Clearly, there was a lot of footfall at the Tesla dealership in Quebec City between January 10 and 12. More than 4,000 vehicles were sold there in the space of three days, reports the Toronto Star! In all, four branches — in Quebec City, Vancouver and Toronto — sold a whopping 8,600 models. Unprecedented.
Suspicious Rush
These sales were made the day after the government announced the end of a subsidy program, which allowed buyers to pocket a discount of up to $5,000. A program that was supposed to end on April 1st, or earlier depending on the remaining budget. The spectacular sales success at these four dealerships got the better of the budget: by January 13th, the discounts were definitely over! In one weekend, Tesla branches had siphoned off $43 million, more than half of the program's resources (71.8 million in total).
Dealership employees explained to the Star that the discount only applies when the customer picks up their vehicle, and not during the online purchase. The establishment's parking lot can hold 200 cars, while it sold 1,700 on Saturday alone. To give an idea of the magnitude, 1,141 Tesla cars in France during the entire month of January!
It's hard to imagine how these dealerships were able to obtain so many discounts in such a short time, if only in terms of logistics. According to Transport Canada, the equivalent of the French Ministry of Transport, sellers must submit a subsidy application before the car is delivered to the customer: this would therefore not be an administrative catch-up concerning electric cars already sold. Authorities have acknowledged, however, that some discounts sold during this famous crazy weekend may have concerned vehicles previously sold.
It is common for buyers to rush to take advantage of the last days of a government subsidy program. More than 500 dealerships claimed rebates within 72 hours of the announcement of the upcoming shutdown of the system. But this extraordinary volume of Tesla sales in one weekend is truly unprecedented. Transport Canada is now conducting an investigation.
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