Tesla Motors co-founder and chief executive officer (CEO) Elon Musk said sales of electric Model S cars in China should match U.S. levels as early as next year, reports The Detroit News.
Demand from the world’s largest auto market eventually will require Tesla to build a local plant.
The electric-car maker said that the Model S will be priced from 734,000 yuan, or $121,280, in China when deliveries begin.
Musk plans to travel to China in late March to inaugurate the company’s entry there.
For Tesla, “it could be as big as the U.S. market, maybe bigger. I don’t want to get overexcited about it,” Musk said. “Even without building there locally, it’s always going to be the second-biggest market after the U.S.”
If all goes well, Model S shipments to China can match U.S. sales by 2015, Musk said. “It’s not my firm prediction — it’s more like a low-fidelity guess.”
Source: The Detroit News
