Luxury Tesla Cybertruck spotted in SA – who owns it?
· The South African
A custom Tesla Cybertruck – which costs over R1.6 million – has been spotted in South Africa.
The luxury vehicle, whose company is owned by Pretoria-born billionaire businessman Elon Musk, arrived at OR Tambo earlier this month.
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CUSTOM TESLA CYBERTRUCK SPOTTED AT OR TAMBO
Images posted on his X account showed a Tesla Cybertruck loaded onto a vehicle at OR Tambo International Airport.
The custom black gloss vehicle featured luxury modifications by Veenum, a high-end customisation brand.
According to reports, the truck – sold to a private buyer – had to be modified to a left-hand drive.
The Tesla Cybertruck reportedly costs around $100 000 (R1.6 million).
Luxury customisation, VAT, import price, and a steep 25% EV import duty could add several hundreds of thousands of rands more to the price tag.
WHY DOES SA NOT SELL IT?
According to Elon Musk himself, importing Tesla Cybertrucks and other electric vehicles under the Tesla brand would cost more than the cars themselves.
He tweeted from his official X account: “Import duties are super high in South Africa to protect the domestic industry.
“Doesn’t make sense for Tesla, given that electric cars are not locally made.”
Import duties are super high in South Africa to protect the domestic industry.
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) January 20, 2024
Doesn’t make sense for Tesla, given that electric cars are not locally made.
MyBroadband reveals importing a Tesla Cybertruck – involving 15% VAT, calculated on the car’s retail value, newly launched 25% EV import tax: calculated on the car’s retail value, and a luxury Ad valorem tax, could easily cost over R2 million.
It’s also unlikely that Tesla could open a manufacturing factory in the country, given the logistics and low EV demand.