Tesla to move ahead with commercial launch in Israel
According to an anonymous source, Tesla also recently appointed its technical service manager for Israel, local industry veteran Ilan Benaro.
By AARON REICHTesla are about to be approved for use in Israel(photo credit: TESLA)
Elon Musk's famous car company Tesla inc. is pushing ahead with its planned commercial launch in Israel, the financial daily Calcalist reported.It is unclear when the official launch date is slated for.According to an anonymous source cited by Calcalist, Tesla recently appointed its technical service manager for Israel, local industry veteran Ilan Benaro.A former executive at the Israeli Mercedes importer Colmobil and Audi importer Champion Motors, Benaro will be responsible for training technical teams to service Tesla vehicles in Israel, as well as setting up specialized repair shops, Calcalist reported.The repair service is essential for Tesla, as it is required by the Transportation Ministry to receive regulatory approval to import and sell over 20 cars a year.The Transportation Ministry gave Tesla's semi-autonomous driving system, Autopilot, the green light to be used in Israel in January, overturning a previous ban. That same month, Tesla was reported to have leased a Tel Aviv showroom.Tesla was originally slated to launch its commercial operations in January, and was set to open a pop-up store in the Ramat Aviv mall in Tel Aviv. However, the launch was delayed by regulatory hurdles.In addition, the current economic crisis fueled by the coronavirus pandemic has also severely harmed the automobile industry. Sales have significantly dropped throughout the country of motor vehicles.
