SAN CARLOS, California Following on the heels of its splashy European debut at the 2008 Top Marques Monaco Auto Show, Tesla Motors has announced that it is putting aside a special allocation of 250 Euro-spec Roadsters. The so-called "Signature Edition" Roadster is fully loaded, the company said, and is priced at ?9,000 or about $152,000.
Tesla Motors said it is going ahead with its European offensive, despite the fact that "U.S. demand is likely to exceed production capacity in 2009," the company said in a statement.
The Signature Edition gets some cosmetic touches that will set it apart from the U.S. version of the Roadster, most notably interior/exterior color schemes that are exclusive to Europe. It also gets "Signature Edition" badging, a numbered interior plaque, unique wheel options and a choice of hard tops in either clear-coat carbon fiber or painted carbon fiber.
Tesla Motors executives have said on several occasions that they feel compelled to launch in Europe to take advantage of the weak dollar, as well as generous tax incentives for low-emission cars in places like Denmark.
Tesla Motors recently posted images of its appearance in Monaco that include such celebrities as Bono behind the wheel of the Roadster.
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