Though it’s already been open for a few months now, Saturday marked the official celebration of the Tesla dealership’s arrival in Los Gatos. It drew enthusiasts from across the Silicon Valley region and even one of the few Roadsters in operation in the world—just days after the company’s CEO, Elon Musk, teased new details about a redesigned version on The Joe Rogan Experience podcast.
Ross Patterson, a 67-year-old from Redwood City, brought his 7-year-old husky-shepherd to the Los Gatos Boulevard showroom.
(Drew Penner / Los Gatan)
“I like the technology,” he said of why he’s such a Tesla fan, demonstrating how he can turn on “Dog Mode,” so his pet remains safe inside his vehicle while he pops into the store on a sweltering day. “They’re fantastic for dogs.”
He says he’s not a fan of some media reports about Musk, for example in regard to the recent shareholder vote on a pay plan that could allow the Tesla and SpaceX chief executive to become a trillionaire. Focusing on that number is a bit simplistic, he says.
“He gets to buy stock at a predetermined price,” Patterson noted.
Robin Chen, 30, came over from San Jose for the celebration.
“I think it’s cool,” he said of the event, “because they have many swags.”
Besides basic refreshments and a food truck outside, attendees could leave with a branded tote bag and a miniature white Cybertruck replica, among other items.
“The weather here is pretty good, and the atmosphere is nice,” Chen said, adding he got some stickers, too.
Allison Townsend, the general manager of sales for Tesla in Sunnyvale, who helped open the Los Gatos location, seemed thrilled with the turnout.
“Today is our Los Gatos opening party,” she said. “This is our chance to say ‘Thanks’ to the community for opening their arms to welcome us—and just to have our clients come in and test drive some vehicles, meet the staff that make working at Tesla so great, meet some fellow Tesla owners and just have a good time.”
She stood in front of a blue Model X. In front of her, a Model S; behind, a Model Y. Families milled about and approached the humanoid robot that’s been hyped frequently but isn’t yet available.
Like Musk, Townsend used to live in Ontario, Canada. Though, in contrast to the famous South African immigrant, Townsend was born and raised there.
That was long before Musk, a Canadian citizen by descent, would anger America’s northern neighbor by saying, “Canada’s not a real country.”
Musk has become a lightning rod for Trump Administration critics. And the Los Gatos location has been a magnet for demonstrators. Protesters in Los Gatos have decried Musk’s efforts to slash social programs and foreign aid while serving on behalf of the president.
By no means has there been a fire-sale on used Telsas, though “VINTAGE TESLA / PRE-MADNESS EDITION” stickers can now be spotted on bumpers from Santa Cruz to Sonoma.
The pioneering electric car brand—once the darling of the wealthy sustainability set—has maintained fierce loyalty in the Greater Silicon Valley region.
“There are a lot of Tesla owners that live and work in Los Gatos and the surrounding area,” Townsend said, when asked why the place seemed such a good fit. “So, we wanted to pick a place where it could be a little more centralized for locals to come to do service, to buy a new Tesla or trade in a Tesla—whatever they wanted to do.”
When the Los Gatan asked how they plan to win back the sizable contingent of local customers who’ve been alienated by Musk’s political activities, Townsend declined to address the question head-on.
“I want to focus on our technology and what makes Tesla great,” she said, pointing to the company’s innovation and shouting out the company’s workforce.
Around 2:45pm, Monte Sereno Council member Bryan Mekechuk, another Canadian, showed up in a red 2011 Roadster, one of less than 3,000 ever made.
“I believe that Tesla makes some of the best cars in the world,” he said. “And even if I don’t agree with Elon, I do admire the technology and the design of the vehicles that Tesla produces.”
“Tesla tried to get the lot where Whole Foods is,” he said, of the Amazon-owned grocery store being built nearby. “It’s kinda funny that Jeff Bezos and Whole Foods are on one corner, and Elon Musk and Tesla are right beside it.”
Former Los Gatos mayor Sandy Decker was more than happy to support Tesla’s local launch.
“It’s not the man, it’s the machine,” she said, addressing the elephant in the room before this reporter even raised a question about Musk. “I came to encourage them to sell as much as possible.”
She hopes the new tax dollars will help make up for municipal funding that disappeared when other auto sales centers closed, though she said she still had questions about how much of the money will flow into Town coffers.
“We desperately need to replace what we lost,” she said.
