Tesla to set up shop in Istanbul's upscale Zorlu mall

Electric car producer Tesla's CEO, Elon Musk, announced in February that the company is planning to enter the Turkish market this year and has posted job ads looking for staff to be employed in Turkey. Based on the company's job advertisements, Tesla's Istanbul store is expected to open in the city's luxury Zorlu Center mall in Istanbul's Levazım neighborhood. Tesla carries out configuration and order processing for its automobiles in its stores. Tesla sales are conducted through an online platform via pre-order. After registering on Tesla's official website and paying $1,000 for an order number, customers can generally receive their cars within 12 to 18 months.

Turkish people are now able to order from Europe and the prices of a brand-new Tesla car start at 110,00 euros ($128,424). The price of second-hand Tesla ranges from 77,000 euros to 100,000 euros.

Tesla Motors Netherlands B.V., Tesla's European headquarters, was previously reported to be looking for an area to set up a maintenance center on the Anatolian side of Istanbul. The Model 3, starting at $35,000 in the U.S., was introduced April 1, 2016 and sold with a prepaid reservation of $1,000. The model received more than 400 orders in the first month after its release. While deliveries have begun in the U.S., the vehicle will enter Europe late this year. The Model 3 is expected to go on sale in Turkey in 2019 at an estimated price of about TL 326,940 ($69,700), or 70,000 euros.

An agreement signed with Gersan Electricity Trade and Industry for fast charging stations is the first signal of Tesla entering Turkey. While there are currently more than 150 Tesla vehicles in Turkey, the lack of repair services is a big problem, with owners currently having to send their vehicles to Europe for maintenance, coupled with problems around obtaining automobile insurance.