a month or less.