Hong Kong ranks as one of electric carmaker Tesla Motors' biggest markets in the world on a per-capita basis, according to a senior regional executive at the California-based company.
Globally, Tesla sells about 600 of its super-fast Roadster cars per year, and sales in Hong Kong have already reached several dozen units since they were launched locally a year ago, according to director of Asia-Pacific retail operations Kevin Yu.
'We have more sales here than most people would think,' Yu said. 'It's not only the local demand, but Hong Kong serves as a hub for Chinese-speaking parts of Asia.'
Tesla earlier this month opened a permanent service centre in Tsuen Wan, its third in the region after similar facilities were opened in Japan and Australia. 'We're here to stay,' Yu said.
The Tesla Roadster, which accelerates from 0 to 100km/hr in 3.7 seconds and features a carbon-fibre body, is a limited-edition model designed to prove that drivers of electric cars need not sacrifice performance.
The vehicle's positioning as a premium sports car means it can offset battery cost issues, which make most mass-market electric cars uncompetitive with their petrol cousins on both price and performance.
The Roadster, which retails from HK$1.07 million, is one of only three mass-produced, pure-electric models available for sale in Hong Kong. Mitsubishi's tiny i-MiEV sells from HK$395,000, while Nissan's Leaf retails in the United States from US$35,200 and is available in Hong Kong for fleet sales. Both models have been purchased by the government and the two local power companies, among others.
