Business

Electric car maker Tesla charges in with Portadown partnership

Celebrating the new partnership are (at back) Porters' Bodyshop managing director Colin Porter and chairman Jim Porter, with Jane Clarke, the firm's finance director, and Anton Marnitz from Tesla
Celebrating the new partnership are (at back) Porters' Bodyshop managing director Colin Porter and chairman Jim Porter, with Jane Clarke, the firm's finance director, and Anton Marnitz from Tesla

ELON Musk’s Tesla brand has opened a pop-up shop and confirmed an official approved body shop partner in Northern Ireland.

It comes as the Irish News revealed earlier this month that the US electric vehicle maker has acquired a site in Belfast’s Boucher Road for its first base in the north.

Tesla handed over its first new cars to four customers at its pop-up collection facility at Porters’ Bodyshop in Portadown (a repair centre for around 20 prestigious car marques including Mercedes-Benz and Audi).

Porters’ managing director Colin Porter said: “Welcoming Tesla has been an absolute pleasure as has been the interactions with many of its thousands of customers who have made the transition to electric power – a trend that’s set to stay and grow much larger.

“It’s taken a year to get everything in place and become an officially approved body shop and collection pop-up shop, but it’s been hugely rewarding and a major achievement for us.”

Tesla has become a top ten seller in the UK and Ireland this year with business customers latching onto the zero carbon emissions and zero company car tax benefits.

South African-born Anton Marnitz, Tesla’s representative in Ireland, added: “As a company operating at the pinnacle of technical innovation, we chose Porters as our official approved centre of excellence because its core business values reflect our own.”

Porters’ Bodyshop is a third-generation business that has seen Colin Porter succeed as managing director from his father Jim and grandfather Cyril.

Tesla, the world’s most valuable car manufacturer, already operates a service centre in Dublin and 10 in Britain. It’s planning to double that number, with Belfast now set to join the list of active sites.