Image © Magic Car Pics, Microsoft
Electric sports car builder Tesla is here at the Paris Motor Show but it's also announcing a permanent presence here in the shape of a new showroom in the heart of the French capital.
Rubbing shoulders with the fashionable cafes and boutiques off the Champs Elysées gives Tesla a presence in a city where electric cars have been embraced enthusiastically.
Indeed, Tesla counts France as one of its biggest markets and says the country has one of the best-developed charging networks in the world. The showroom will also serve Belgium and the Netherlands as Tesla seeks to broaden its European base.
The opening of the new showroom has been timed to coincide with the Paris Motor Show and the arrival of a very special Roadster, which has just completed an epic, round the world drive.
Supported by watchmaker TAG Heuer as part of the Swiss firm's 150th anniversary, the Odyssey of Pioneers has seen the Tesla cover nearly 25,000 miles and visit 16 cities on its way to taking pride of place on the stand here.
Once the show is over the car will move to its new home at the Paris showroom, the trip demonstrating in spectacular fashion that Tesla's all-electric power is a viable alternative to traditional internal combustion engines, even in the remotest corners of the world.
Paris is also a chance to see the latest 2.5 version of the Roadster, the Lotus Elise-derived sports car showing off revisions to the front end, interior and touchscreen infotainment systems. New control systems also improve performance in hot climates.
