Currently reading: Tesla plans Apple-style stores
The man behind the Apple Store will spearhead a plan to sell the Tesla Model S in city-centre shops

Tesla is preparing a radical dealership network to spearhead its push into Europe, and it has hired the man behind the Apple Store concept — George Blankenship — to achieve it. He has also contributed to the retail tactics used by both Gap and Microsoft.

The new vice president of design and store development believes that Tesla will need to move away from the traditional car retail experience as it starts expansion plans that will include its Model S saloon.

See the pics of the Tesla Model S

“I want to move the brand from the city outskirts into the city centre and to start getting people through the doors in big numbers,” he said.

Tesla has nine stores in Europe, and will open in Tokyo this month. It has delivered 1300 Roadsters since 2008, in more than 30 countries, but it hopes to sell 20,000 examples of the US-built Model S every year, starting in 2012.

Read more on Tesla's future model plans

Blankenship understands that selling those cars will be achieved not just by expanding Tesla’s dealership network, but also by increasing footfall at those stores. “At peak times we can expect to see 50 times as many potential customers, simply by being in the right location,” he said.

“Our major problem is that ordinary people still don’t know about Tesla. By capitalising on passing trade, we can let people know that they can already buy an electric car, and make the brand so much more visible.”Matt Saunders

Q&A - George BlankenshipHow many dealers will you need to become a 20,000-unit car brand?I hope to double our stores over the next two years, but it’s more important to put our stores in the right places.

How much interest is there in the Model S right now?We have 3000 reservations. It’s a more practical car than the Roadster, so we expect a lot of customers to be new to the Tesla brand.

Are you worried by the threat of EVs from Nissan, Renault and others?We already have a three-year head start on Nissan, so I’m not worried. It’s up to us to make Tesla known as the market’s number one brand for electric cars. And whatever it is that our customers demand from us — be that a longer battery warranty or a cheaper entry-level model — we need to make sure we provide it.

See all the latest Tesla reviews, news and video

Join the debate

Comments
12
Add a comment…
deepheatthemovie 6 November 2010

Re: Tesla plans Apple-style stores

phenergn wrote:
Autocar wrote:
Tesla plans Apple-style stores
I.E. Hugely pretentious and full of unnecessarily expensive products?

Well done- did you think that up all by yourself? Clever boy...

Lesia44 6 November 2010

Re: Tesla plans Apple-style stores

ischiaragazzo wrote:
The only time I went into an Apple store it was clear that the staff were more interested in talking to each other and seeing how their hair lookd than serving customers.
Maybe if you walked in with your mind already made up you simply found what you were looking for...

every thing you... 6 November 2010

Re: Tesla plans Apple-style stores

Walking wrote:
Peter Cavellini wrote:
it would be too unusal to go and buy a car you've never sat in let alone driven,
I'm sure there would be cars in the shop for you to sit in and touch, what else would be in their? With the right choice of location test cars could be within easy access as well. In our local shopping centre there are quite often cars taking up a central location this has included Mercedes, Saab and Ferrari. It makes even more sense for a lesser known brand like Tesla.

Reserve a couple of spaces in the car park for the demonstrators and it sounds like all the dealership you could ever want.