Tesla cars to open first center in Catalonia

Famed luxury electric automotive company arriving on September 19

Visitor at 'Automobile Barcelona' testing the connectivity of a Tesla's prototype (by ACN)
Visitor at 'Automobile Barcelona' testing the connectivity of a Tesla's prototype (by ACN) / ACN

ACN | Barcelona

September 7, 2017 02:21 PM

Tesla is finally coming to Catalonia. The innovative American car company headed by South-African born entrepreneur Elon Musk has chosen L’Hospitalet de Llobregat, near the Catalan capital of Barcelona, for their first center in Spain. On September 19 doors will open for the new headquarters, and the day after, on September 20, aficionados of Tesla’s vision and products will be able to go visit the space themselves. Tesla states that these new Catalan headquarters will be a new point of access for product users, including a service center and workshop along with the display and sale of vehicles themselves. The specific address will be at number 38-42 of the Carrer de la Metal·lúrgia.

What is Tesla?

Founded in 2003, Tesla is known for pioneering electric cars, but it also specialized in “scalable clean energy generation and storage products,” to help the world move “towards a zero-emission future,” according to the company. In 2008 the company released their first electric sedan, the Model S, followed by their 2015 electric sports vehicle, the Model X. This year, they’ve already begun production on a low-priced and high-volume electric car called the Model 3. They don’t plan to stop here – indeed, Tesla’s production plan is “set to increase to a rate of 500,000 vehicles a year by 2018,” according to the company itself.

Five billion euros in foreign investment  

Tesla isn’t the only global company that’s had its eye on Catalonia. Indeed, the country received more than five billion euros in foreign investment for the first time ever. As per data released by the Spanish ministry of economy, the total investment amount totaled €5.05 billion.

Technological giants

Another behemoth in the world of technology, Amazon, also has big plans for Catalonia. The country was chosen as the home for a new logistics center in Martorelles, 20 kilometers north of Barcelona, a 30,000 m2 center to serve the European market. Barcelona itself was chosen to host the first express delivery center in Europe, added to new centers in El Prat de Llobregat and Castellbisbal.