SAN JOSE, Calif. -- Tesla Motors Inc. has launched a wholesale revamp of its stores worldwide as the electric-car company prepares to introduce the Model X, its first SUV.
The effort is largely devoted to telling the Tesla story, critical for a young company selling a product that remains mysterious -- and intimidating -- to most drivers.
During an exclusive tour of a newly refreshed store at the upscale, outdoor Santana Row shopping center in San Jose, Calif., Tesla representatives showed off interactive displays focused on four major themes: safety, autopilot features, the company's charging network and the dual motors that power each axle.
"People who buy an electric vehicle go through a very different process than someone buying a car with an internal combustion engine," said Ricardo Reyes, Tesla's vice president of communications. "No one goes into a car dealership and says 'How does a gas station work?'" But the first questions we get are always about charging.''