According to multiple sources, Tesla, the American electric vehicle leader, will open its first store in Chile at the end of January.This will also be Tesla's first store in South America. Tesla’s “first store in South America” is located in Parque Arauco, a high-end shopping mall in Santiago, the capital of Chile. According to the invitation letter sent by Tesla, the opening ceremony of this retail store will be held from 8 to 10 pm local time on January 31.


(Source: X)

It’s no secret that Tesla will enter the South American and Chilean markets. This company registered "Tesla Chile SpA" in September last year. The business scope of Chilean companies includesautomobile manufacturing and sales, andActivities related to energy and electricity production. According to the career website Linkedin, Tesla is currently recruiting for multiple positions in Chile, including sales consultants, maintenance technical workers, and channel managers for energy storage business.


(Source: Linkedin)

As Tesla's sales base rises rapidly, to realize Musk's crazy growth vision, continuously expanding the market across the entire planet has become a natural strategy.Last month Tesla opened its first store in the Middle East oil-producing country of Qatar, bringing Model S, Model 3, Model X and Model Y to the doorsteps of wealthy Middle Eastern consumers. In addition to Qatar, Tesla also has offline stores in the United Arab Emirates, Jordan and Israel in the Middle East.

The “Battle of Bits” comes to the South American arena

As BYD's electric car delivery data surpassed Tesla's in the fourth quarter of last year and became the world's best-selling electric car company, the competition between the two companies across the entire globe is becoming increasingly interesting.

Compared with Tesla, BYD entered the Chilean market earlier. According to official data,BYD's pure electric buses entered San Diego as early as 2017. Subsequently, the company reached a strategic cooperation with Chilean automobile dealer group ASTARA.Localized sales of electric passenger vehicles will begin in 2023.

On October 6 last year, BYD released the pure electric coupe BYD Seal in the Chilean market, becoming the company's first product in Chile.The sixth model. BYD Chairman and President Wang Chuanfu also went to Chile to attend the press conference.


(Source: BYD Auto WeChat official account)

In Chile, which ranks first in lithium reserves in the world, BYD has also received preferential prices for battery-grade lithium carbonate quotas and is investing in setting up a battery factory there.

When old rivals meet on a new stage, they also have to face the problem of opening up new markets. According to the Chilean Automobile Association, only 2.5% of all cars sold in the country in the first nine months of last year were electric.