Tesla Roadster, 500 and Counting

Tesla Motors is keeping us up to date, every once in a while, with the latest events involving one of their two models. In light of their forecasted success with the Model S, Tesla reminds us that until the S gets here, the Roadster is already on the streets. And not one or two, but 500 now, as the American manufacturer announced the delivery of its 500th unit.

The let's call it anniversary Roadster was delivered to Martin Tuchman, Parkinson’s Alliance and Parkinson’s Disease Foundation of Columbia Presbyterian Hospital board member. The unit sold to Tuchman is painted in Twilight Blue and it is called by the manufacturer a symbol for Tesla.

“We now have more than 500 real-world customers providing valuable feedback on our cars and contributing to Tesla’s spirit of continuous improvement. We intend to leverage our first-mover advantage and continue to build brand loyalty for years - from our 500th to our 500,000th delivery,” Michael van der Sande, Tesla sales vice president said.

The delivery of the car in New York comes only weeks before the opening of the Tesla showroom in New York’s Chelsea Art District. The company says New York is its biggest market, following California. Tesla will be opening stores in Chicago, London, Seattle, Miami, Washington, Monaco and Munich, as deliveries on the Old Continent will begin this summer.

The 500 units sold mark was not reached without any hick-ups, though. Last week, Tesla announced it will recall more than half of that number of Roadsters due to faulty ear hub flange bolts. Although not serious, the problem will turn out to be annoying for both the owners and the manufacturer, who now has to inspect no less than 345 Roadsters and fix the problem.