The electric car maker Tesla would shift its sales plans yet again just days after it has announced that it would be winding down most of its physical stores and moving to an online-only platform. The company has since decided to keep more stores open than it previously announced.
The company also announced that it would inflate the prices of Tesla vehicles by 3 percent globally starting from March 18, except for the $35,000 Model 3, which will remain the same price. The company said that potential Tesla customers would have a week to place orders before prices rise for the Model S and X.
Tesla recently caused headlines by announcing it would shut its stores and shift worldwide sales to online only. The move was presented as a full embrace of eCommerce and a cost-cutting measure that would enable Tesla to sell the base version of its electric sedan, the Model 3, at the long-awaited price of $35,000 finally.
The blog post did not say precisely why the company was reversing its course on closing the offline stores. However, it did announce that all sales will still be made online, even at the stores where salespeople show customers how to order Tesla cars on their phones. And there will be only a fewer number of vehicles available for immediate car buyers.
