Tesla Motors’ has set up a storefront in Scottsdale Fashion Square; displaying two of the electric car maker’s latest “Model S” sedans. Tesla’s opening signals a growing rebound among several key business sectors including auto retail, sustainability, and technology, says Scottsdale’s Mayor W.J. “Jim” Lane.
According to Tesla, Scottsdale is a perfect fit for their lone southwest U.S. storefront because the city is a premium lifestyle destination that whose residents and visitors represent the affluent buyers who are seeking that kind of purchase. Many people already on the waiting list to own a Tesla vehicle are in the Scottsdale area.
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The Tesla storefront is not a traditional auto dealership. Besides being inside Scottsdale Fashion Square mall, people can’t actually buy the vehicles here. They can, however, see them up close, speak with experts, and make appointments to test drive a Tesla before placing their order online.
Tesla’s opening comes on the heels of Jobing’s relocation to SkySong. The company best known for its one-stop-shop career website, Jobing.com, picked Scottsdale because of a lifestyle and amenities that appeal to their employees. Jobing is among a number of technology and software companies setting up shop in SkySong and downtown Scottsdale.
“It’s always been difficult to land the big employer, the one with thousands of employees,” says Cindi Eberhardt, Scottsdale’s assistant director of economic development. “But this community is attractive to all kinds of people, and we are seeing many smaller but very innovative and often well-known companies come through the door because they want to be a part of Scottsdale.”