Following on from Elon Musk's announcement that Tesla is set to build 80 models this week--slowly ramping up production to hit its 5,000 end-of-year target--Tesla Motors [NSDQ:TSLA] has announced it will open ten more stores in 2012.
Tesla will add 10 stores to its 14 existing sites in North America, taking the worldwide total to 34 stores.
The company's unique retail locations are more like high-end shops than car showrooms, allowing customers to learn about the Model S electric sedan, design their own Model S using interactive displays, and some stores allow the customer to take the vehicle for a test drive, too.
The new stores will be located at high-end locations throughout the country, with the first new store opening today at Roosevelt Field Mall in Garden City, New York.
Next week, Tesla Motors will open its first store in Boston, at Natick Mall, before a second Chicago area store opens at Westfield Old Orchard.
Other stores will follow in Westfield Garden State Plaza, Paramus, New Jersey; The Mall at Short Hills, Morristown, New Jersey; Westfield University Town Center, San Diego, California; Lincoln Road, Miami Beach, Florida; Tyson’s Corner, McLean, Virginia and Westfield Topanga, Topanga, California.
November will see the opening of the first Canadian Tesla Motors store, at Yorkdale Shopping Center in Toronto. Further stores will open worldwide in 2013, as Tesla continues its expansion.
George Blankenship, vice president of worldwide sales and ownership experience, said "Our approach continues to be geared towards engaging and informing more people about Tesla and Model S and the technology behind it.
"We know we’ve done our job when customers leave smiling.”
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