Electric car manufacturer Tesla is preparing to open its first physical store in Israel in the center of the country in the coming months, sources close to the matter have told "Globes." Tesla has hired the services of the Israel outlet of the CBRE international real estate management agency, which represents Tesla around the world, to locate and manage a property, and it is believed that a contract is already near to being signed.
The property will be in a prime location, probably in Herzliya, and will be modelled and designed on the same format as Tesla Stores around the world, which include a 'smart home' infrastructure, prestigious exclusive brand showroom covering hundreds of square meters. The store will also include a storage area for a small inventory of new cars as well as the cars on display. Around the store will be charging points for use by customers.
The store will mainly be used for displaying the various Tesla models and customizing cars from the hundreds of available options. Some of the small inventory of cars might also be sold to customers on an immediate pay and drive basis, as happens in many Tesla Stores worldwide. The store will also offer test drives.
Tesla has already leased the former storage facilities and showroom of Ferrari in Beit Kardan in Tel Aviv and has offices in Petah Tikva, not a suitable location for a store, as well as a popup display area in the Ramat Aviv Mall in north Tel Aviv.
CBRE refused to comment on this report.
"Globes" has also learned that future consignments of Tesla 3 and Performance cars this year, including the upcoming consignment in August, will come from the company's manufacturing plant in China. Some of the previous consignments shipped to Israel were manufactured in the US.
