Tesla's luxury electric sedan makes long-awaited debut in S. Korea

By Park Sae-jin Posted : March 15, 2017, 14:28 Updated : March 15, 2017, 14:28

[Photo by Lee Chang-hwan]


Tesla's luxury sedan, Model S, made its long-awaited debut in South Korea Wednesday with no notable publicity campaign, making a quiet foray into the country's nascent electric vehicle market.

There was no showy ceremony or long queue Wednesday when Tesla opened its first showroom on the second floor of Starfield, a giant luxury shopping mall complex in Seoul's satellite city of Hanam. Only two red and white Model S 90Ds were on display along with a chassis showing the vehicle's battery layout.

Visitors were escorted into two design studios to get information on colors and options while a selected group of potential buyers who made pre-orders were given a chance for test driving outside. A special section was prepared to introduce "Autopilot", an autonomous driving feature developed by the electric car company. 
 

[Photo by Lee Chang-hwan]


Tesla will open its second showroom Friday in Seoul's affluent Gangnam District which is the heart of South Korea's financial and fashion trend.

The stores represent Tesla's full sprint to compete in South Korea's nascent EV market with Hyundai, Kia and Chevrolet. Other foreign electric car makers such as China's BYD wait for a chance to jump into the race. Tesla has effectively gained attention from South Korean consumers by receiving pre-orders through its official Korean website and reservations for test driving.  

A Model S 90D with no options such as an iconic "Autopilot" feature costs 125 million won (109,000 US dollars), compared to $92,800 in the US market. With a full option, the price goes up to 161 million won.

In response to underlying concern about charging and after-sales service, Tesla Motors Korea has promised to speed up the construction of charging stations at shopping and distribution outlets. This year it aims to install its trademark Superchargers, Tesla-exclusive battery charging stations, in six or seven places and two service centers. Superchargers can fully charge a standard Model S in about 75 minutes. For slow charging, it will borrow South Korea's charging infrastructure.

Lim Chang-won = cwlim34@ajunews.com

 
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