Tesla takes over Porsche service centre in Switzerland

Tesla has taken over an old Porsche service centre, a sign of the times as the Californian carmaker increases its presence in the European financial centre.

While not an outright challenge to the luxury German automaker such as that made by Tesla CEO and co-founder Musk when he took a souped up, tri-motor Model S to the Nürburgring Nordschleife to try and beat the Taycan’s record in September, it’s a move that cannot go unnoticed.

Spotted by Swiss electromobility enhtusiast Roger Rusch, images of a before and after show the dictinct cylindrical shape of the building with the Porsche lettering in red, followed by the building again, but this time with unmistakeable Tesla logo where the Porsche logo used to be.

As Rusch puts it, it is another sign that electromobility is on a sure path to relegating fossil fuelled-transport to the annals of history.

“Signs of change: The fossils have to give way to the representatives of the new, clean, smart & sustainable tech of the 21st century,” he says.

It is also an indicator of the popularity of Tesla vehicles in the economic powerhouse.

In the first half of 2019, the Tesla Model 3 beat all other vehicles in sales volume in Switzerland save the Škoda Octavia, VW Tiguan and VW Golf, according to Auto Schweiz Suisse.

From January to July, 2,577 Model 3s were sold in Switzerland, making it the most popular electric vehicle sold in that period.

Tesla’s presence in the country is accordingly very strong: while a relatively small country, it boasts seven service centres, six of which are also showrooms.