Tesla officially launches in Türkiye, but only with the Model Y

Tesla has officially launched in Turkey, but interestingly decided to only start taking orders for the Model Y. The automaker announced pricing for the electric SUV at a special event in Instabul on April 4, after teasing the launch on social media last week.

Tesla’s expansion into Turkey has been in the works for a long time. Elon Musk said in May 2018 that Tesla would introduce launch in Turkey before the end of that year. However, due to escalating tensions between Turkey and the United States, the plans were put on hold indefinitely. It looked like Tesla was finally going to launch in Turkey in 2022 when the company published several job postings for Service Center positions early in the year.

Local media began reporting at the time that the Model S, Model 3, Model X, and Model Y would be coming to Turkey, however Tesla is surprisingly only selling the Model Y, at least to start. All three variants of the electric SUV will be available to purchase.

Additionally, the Model Y falls into the country’s 50% Special Consumption Tax (SCT) bracket. The SCT is a tax charged on certain goods and products, including all vehicles.

Model Y Rear-Wheel Drive – ₺1,548,732 ($108,000 CAD/$80,000 USD)

Model Y Long Range – ₺1,619,532 ($$113,000 CAD/$84,300 USD)
Model Y Performance – ₺1,778,821 ($124,000 CAD/$92,600 USD)

Along with the launch of sales, we have learned Tesla will also open up their Superchargers in Turkey in the next day or two. Last month the Turkish Energy Market Regulatory Authority announced that it granted Tesla a license to operate its charging network in the country.

Tesla’s Find-Us map shows 10 planned stations planned, all of which have no targeted opening date. Even though Tesla only officially launched sales in Turkey today, the Superchargers will be used by the number of owners who have exported their vehicles from other countries.