When automakers announce closures, they usually stick. But Tesla isn’t like most automakers.
About a month ago Tesla announced it would close most of its U.S. showrooms including the one at the St. Johns Town Center in Jacksonville.
At the time CEO Elon Musk said, "We will be closing some stores. [There will be] some reduction in headcount as a result, there’s no question about that. I wish there was some other way."
But he also left himself an out. Tesla posted a blog that said, "We will be winding down many of our stores, with a small number of stores in high-traffic locations remaining as galleries, showcases and Tesla information centers."
Tesla said it was making the move to online-only sales so it could lower the price of its cars “while remaining financially sustainable.”
Tesla released another update on March 10 indicating the California-based maker of electric vehicles, battery systems and solar roofs was having second thoughts: "Over the past two weeks we have been closely evaluating every single Tesla retail location, and we have decided to keep significantly more stores open than previously announced as we continue to evaluate them over the course of several months."
By Sunday, March 31, cars were back inside Jacksonville’s Tesla showroom and by Monday morning a Tesla representative confirmed to WJCT News that the St. Johns Town Center store has reopened.
Bill Bortzfield can be reached at bbortzfield@wjct.org, 904-358-6349 or on Twitter at @BortzInJax.
