If you want to know the type of person who is driving a Tesla in Vancouver, here’s a hint: the new owners have traded in an Aston Martin DB9, Porsche Panamera GTS, Audi R8 and Range Rover for the luxury of never having to pull into a gas station again.
“You get romanticized by the car,” says Aaron Van Pykstra, president of Autoform, which co-hosted a preview event at its Clark Drive location last month. “People love the design, and the functionality of the car is pretty incredible.”
Tesla has sold more than 22,000 cars worldwide and while specific numbers aren’t available for Vancouver, sales are bound to increase now that the store – they don’t call them dealerships – has moved from Powell Street in Vancouver’s gritty East End to the retailing world’s sweet spot near Victoria’s Secret on Robson.
While it does offer test drives of the Model S all-electric sedan, don’t expect to be able to kick the tires of many models at the store. At Friday’s media launch the day before the store opened, there was (intentionally) one car in the showroom. Instead, Tesla’s “owner advisers” can help buyers custom-build the electric car of their dreams on Tesla’s website, with delivery one to three months later.
Tesla now has superchargers from Vancouver to Los Angeles. Compared to the six to 16 hours it takes to recharge using a home’s electrical system, a complete recharge takes 20 minutes. And it’s free for Tesla owners.
