Hong Kong is home to Tesla’s biggest service centre in the world
The world’s largest Tesla service centre has just opened in Hong Kong, prompted by the city’s growing interest in electric cars.
Featuring a slick design and direct highway access, the new Tsuen Wan service centre opened on Wednesday, and is set to stretch across 100,000 square feet when completed in the first half of next year.
The opening comes off the back of strong electric car sales in the city, with such vehicles on the road increasing from fewer than 100 at the end of 2010 to more than 6,167 at the end of August, many of them Tesla models, according to a Tesla spokeswoman.
Last year, the Tesla Model S was the best-selling car in Hong Kong with over 2,000 sold, prompting the company’s chief executive Elon Musk to call Hong Kong a “beacon city” for electric vehicles.
The centre is Hong Kong’s first, but the Californian carmaker already has eight service centres in mainland China, and one each in Japan and Macau.
“The largest service facility was built to increase our service capacity to accommodate the growing number of Tesla owners in Hong Kong,” the spokeswoman said.
“Since delivering the first Model S in Hong Kong in the summer of 2014, Tesla has seen increasing interest from customers in the city.”
The spokeswoman said the centre continued a series of strong investments in Asia and was the next step in extending Tesla’s service capabilities in the city, but would not comment on the company’s expansion plans in the region.
The company is expected to face a challenge in the mainland from China’s Le Holdings, which has raised US$1.08 billion to develop its electric sports car, according to Bloomberg.
Tesla has increased its service professionals in Hong Kong more than 75 per cent over the past few months, and intends to continue to hire and train local talent, she said.
The centre will provide a range of services for Tesla owners, including tyre rotation and alignment check, and battery coolant replacement.
“An exceptional service experience is a key component in making the switch to electric vehicles, which is why Tesla services all its vehicles directly,” a spokesperson said.
Tesla recommends an inspection every year or 20,000km to maintain its cars, and protects its cars with a four-year, 80,000km new vehicle limited warranty, according to its website.
The Tesla says it has already delivered more than 100,000 electric cars to customers around the world.
The Hong Kong government has been promoting the use of electric vehicles in the city through a number of measures, including waiving the first registration tax for electric cars.
