Tesla is the only U.S. carmaker that busts the American embargo of the Tokyo Motor Show. Despite its rich $15 billion market cap, Tesla showed up in Tokyo with a rather low-rent booth, tucked into a dark corner of the show’s West hall. On display are one and a half cars: A Model S, and a chassis.
Tesla doesn’t share the closed minded close market opinions of the Detroit triumvirate.
According to the Wall Street Journal, Tesla “views Japan as a market brimming with opportunity. Why? Because Japan is a nation of technophiles.” Said Kevin Yu, Director of Retail Development for Tesla Motors in Asia Pacific:
“From an American point of view, Japanese consumers are extremely open-minded. They are extremely open to new technology.”