According to Calcalist, Tesla Inc. moving forward with its plans to enter the Israeli market. In mid-November, a company registered a subsidiary in Israel under the name Tesla Motors Israel Ltd..
Source: Khalil Amar/Twitter
The company hired local lawyers and customs brokers to accompany Tesla Europe representatives from the Netherlands at meetings with Israeli ministries of transport and energy, according to sources familiar with this issue. Sources said the goal of these meetings was to study the legal requirements that Tesla will face as a local car distributor.
Until recently, Israeli law required that at least 90% of the shares of a company that imports cars in Israel be owned by Israelis. But, starting in September, for the company to work, it is only necessary that the company to be headed by an Israeli. After registration, Tesla began searching for a country manager by posting a wanted advertisement on its website.
Tesla also posted several Israel Search Ads on their website for the service manager, technicians, and service consultants. The service manager’s announcement clearly states that "Tesla is soon to open our very first service location in Tel Aviv."
Tesla is also considering establishing a network of charging stations in the country, according to the source. Although the Department of Energy subsidizes the installation of 110 such stations across the country, Tesla is likely to prefer to create its own branded network, they added.
Tesla is also working to promote a change in Israeli law that would increase the planned maximum tax breaks for environmentally friendly vehicles from 75,000 shekels (approximately $ 21,600) to 120,000 shekels (approximately $ 34,500), which allow him to sell his base model at a more affordable price.
Tesla Inc. plans to begin operations in Israel in January, according to sources. A local team already decided to open a pop-up store at Ramat Aviv Mall in Tel Aviv.
Image source: Wikipedia
A pop-up store will allow potential customers to review some Tesla cars, especially its popular Model 3.
Ramat Aviv Mall serves the highest socioeconomic class in northern Tel Aviv and neighboring cities, making it particularly suitable for launching a new car brand that will be classified as a luxury car in Israel because of its starting price of 250,000 shekels (approximately $72,300).
Several Tesla cars have already arrived in the country, but have not yet received permission from the Israeli Ministry of Transport. Tesla will be the first car manufacturer to sell its cars in Israel itself, and not through an importer.
Featured image: Forgestar
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.
