If you’re reading the series of articles on our trip to Germany, here’ s something a little shorter and a little different from the rest of the series. The main difference being Tesla is an American brand. Also, this was just a normal showroom, but it’s not something we get to see in Malaysia. We don’t have Tesla showrooms in Malaysia. You may have seen some Model S and Model X driving around, but they either belong to some government agency or are grey imports.

Recent news on Tesla and Germany have been around the push against Tesla building a factory in Berlin because they were against trees being cut down to build a factory. Anyway, we were in Stuttgart after visiting Markthalle when we came across a Tesla showroom. Knowing we might never step foot inside one again, we just had to check it out.

Tesla cars are not that common on German roads. From our conversation with the Volkswagen representative while driving the e-Golf, it might take another 5 years or so for Germany to significantly shift to electric cars. We did see one Model S as a taxi as well.

The showroom is simple just like any other showroom. Although nothing spectacular in terms of layout and presentation, there seemed to be a lot of people interested in at least sitting inside one of the cars on display. So, we took the liberty of doing the same. The Model X, Model S, and Model 3 all have different types of door handles with some being less intuitive than others. The Model X door handles for example, need to be pushed in at the edge. I find these things to be unnecessary and fragile, but that’s just my opinion.

Tesla cars look very plain on the outside, other than the Model X’s gull-wing rear doors. After getting into all three cars, my first impression was that Tesla cars reminded me of Mazda cars. The steering wheel girth is generous and they all have a very clean look on the inside. The dash and the centre console kind of envelop you, creating a nice cockpit. That really reminded me of Mazda. On the outside, they also look Mazda-like. The thought of Mazda and Tesla lingered with me even after returning to Malaysia. It was only today that my brain connected the dots.

Remember the Tesla Cybertruck?

Remember a man throwing metal balls at the truck? An even hitting it with a hammer?

That man is Franz Von Holzhausen – former Mazda Design Director (North America) and current Chief Designer at Tesla.

No wonder the Teslas reminded me of Mazdas

We didn’t take many photographs since this was a showroom. Just some exterior and interior shots that we could share with you here.

 Model X interior

Model 3

Model 3 interior

Model S

Model S interior

Part 1: Driving 2,177km In A Mercedes Vito Tourer
Part 2: Autostadt And Driving A Volkswagen E-Golf
Part 3: Automotive History At The Mercedes-Benz Museum
Part 4: Racing Heritage At The Porsche Museum

Part 5:Entering a Tesla Showroom for the First Time