Tesla Opens First Asian Showroom

American electric vehicle manufacturer Tesla opened on Monday its first showroom in Asia, in the home country of Japanese manufacturer Toyota. The opening of the store takes place in perfect sync with the announcement of the New United Motor Manufacturing (NUMMI) opening, expected for later today.

The store in Tokyo marks Tesla's first encounter with the Japanese customers, as for several months now the carmaker tied its destiny on one degree or another to Toyota. The arrival in Japan is also a late tribute paid to Panasonic, which supplies the battery cells.

Tesla will sell the Roadster in Japan at a hefty price, expected to be at least 50 percent higher than the price in the US ($101,500), but the high price tag will be trimmed by the government incentives provided for the purchase of an electric vehicle.

"The Roadster was born in Silicon Valley, but, in a sense, it is a Japanese car," Elon Musk, Tesla Motors CEO was quoted as saying by nikkeibp.co.jp. "Its battery cells, which are the heart of the vehicle, are made by Panasonic. We think the Japanese market is a fantastic market."

The Japanese-American love story will be cemented today by the opening of the NUMMI facility. The world's first dedicated assembly plant for electric vehicles will be used by Tesla to manufacture the Model S, the "first mass-produced highway capable EV." In the US, the price of the Model S is expected to be around $49,900, after a federal tax credit of $7,500 is applied.