Tesla is an American multinational automotive and clean energy company founded in 2003 in San Carlos, California and headquartered in Austin, Texas. The company designs, produces and sells electric vehicles and related products and services. The company’s name is a tribute to inventor and electrical engineer Nikola Tesla. Elon Musk joined the company as its largest shareholder in February 2004, and in 2008 he was appointed CEO. The company led the battery electric vehicle market in 2022 with an 18% share and in 2023 it was the world’s most valuable automaker.

The company’s presence in Italy

In addition to its stores in Milan, Bergamo, Turin, Bolzano, Verona, Udine and Caserta, the company is planning to increase its presence in the South of Italy, in particular in the Apulian Region, in Bari. The intention is to sell cars online that will be delivered in Tesla Centers, which act as “showcases”.

The search for the showroom was launched in October 2023 by requiring an area of at least 1,000 sqm with more than 80 parking spaces, being at a maximum distance of 5 km from the city center. On January 17th, 2024, the company announced that the new Tesla Center of Bari will be located in the former Nissan warehouse on SS96 (at km 119, in the direction of Bitonto). 

With the arrival of the Tesla Center, the market of electric cars could expand. Meanwhile, Apulia is adapting to the new market by increasing the presence of electric car charging stations. In Bari and the hinterland there are 84 electric columns available to the owners of electric or hybrid cars. The intention of the company is also to install new Supercharger stations to facilitate charging of Tesla cars.