Tesla's Model 3, Model S and Model X were approved for sale in Israel.
By ZEV STUBTesla are about to be approved for use in Israel(photo credit: TESLA)
It’s official: Tesla cars have been approved for use in Israel. The Transportation Ministry said on Wednesday that the US electric carmaker was approved to import to Israel after meeting its requirements, which included setting a local service center and hiring staff to handle the cars.Tesla’s Model 3, Model S and Model X were approved. These models are environmentally friendly, with zero emissions, and feature breakthrough technologies and innovative systems, the ministry said. These include Tesla’s flagship autopilot system that offers lane centering, traffic-aware cruise control, self-parking, automatic lane changes, semiautonomous navigation, and the ability to summon the car from a parking spot.Transportation Minister Miri Regev said the announcement was part of a reform in the automotive sector to allow more models to be imported, increasing competition in the industry.Previously, reports indicated that Tesla’s Model 3 could be available for purchase in the coming days, with a sticker price of NIS 250,000 to NIS 350,000.Last weekend, Tesla said it had produced more than half a million cars in 2020, a significant milestone for the company and a 40% increase from 2019.The company’s stock has been one of the darlings of the stock market’s recovery over the past year, with 740% growth during 2020.
