Tesla takes on Gulf gas guzzlers

  • Page Views 3953
  • Electric carmaker Tesla announced the opening of a new Gulf headquarters Monday in Dubai, aiming to conquer an oil-rich region better known for gas guzzlers than environmentally friendly motoring.

    Elon Musk, the co-founder and chief executive of the American firm seeking to revolutionise the electric car market, was in the affluent city state to oversee the launch of the Gulf sales push.

    “The time seems to be good to really make a significant debut in this region starting from Dubai,” Musk told the World Government Summit under way in the emirate.

    Dubai’s official Media Office said that Musk met UAE Prime Minister  Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid al-Maktoum, who welcomed Tesla’s decision to set up its regional headquarters in the city state.

    Sheikh Mohammed, who is also the ruler of Dubai, instructed local authorities to provide Tesla “with the services and logistic support” it needs, said the Media Office.

    Dubai is one of seven emirates that make up the United Arab Emirates.

    Once a sleepy fishing town, it has evolved into a regional business hub and a tourist magnet, thanks to huge investments in luxury resorts and shopping malls.

    The emirate, seen as the most diversified in the Gulf, has a population of 2.5 million people, most of them expatriates.

    Despite a state-of-the art metro, many people in Dubai and across the energy-rich Gulf region prefer to get around in SUVs or other luxury cars known to burn a lot of petrol.

    Official figures released by Dubai’s Roads and Transport Authority in 2015 showed that the number of vehicles in Dubai had doubled over the past eight years, leaving the Gulf emirate with more cars per person than New York or London.

    If that trend continues, the number of vehicles registered could reach 2.2 million by 2020, when the emirate is due to host the Expo international trade fair.

    Tesla announced last year plans to build self-driving technology into all its electric cars.

    “My guess is probably that in 10 years it will be very unusual for cars to be built that are not fully autonomous,” Musk told the Dubai summit on Monday.

    “I think almost all cars built will be capable of full autonomy in about 10 years.” (MS)

    Share

    New Posts Recently publish post More

    • 21 March 2024
      1 week ago No comment

      Canada eyes space cooperation with Philippines

      The Philippines held its first space cooperation conference on March 19, 2024 as the country seeks to explore opportunities presented by the heavens. The conference was organized by the Stratbase Albert del Rosario Institute for Strategic and International Studies, a Metro Manila-based think-tank; the fledgling Philippine Space Agency; and ...

    • 14 March 2024
      2 weeks ago No comment

      Mable endorses campaign for Benson Flores marker

      Mable Elmore is supporting the campaign to raise funds for a memorial marker for pioneer immigrant Benson Flores. Elmore is the Member of the Legislative Assembly of British Columbia for Vancouver-Kensington, which is also home to Mountain View Cemetery where Flores is buried in an unmarked grave. MLA Elmore ...

    • 07 March 2024
      3 weeks ago No comment

      Quiboloy church linked to fake marriages in Canada

      Some 100 allegedly fraudulent marriages in Canada are connected to the religious group led by the spiritual adviser of now former Philippine president Rodrigo Duterte. This stunning allegation was made on March 5, 2024 by Dindo Maquiling, a former follower of Apollo Quiboloy. Maquiling is a former executive director ...

    • 07 March 2024
      3 weeks ago No comment

      MP Valdez Visits Vancouver

      Liberal MP Rechie Valdez visited Vancouver to meet with BC Business owners at the Dubai National Air Travel Agency (DNATA) Catering in Richmond recently. The meet and greet was an opportunity for local businesses to dialogue directly with Valdez whose portfolio includes small businesses. The roundtable discussion was led ...

    • 29 February 2024
      4 weeks ago No comment

      Minimum wage increases to $17.40 an hour on June 1 VICTORIA

      For Immediate Release Feb. 26, 2024 VICTORIA – B.C.’s lowest-paid workers will get a pay raise when the general minimum wage increases from $16.75 to $17.40 per hour on June 1, 2024. This represents a 3.9% increase, consistent with B.C.’s average rate of inflation in 2023. The alternate minimum ...

    %d bloggers like this: