Tesla has launched official sales of the Tesla Model 3 in South Korea, and thanks to subsidies, the cost of this model for the end customer will start at just $ 26,000.
Earlier, Korean Tesla buyers did not have access to such benefits from the state. And the reason for the refusal from Tesla was rather strange rules, according to which the “preferential” electric car should be fully charged in less than 10 hours from a standard outlet.
Naturally, the Tesla Model 3 with batteries from 50 kWh to 75 kWh did not fit into this standard, since it was originally designed for charging in high-speed stations with power up to 250 kW. In such conditions, electric cars with a small power reserve, which managed to charge their batteries even from a standard network, received an advantage.
Realizing the problem, the government changed the rule, which allowed Tesla to be included in the preferential program. Thus, the cost of a Tesla Model 3 electric car in South Korea starts at $ 43,000 (52 million won), but thanks to a subsidy and additional benefits at the provincial level, the minimum price for this model is only $ 26,000.
Image credit: Teslarati
It should be noted that South Korea is a fairly large market, more than a million cars are sold there annually, while local brands Hyundai and Kia dominate the sales structure. But the introduction of subsidies for electric cars has already increased the growth of sales of green cars, and taking into account the appearance of the relatively cheap Tesla Model 3 on the market, these rates should grow even more.
Tesla Korea plans to deliver Model 3 using two of its own facilities, including the Cheongdam Store and Gangseo Service Center.
Cheongdam Store and Gangseo Service Center cannot deliver many Model 3s simultaneously due to lack of space. These object can accommodate up to 20 vehicles. For this reason, it is expected that the supply of Model 3 per day will be approximately 20.
Tesla Korea, however, has planned a separate event and is ready to deliver 100 of Model 3 cars.
The only data that shows Tesla's internal sales data is the monthly car registration analysis by the Kaiseyou Data Institute. The Tesla brand is not yet registered in the Korean Importers Association and is not reflected in the association’s sales data.
But we know that the total number of Tesla cars registered from January to October 2019 is 700 units. From January to December last year, 587 units were registered. The number of vehicles registered in 2019 is 337 Model X and 363 Model S.
The monthly registration of Model 3 is expected to soon exceed 100 units. Local representatives say that the number of Model 3 cars to be delivered on the November, 22 is already around a hundred.
Today, we are all witnessing Tesla's dazzling success. Tesla is what changes our future right now. Model 3 is one of the best cars in the world. And these are not just the words of a person who is sincerely admired by Tesla, these are the words confirmed by facts. The multiple awards Tesla Model 3 has already received this year are the best proof of this.
Tesla Gigafactory in Shanghai, will be put into operation next year. Also yesterday, Elon Musk officially announced that the Tesla Gigafactory 4 will be built in the Berlin area.
Tesla is a success story and I am sincerely glad that we are all an important part of this.
About the Author
Eva Fox
Eva Fox joined Tesmanian in 2019 to cover breaking news as an automotive journalist. The main topics that she covers are clean energy and electric vehicles. As a journalist, Eva is specialized in Tesla and topics related to the work and development of the company.
