The Wall Street Journal noted that Tesla quietly slipped a certified pre-owned sales page onto its website at some point in April.
It currently lists available used Teslas for sale in 11 different areas — Atlanta, Chicago, Cleveland, Denver, Florida, Hawaii, Los Angeles, New York, San Francisco, Seattle, and Washington, D.C.. Cars sold through this program include a 4-year or 50,000-mile limited warranty.
The number and variety of Teslas available varies significantly by market. The Journal reports there should be more to choose from in the coming year when Tesla’s first wave of leased vehicles are turned in.
Tesla sells new cars directly to consumers, primarily through its website and a few storefront showrooms. While this allows the company to set a firm, no-haggle price on its products and gives it better control of new vehicle inventory, it also means that Tesla doesn’t have dealers that can manage a fleet of used cars.
The carmaker would have to incur the cost of holding onto this inventory of previously owned vehicles, so it may be motivated to flip those older cars to new customers as quickly as possible. A rep for the company tells the Journal that its used cars are retained in various storage spots around the country. Customers can choose to pick their pre-owned Tesla up at one of these locations or have it delivered.
In addition to spreading the gospel of electric vehicles to new consumers, Tesla needs to be able to show its current group of owners that there is a resale market for their cars so that they will feel more secure when it comes time to choose their next car.
by Chris Morran via Consumerist
No comments:
Post a Comment