Tesla and South Africa... How do we make it happen?

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richjdavies

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With all the guys going solar and having spare power, the fact that vehicle to grid would be great to addition to load shedding and full self driving getting close to 'done' I, at least, would really like to get a Tesla! But there are no dealerships here, right? So could import but then how would you keep it maintained/fixed if there are faults/damage.

Looking for experts in how to MAKE it happen?

I'm sure existing dealerships etc. resist, but Chinese models have managed to break in. What would need to be done to make a manufacturer sell in SA?


Ps: yes I know they would be expensive because of import duties, but so what, ferraris and Porches are expensive, but there's still a dealership in Cape Town!

techcentral.co.za

Elon Musk explains why Tesla hasn't launched in South Africa - TechCentral

Elon Musk has given the first insight into why Tesla hasn’t launched its range of electric vehicles in South Africa.
techcentral.co.za techcentral.co.za
 
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So let's just work out the numbers first.

EV import duty is 25% vs ICE 18%. That really doesn't sound like a game changer to me?

Would need to import from a right side drive country, Australia, India?

techcentral.co.za

It's time for South Africa to drop import duties on EVs - TechCentral

The South African government needs to follow in the footsteps of its Australian and Norwegian counterparts, writes AutoTrader's George Mienie.
techcentral.co.za techcentral.co.za

Oh right mybb already did this:
mybroadband.co.za

How much it costs to import Tesla models to South Africa

We added South Africa’s EV and import taxes to the price of various Tesla models to see what it would cost to import them from the US.
mybroadband.co.za mybroadband.co.za
 
Well the thing stopping me is that if I did it would be a rarity with no local support.

I guess what I'm really asking is what are the steps are to start a importing dealership... Anyone done that before on the forums? (lots of guys here importing inverters, batteries, panels, tech...)
 
Genisys said:
Why Tesla? There are other brands already selling Electric vehicles locally. If Musk doesn't want to do business here, do business with someone that wants to. Simple.
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Musk schmusk. It's a public company which he is head of only part time. If there was a market here they would sell to it, question is how to build up that market.

Also... Why Tesla? FULL Self Driving. That's why. And thus why it needs to be supported not a grey import.
 
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richjdavies said:
Well the thing stopping me is that if I did it would be a rarity with no local support.

I guess what I'm really asking is what are the steps are to start a importing dealership... Anyone done that before on the forums? (lots of guys here importing inverters, batteries, panels, tech...)
Click to expand...
Tesla does not do dealerships. You can only buy from Tesla.
 
Scooby_Doo said:
Tesla does not do dealerships. You can only buy from Tesla.
Click to expand...
Okay, so just checking if that is true globally or just the US.
This old quora post is pretty thorough. But think it was written in a time of supply constraints that is less true today. I bet Tesla a surplus of supply in China nowadays.
www.quora.com

How can I bring Tesla to my country? I want to bring a Tesla branch in my country officially. What should I do?

Answer (1 of 3): Tesla does not use the dealership (or branch) model. They own and operate all of their sales and service centers themselves. Therefore, the path to bring Tesla to your country would be to convince Tesla that there is a viable business model for them to go through whatever regulat...
www.quora.com www.quora.com
 
richjdavies said:
And even Apple has distributors here...
So you see... How do we do that?
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That is only because our market is too small for a direct Apple sales mode, hence Core is a licensed reseller, Apples to Apples (pun intended).

WRT how try and contact Rubicon (who imported a few Model X's & Y's into SA) & ask them the best way to go about doing it.

shop.rubiconsa.com

Rubicon

Rubicon Group is dedicated to advancing transformative technology in emerging markets. The world is undergoing a fundamental shift towards sustainable energy, resource efficiency and independence, and automation. We drive this transition through advancing the adoption of transformative...
shop.rubiconsa.com shop.rubiconsa.com

It is worth a shot.

Other than that you're SOL.
 
FiestaST said:
WRT how try and contact Rubicon (who imported a few Model X's & Y's into SA) & ask them the best way to go about doing it.
Other than that you're SOL.
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Understood on existing distributors.
Wondering more if anyone on the forum has experience getting car manufacturers to start importing.

I've done it myself with meters, etc. and even making electronics, but cars are a whole different beast I presume.

If money and time was no object what would be the next step do you think?
 
richjdavies said:
Understood on existing distributors.
Wondering more if anyone on the forum has experience getting car manufacturers to start importing.

I've done it myself with meters, etc. and even making electronics, but cars are a whole different beast I presume.

If money and time was no object what would be the next step do you think?
Click to expand...

Honestly I am not sure, logic would dictate ask someone who has ie. Rubicon, so that was my go to.

Having said that you can bet your bottom dollar it will be far more complex & costly importing a Tesla vs meters & electronics :ROFL:
 
I’ve been considering a Tesla in the next year or so. But started wondering if there are better EVs.

Model 3 looks great.
 
Priapus said:
I’ve been considering a Tesla in the next year or so. But started wondering if there are better EVs.

Model 3 looks great.
Click to expand...
When you take the supercharger network into account there's nothing close imho
 
Priapus said:
What’s the availability of the network though?
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In SA. There is no super charger network. There are some fast chargers, but so what. I have no inclination to drive across SA and if I did I would take diesel.

Country

List of charging stations for electric vehicles in South Africa. Find the nearest EV charger for your electric car in South Africa
www.electromaps.com www.electromaps.com
 
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