特斯拉的下一个大市场在韩国？

    特斯拉还没有登陆韩国，但日韩地区的销售副总一职正虚位以待，昭示着这家纯电动豪华汽车制造商的拓展雄心。

    特斯拉的女发言人亚历克西斯·乔治森向《财富》杂志表示，该公司无疑在考虑韩国市场，可目前工作重心还放在中国、日本和香港地区等现有亚洲市场，要在当地兴建超级充电站和目的地充电桩组成的充电网络以及其他基础设施。

    特斯拉认为，亚洲、特别是中国几年内可能发展为该公司最大的一个市场。在上一季度的财报中，特斯拉宣称计划尽快开发中国市场。

    去年4月，特斯拉开始向中国客户交付Model S电动车，秋季以前又在日本出货，挺进亚洲的行动正式拉开帷幕。不到一年内，该公司在日本开设了三家体验店、一家服务中心、六家被称为超级充电站的免费快速充电站点，以及25个目的地充电桩。

    特斯拉进军中国的步子迈得更大。为实现高销量，这家制造商在中国进行了大规模招聘，最终共聘请员工600人。在体验店和服务中心开张的同时，该公司开始积极打造超级充电站和目的地充电桩构成的网络，而且这些充电设施都设在Model S车主常光顾的酒店、购物中心和度假村内。

    事实证明，征服中国市场比特斯拉最初预想的艰难。去年该公司估计售出3500辆电动汽车。这一销售成绩不但低于该公司自己的目标，也落后于生产插电式混合动力汽车的中国竞争对手比亚迪和北京汽车。今年年初，特斯拉的销量依然落后。特斯拉最大的股东、董事长兼首席执行官伊隆·马斯克将业绩不佳主要归咎于中国消费者认为在本地充电困难的错误观念。

    由于销售业绩低于预期，特斯拉的高管团队被更换重组，招聘也陷入停滞。

    然而，特斯拉目前在亚洲区的招聘岗位让人感到，该公司在该地区的前景更有希望。其中至少60个职位位于中国区，大部分设在北京，另有35个左右岗位是日本。这些招聘人数当然无法和特斯拉在北美区几百人的招聘岗位相比，可也已经较四个月前的低谷期回升。今年3月，特斯拉在拥有13.5亿人口的中国仅招一人。

    美国投行Jefferies LLC的分析师丹·多列夫认为，市场对特斯拉在华销量的担忧被夸大。Jefferies今年春季发布的一项调查发现，2020年，仅靠北美和西欧两个市场的销量，特斯拉就能达到其50万辆的年度销售目标。

    “征服中国是更远大的长期目标，”多列夫向《财富》表示，“他们（特斯拉）还在中国埋头苦干，我认为他们还没有扭转形势。但是别忘了，他们在中国的问题不是需求（不足），而是基础设施。他们正在改善这种情况，也在改变（消费者的）观念。只要多开体验店和服务站，多设置充电桩，就会有好转。所以，从这个意义上说，问题出在基础设施倒是好事。”

    那韩国市场呢？多列夫强调，中国的确是特斯拉在亚洲最优先考虑的市场。不过他预计，该公司最终会扩展韩国市场。

    他将韩国的潜力与挪威对比。去年，Model S成为挪威最畅销的车。

    多列夫说：“挪威人口500万，做挪威的汽车之王不能改变行业格局。韩国的人口是挪威的十倍，但中国才是真正的大蛋糕。”（财富中文网）

    译者：Pessy

    校对：詹妮

    Tesla Motors isn’t in Korea just yet. But a job posting for a vice president of sales for Japan and Korea hints at the luxury all-electric automaker’s expansionist ambitions.

    Tesla TSLA 1.16% is certainly considering Korea, but for now the company is focused on building out its supercharger and destination charger network, as well as other infrastructure in existing Asian markets such as Japan, China, and Hong Kong, spokeswoman Alexis Georgeson told Fortune.

    Tesla believes Asia—and China in particular—could become one of its largest markets within a few years. The company has said in previous quarterly reports that it plans to expand in China as quickly as possible.

    Tesla’s foray into Asia began in April 2014 when it started delivering its Model S sedan to customers in China, and then to Japan by fall. In less than a year, Tesla has opened three stores, a service center, six free fast-charging stations known as superchargers, and 25 destination charging locations in Japan.

    Its entry into China was more aggressive. Tesla, aiming to meet lofty sales goals, went on a hiring spree in China. The company eventually amassed a staff of 600 people, opened stores and service centers, and began an aggressive rollout of its network of superchargers and destination charging stations, which are located at hotels, shopping centers, and resorts frequented by Model S owners.

    China proved to be a tougher market to conquer than initially anticipated. The company sold an estimated 3,500 cars in 2014, below its sales goal and behind electric and plug-in hybrid vehicles produced by Chinese rivals BYD and BAIC. Sales continued to lag in the beginning of 2015. Elon Musk, Tesla’s chairman, chief executive, and largest stockholder, has placed much of the blame on a misconception among Chinese consumers that charging is difficult there.

    The weaker than expected sales led to executive turnover and a restructuring; hiring came to a stand still.

    Today, Tesla’s Asia job postings paint a more hopeful picture of its future in the region. There are at least 60 open positions in China, mostly in Beijing, and around 35 or so in Japan. Those numbers don’t come close to the hundreds of positions in North America. Then again, it’s an uptick from the one lone job position in China—a massive economy of 1.35 billion people—that was posted back in March.

    Dan Dolev, an analyst with Jefferies LLC, says concerns about sales in China are overblown. A Jefferies survey released this spring found Tesla could achieve its 2020 sales target of 500,000 cars a year in North America and Western Europe alone.

    “Conquering China is a bigger long-term goal,” Dolev told Fortune. “They’re still plugging along in China and I don’t think they’ve turned the corner yet. But remember, the problem they have in China is not about demand, it was infrastructure, which they are fixing, and perception. So infrastructure is a good problem to have in the sense that once they get more stores, more service stations, more charging stations, things will turn around.”

    So what about Korea? Dolev stresses that China is really the No. 1 priority in Asia, although he expects eventually the company will expand there.

    He compares the market in Korea to that of Norway, where the Model S became the top-selling car in 2014.

    “Being the king of Norway, where the population is 5 million, doesn’t move the needle,” Dolev says. “Korea is 10 times bigger than Norway, but China is the real prize.”