Tesla isn’t like other car companies. In the 10 years since the Tesla Model S was launched, it has developed a fully fledged model line-up and sold millions of cars, embarrassing established manufacturers’ sluggish EV roll-outs in the process. Whatever it is, it’s definitely not a start-up any more.
And yet, it does things you couldn’t imagine from, say, Mercedes-Benz. For instance, taking deposits on the upcoming lorry, pick-up truck and roadster despite these models being nowhere near production-ready. Tesla has released its Full Self-Driving system in public beta in America, despite it being quite a long way from being self-driving, as the emerging videos quite clearly show.
Another case in point is the Model Y. The compact SUV segment is very important, not just across the Atlantic but over here too. But even though there were plans all along to bring the Model Y to Europe, it has taken two years since the US launch for the first examples to be delivered here.
Part of that is Tesla doing its own thing, and part of it is a result of the difficulties it has encountered setting up a new factory in Germany. In fairness, a global pandemic didn’t help, but it also looks like Tesla underestimated the amount of red tape and bureaucracy establishing a greenfield car plant in Germany would entail.
Tesla got there in the end, and the Berlin plant is now up and running, but not before the first European-spec Model Ys were delivered from the Shanghai factory. To be able to put arguably its most important new model on sale just a little bit quicker Tesla decided to import cars from China. UK Model Ys will continue to be come from there for a while longer as the site is already geared up to make right-hand drive cars for Japan and Australia.
