[Courtesy of Tesla Motors]
US company Tesla Motors has forged a strategic partnership with South Korean business group Shinsegae to open an electric car retail shop and charging stations at the retail giant's outlets.
Shinsegae said the Tesla store would display electric cars later this year in Starfield Hanam, a major resort and shopping complex that will open on September 9 in Seoul's southern satellite city of Hanam.
By June next year, Tesla plans to set up 25 charging stations at department stores and other distribution outlets affiliated with Shinsegae, a big box store franchise led by Lee Myung-hee, the younger sister of Samsung Group's ailing head Lee Kun-hee. The US company has directly installed its supercharger stations called "Superchargers".
It's not clear how the partnership with Shinsegae will affect Tesla's operations in South Korea, which has promised to nurture electric cars and cell batteries as its growth engines.
Using Shinsegae's distribution network, Tesla could quickly expand its presence in a country which was once known for protectionism to protect its car industry. Hyundai Motor and its affiliate Kia Motors together now control almost 70 percent of the domestic market.
Many famous domestic and foreign brands have applied to open showrooms in the Starfield shopping complex which can serve as a customer magnet due to its proximity to Seoul. Hyundai plans to display its first electric vehicle, Ioniq Electric, and the luxury Genesis brand while BMW is expected to open showrooms for its plug-in hybrid sports car and MINI brands.
With no notable publicity campaign, Tesla has effectively gained attention from South Korean consumers by receiving pre-orders through its official Korean website last month and offering test drives.
On Thursday, Tesla was granted a license to use a global position system for electric cars in South Korea.
Telsa has gained global attention by producing its electric sports model, the Telsa Roadster, followed by the Model S, an electric luxury sedan, and the SUV Model X. Tesla's standard Model 3, which can run 346 kilometers (215 miles) on a single charge, will be available globally by late 2017.
Aju News Lim Chang-won = cwlim34@ajunews.com