What is this Tesla making its debut in Japan?

Tesla has corrected an inconsistency by now making its entire range available in the Land of the Rising Sun. But there is a subtlety…

This is the story of a car that was not officially imported to Japan, a car “for enthusiasts” as it is defined on the Asian archipelago. A car that will now have a more normal existence with Tesla’s decision, nearly 10 years late, to market it in their catalog.

This car is the Tesla Model S. The large American sedan was initially not offered due to all the bureaucratic paperwork required in Japan to homologate a vehicle. Additionally, this country, highly converted to hybridization, is still quite closed to 100% electric vehicles. Toyota’s delay on this matter is clear proof of this, so Tesla had until now preferred to limit itself to the Model 3 and Model Y in Japan.

In recent weeks, the large SUV Model X finally arrived in Japan, and only the Model S was missing from the lineup. In either case, Tesla does not bother to restart production in the “right-hand drive” version. No, the land of the rising sun will have to settle for the “left-hand drive” configuration, which is likely to limit its commercial attractiveness. This is why the Model X and Model S have disappeared for several months from many markets such as Australia, New Zealand, the United Kingdom, or Hong Kong.

To celebrate this, Tesla is offering every new Model S buyer in Japan three years of free charging at its Supercharger network. For information, the price of a Model S starts at 12,969,000 Yen, approximately €82,000, compared to €94,990 in France. The Model S Plaid costs 15,969,000 Yen (€101,000) versus €109,990 in France.

For comparison, the new Tesla Model 3 is offered at 5,613,000 Yen, about €35,500. Evidence that the European eco-bonus only serves to fatten electric car manufacturers who increase their prices in advance.

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