|
 Veronica Wu, vice president of Tesla's China operations, told
Reuters the Palo Alto, California-based company planned to open
stores in 10 to 12 Chinese cities by the end of 2014. Its flagship
Beijing store opened late last year.
Tesla China had a "very aggressive growth objective" and was aiming
to contribute "30 to 35 percent" of Tesla Motors' global sales
growth targeted for 2014, said Wu, who joined the carmaker from
Apple's <AAPL.O> China last year.
"I have my work cut out for me," she said in an interview, at the
company's store in an upmarket Beijing shopping mall.
"But I am pretty confident."
Last year, Tesla Motors' total car sales were around 22,500. The
company said earlier this month, it had delivered almost 6,900 Model
S sedans in the fourth quarter, 20 percent above its
forecasts.<ID:L2N0KO19R>
Tesla said on Thursday a version of its Model S all-electric battery
car which sells for $81,070 in the United States, would retail for
734,000 yuan ($121,300) in China after shipping costs and import
duty and other taxes.
Wu, who said Beijing supported the development of electric and
plug-in electric hybrid cars, said Tesla had no plans to start local
production of its cars in China for the time being.
[to top of second column] |
She said Tesla had resolved a trademark issue that had long
prevented it from using "Te Si La", its preferred version of its
name in Chinese.
The name had been registered by a local businessman who had refused
to give up the trademark. The U.S. company had started offering its
popular Model S sedans in China, but with no Chinese language name.
"We went to court and we won," she said. "The court has given use
right to use the name, which is why you see the Chinese name in our
store now."
(Editing by Jeremy Laurence and Sophie
Hares)
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