Tesla reportedly to launch Israel operations in January

Tesla aims to roll 3,000 Model 3 vehicles off its manufacturing line every week at the $2 billion plant.

DECEMBER 30, 2019 19:56

FILE PHOTO - SpaceX owner and Tesla CEO Elon Musk speaks at the E3 gaming convention in Los Angeles, California, U.S., June 13, 2019 (photo credit: REUTERS/MIKE BLAKE/FILE PICTURE) — FILE PHOTO - SpaceX owner and Tesla CEO Elon Musk speaks at the E3 gaming convention in Los Angeles, California, U.S., June 13, 2019

(photo credit: REUTERS/MIKE BLAKE/FILE PICTURE)

Elon Musk’s electric carmaker Tesla is expected to commence operations in Israel in January, opening a pop-up store at Ramat Aviv Mall in Tel Aviv.

The store at the upscale shopping center will enable Israelis to place orders for Tesla’s range of luxury vehicles, Hebrew-language business newspapers reported on Monday.

Based in Palo Alto, California, Tesla is the developer of high-performance electric vehicles, autonomous-driving technologies and high-speed charging solutions. Headed by serial entrepreneur and multi-billionaire Musk, the company recorded revenues of approximately $21.4 billion in 2018.

While worldwide demand for Tesla vehicles has outstretched supply, leading to long waiting lists in some countries, the company delivered the first cars from its enormous new Chinese manufacturing facility near Shanghai on Monday.

Tesla aims to roll 3,000 Model 3 vehicles off its manufacturing line every week at the $2 billion plant, which was constructed in less than one year. The company is also planning an additional factory at an unnamed location in Europe, expected to commence production in 2021.

Last month, the company published a job listing for a country manager to lead its efforts in the Israeli market. The full-time, Tel Aviv-based position will include responsibility for “driving the Service, Sales and Delivery strategy and operations in Israel,” Tesla said.

Additional responsibilities will include hiring a local workforce, liaising with the government where required, engaging suppliers to assist in market set up, developing the local market and participating in the “strategic design of our charging infrastructure footprint in the market to enable sales and engage customers.”