Tesla Inc plans to double the number of repair and maintenance shops, add about 100 charging stations and revamp showrooms in China as the electric vehicle maker gears up to open its Shanghai plant.
Tesla plans to turn some of its showrooms in China into one-stop shops called “Tesla Centers” that also serve as delivery sites and offer maintenance support, two sources familiar with the matter said.
The sources, who spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to speak to the media, said the rollout would start in Shanghai and Guangzhou.
Photo: AFP
In coming months, the company also plans to double its service centers to 63 from 29 and boost fast charging stations by 39 percent to 362, according to Tesla planning documents.
“Expanding the service network is very important to boost customer confidence,” Tesla China general manager Wang Hao (王昊) said, adding that the firm would build more charging stations in China next year at a “faster pace.”
“There is growing sales potential from more inland cities, and a need to prepare for growing repair and maintenance demands to avoid complaints,” one of the sources said.
Tesla, whose service centers are mostly in China’s coastal regions and big provincial capitals, would open new ones in Urumqi, Kunming and Harbin, the documents showed.
The sources cautioned that plans might change depending on the circumstances.
Tesla’s corporate headquarters in the US did not respond to a request for comment.
Its efforts to boost its physical presence in China comes as the automaker has started trial production at the US$2 billion Shanghai plant, its first overseas factory, ahead of mass production by the end of next month.
Tesla has said it should be able to build 3,000 Model 3 sedans a week in its initial phases.
That is nearly four times the number of imported Model 3 vehicles sold in China per month this year, according to figures from research firm LMC Automotive.
It was not immediately clear how much Tesla would need to spend to expand its sales and after-sales network in China.
Maintaining growth momentum in China has become even more crucial to Tesla, as its US revenue tumbled 39 percent in the third quarter, its first decline in more than two years.
By contrast, sales in China rose 64 percent to US$669 million.
Tesla is also expanding its sales and delivery workforce in China: It has held several hiring events in Shanghai, Beijing and Shenzhen for sales and delivery staff in recent months, according to recruitment advertisements posted on social media.
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