Tesla It is already officially sold in South America. But neither the flirtation between Elon Musk and Javier Milei on social networks nor the volume of sales that Brazil handles influenced whether the Argentine or Brazilian market is the recipient of the landing.
Chile became the first South American country to officially have the most admired electric car brand in the world.
The launch of the company led by Elon Musk took place in the most important shopping center in Santiago, where, according to what was learned Clarion15 units were sold that same night.
And the person chosen to carry out the Tesla presentation event in the Chilean market was an Argentine. Santiago Lombardicreator of Lombardis, an event production company, negotiated directly with Palo Alto, United States, where the headquarters of the electric car manufacturer is located, to carry out the launch that all of Chile was talking about.
Although in different South American countries some Tesla models have been sold through independent imports, the official arrival of the brand represents a starting point in the region.
“A tremendous landing”
In conversation with Clarion, the founder of Lombardis, detailed what Tesla’s arrival in Chile was like. “It was a project we worked on for three months., coordinated directly from Palo Alto, California. “It was a tremendous landing,” commented the Argentine who created the production company seven years ago in Chile.
Lombardi specified that “the search for the organizer was done directly from the US, and as far as I know there were three companies that competed and we won.”
The launch event was held at the site where Tesla will have its stand to show its vehicles to potential users. “At the moment they will not have a conventional dealership, but it will be this place in the Parque Arauco shopping center.”
The Argentine acknowledged that “it was not an easy task, since there was not much space, and we had to assemble everything in one night. Furthermore, We didn’t know what would happen to the people outside that space.so we had to plan very well and ensure safety.”
Lombardi, who became a reference in organizing events for car brands and other premium companies, was “impressed with what the arrival of the brand in Chile generated, so we hope to continue opening Tesla in the rest of South America.” ”.
As a color detail, those attending the launch of the electric car brand ate locos, squid, trout, duck, oysters and caviar, among others.
The Tesla range in Chile
The American brand will initially offer its two most popular models in the neighboring country, the Model 3 and the SUV Model Y; the latter, the best-selling car in the world in 2023.
The Model 3 will be offered in Standard and Long Range versions. The first comes with a single 283 horsepower engine and an approved range of 513 kilometers. While the other alternative has two engines, 500 horsepower, all-wheel drive and a range of 629 kilometers.
Both models They sell for 41,000 and 46,000 dollarsvalues that are just above what Tesla sells in the United States.
The Model Y will have a wider range. There will be three versions available: Standard, Long Range and Performance. The first comes with a single engine, 300 horsepower and a range of 455 kilometers, and the second comes with two motors, 514 horses and 533 kilometers of range.
The most powerful variant also has two engines but its power reaches 534 horsepower and its range is 514 kilometers. The prices are $44,000, $49,000 and $54,000 respectively.
In addition, the company anticipated that they will soon begin to install their network of Superchargers in Chile, with powers of up to 250 kW.