Tesla Motors accepting preorders in Korea

By Jhoo Dong-chan

U.S.-based electric carmaker Tesla Motors has reportedly opened its official website and started accepting preorders in Korea for its three models.

Prospective customers can make a preorder by submitting personal information that includes name, email address and phone number and paying a reservation fee.

For Tesla Motors’ premium flagship sedan, the Model S, 2 million won ($1,780) is required for a reservation while the Model X SUV requires 5 million. Preordering the Model 3, which Tesla Motors unveiled in March, will require 1 million won.

Tesla Motors fully refunds the reservation fee if a preorder is canceled by the customer.

The website also offers test drives for the Model S. When applying online, it tells customers “Tesla Motors is preparing its operation in Korea, and our staff will contact you as soon as the vehicle is ready.”

The website also offers locations of the carmaker’s dealerships and service centers as well as charging stations. Currently, no dealerships, service centers or super-charging stations are shown in Korea yet.

Last November, Tesla Motors registered its corporation under the name Tesla Korea Limited in Korea. It is expected to open its showrooms at the Starfield shopping mall in Hanam, Gyeonggi Province, and in Gangnam, southern Seoul, in November.

Introduced in June 2012, the Model S premium sedan comes in four different models.

Its performance model, the Model S P90D, can do 0-100km/h in 3.3 seconds, faster than most sports cars on the market. Its official range under the New European Driving Cycle (NEDC) standards is 509 kilometers.

The seven-seater Model X SUV also has similar specifications with the NEDC official range of 467 kilometers and the performance model, the Model X P90D, accelerates from 0km/h to 100km/h in four seconds.

The mid-budget Model 3 sedan has a range of 345 kilometers. Its price starts from $35,000 before government incentives.

All Tesla vehicles feature cutting-edge autopilot hardware which enables a driver to steer within a lane, change lanes with the simple tap of a turn signal and manage speed by using active, traffic-aware cruise control. It also enables a driver to scan for parking spaces and parallel park on command.