Next year, the company plans to launch its first right-hand-drive (RHD) models, starting with the UK and then eventually Australia, Japan and India. The information was revealed by Tesla CEO Elon Musk, who explained that the costs involved in re-engineering the Tesla Roadster for RHD markets were "not prohibitive". Musk also confirmed that the more powerful Tesla Roadster Sport, rated at 248hp (185kW), would join the lineup later this year.
Tesla says it has already taken 1,300 orders across Europe. “Thanks to an abundance of discriminating drivers and progressive public policy, Tesla is already well known in Europe,” Musk boasted. “We expect the London store to dramatically increase our brand identity throughout the continent, and with right hand drive models now due at the beginning of next year, the UK market will provide a solid foundation on which to build this.”
