Accessories are a huge part of the auto business, and for every car, somewhere there's a business (or a few dozen) offering aftermarket items the manufacturer hasn't, can't, or won't provide.
And so it turns out to be for the Tesla Model S, the all-electric sport sedan from Silicon Valley startup Tesla Motors [NSDQ:TSLA].
Founded by Tesla owner Roger Pressman, who took delivery of a very early Model S with serial number 00184, Teslaccessories.com plans to offer aftermarket add-ons for the Model S.
The company's first product is the Center Console Insert, which slides into the empty center tray on the floor of the Model S just ahead of the front seats.
The Console Insert has stitched leather sides and a carbon-fiber pattern top surface, and it contained both a cupholder and a closeable compartment with a sliding tambour door.
The pricing is not given on the company's website, although there's a signup procedure to get on a priority waiting list for the item (which the company says was released last week).
Signing up on a waiting list is a process Model S owners will be familiar with, since Tesla took deposits for Model S reservations up to three years before it delivered the cars.
With something like 5,000 cars delivered to date (Tesla won't say), and production at 400 cars a week, the pool of Model S owners is growing every day.
Center Console Insert for Tesla Model S offered by Teslaccessories.com
And you can view the arrival of a dedicated aftermarket firm exclusively for the vehicle as another tiny indicator of success for Tesla Motors.
It won't make any difference to the company's viability as a global auto business, of course.
But the launch of Teslaccessories.com can be viewed as yet another bit of validation by a member of what have to be some of the most enthusiastic--if occasionally critical, or at inquisitive--owner bodies of any new car in the world.
We look forward to hearing about additional aftermarket accessories for the Tesla Model S.
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