Fort Worth Tesla Motors Gallery Open Today
Follow CBSDFW.COM: Facebook | Twitter
FORT WORTH (CBSDFW.COM) - The wait is over, Fort Worth now has their own Tesla Motors gallery.
The high-end electric-car manufacturer is celebrating the grand opening of its gallery on University Drive, in the University Park Village shopping center.
Potential customers can talk with Tesla associates onsite and learn about the cars, but test drives are by appointment only. Te gallery is only a storefront, because actual car shopping isn't allowed. Texas law forbids automakers from operating their own dealerships – that means no direct auto sales to consumers from manufacturers. But purchases can be made online.
Late last year, Tesla announced that the company would start making a lower-cost Model 3 electric car. CEO Elon Musk said the price of the car will start at $35,000, or about half the starting price of its current Model S sedan. The new car will be unveiled on March 31.
After Consumer Reports said Tesla Motors Model S sedan was the "best-performing car we've ever tested," the company also admitted that the car's reliability didn't match its performance. Earlier this year, Consumer Reports raised some safety concerns about the new Tesla self parking feature , and just two days ago the company agreed to update the system to make it safer.
Earlier this week, Tesla said deliveries of its Model S electric sedan grew 76-percent in the fourth quarter, making it the top selling luxury sedan in the U.S.
Tesla also has a new SUV. The company began delivering the 100-percent electric Tesla Model X, to customers who had preordered, a few months ago. You can pick up a cheap model of the new SUV starting at about $134,000.
The new Fort Worth Tesla gallery is located at 1612 S. University Drive. The business is open from 10:00 a.m. until 9:00 p.m., Monday through Saturday. And since the location isn't actually selling vehicles, they also have hours form noon until 6 p.m. on Sunday.
(©2016 CBS Local Media, a division of CBS Radio Inc. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.)
