Tesla Inc could nearly double the number of cars it is selling in Russia after a mobile-phone retailer backed by billionaire Alisher Usmanov unexpectedly added electric vehicles to the line of gadgets it offers.
Svyaznoy, co-owned by Usmanov’s wireless carrier MegaFon PJSC, said it received orders for 236 vehicles last month, the first month it started sales jointly with importer Moscow Tesla Club.
That compares with about 300 Teslas registered in the nation since 2014.
The uptick in sales comes even as the Californian company lists no stores or Tesla-run charging stations in Russia.
Tesla, which has not earned an annual profit in its 15-year history, has struggled to ramp up production of its Model 3 sedan to stem losses.
Buyers selected their Tesla configuration on Svyaznoy’s Web site, made a prepayment and can get their vehicle delivered to any city where the company has one of its 5,500 handset stores, according to e-mailed statement.
About 43 percent of the orders placed were for the Model S sedan, while 26 percent were for the Model X sport utility vehicle, Svyaznoy said.
The Model 3, billed as a more affordable car, and the Roadster were also in demand, the retailer said.
The Teslas could reach Russia within four months after being shipped by sea from the US.
They are tailored to clients’ requirements at a Tesla factory in the Netherlands, said Igor Antarov, managing partner of Moscow Tesla Club.
Russian Tesla customers are turning to the vehicle despite a retail price 60 percent higher than in Western Europe, mainly because of customs duty, a scrapping fee and other local paperwork, Antarov said.
Still, many local technology entrepreneurs and top managers have signed up to buy a Tesla.
Herman Gref, head of Russia’s largest lender, Sberbank PJSC, billionaire Roman Abramovich and Mail.ru chairman Dmitry Grishin were among the first celebrity owners of Teslas in Russia.
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