Tesla hasn't had the best time in China as of late, a situation the automaker is looking to remedy as quickly as possible.
Bloomberg reports Tesla's Q4 2014 sales were "unexpectedly weak," according to CEO Elon Musk. Musk went on to place the blame on the Chinese market sales force, who he deemed not only inept, but discouraged would-be owners by warning of the difficulties of charging electric vehicles in China. Speculators who ordered — but never purchased — vehicles, range anxiety among consumers, and Tesla's misreading of the market also contributed to the automaker's woes in the market.
Since then, Tesla has made some strides into rectifying the situation. In one example, new "executive rear seats" — a $2,000 option wrapped in leather and equipped with two zone heaters — were made available as a result of learning that rich Chinese customers prefer to be chauffeured over taking the wheel themselves. The option arrived as quick as it had due to the automaker's direct-sales model, according to China sales training chief Dan Hsu.
Other actions meant to bolster Tesla's standing in the market include: lobbying cities to order vehicles, then adding them to programs meant to bring consumers into EVs and PHEVs, side-stepping the lottery/auction process prevalent in China; providing and installing home-charging systems in consumer's homes for free; introducing more "destination chargers" alongside its Supercharger network — over 1,000 are online so far; and mobile charging connectors for the times when an owner needs to charge no matter where they are.
The post Tesla Remedying Sales, Range Anxiety Woes In China appeared first on The Truth About Cars.
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