Tesla Hires Service Specialists in Israel Hints Official Launching Is Near

Tesla continues to develop its activities in Israel and has hired local car industry veteran Ilan Benano to manage its repair service operation in the country.

Elon Musk's Company Tesla Inc. promotes its commercial launch plans in Israel. According to Calcalist, Tesla recently appointed Ilan Benano as the head of its technical service in the country.

Benano, a former executive at Israeli Mercedes importer Colmobil Ltd. and Audi importer Champion Motors, will be responsible for the preparation of technical groups that will serve the company's vehicles in Israel, and for the creation of specialized auto repair shops.

The establishment of a repair service in Israel is critical to obtaining regulatory approval from the Israel’s Ministry of Transport and Road Safety (MOT) to import and sell more than 20 cars a year in the country.

Photograph: Mike Blake/Reuters

It was originally planned that Tesla would begin operations in Israel in January, but regulatory obstacles delayed its plans. In early January, the MOT banned residents of the country from using Autopilot on the roads of country. They asked the company to notify all Tesla owners in Israel. But already at the end of January, the MOT revised its application and decided to allow Tesla cars sold in the country to use the company semi-autonomous driving system.

Also in December, we reported that local team already decided to open a pop-up store at Ramat Aviv Mall in Tel Aviv, wich will allow potential customers to review some Tesla cars, especially its popular Model 3. And in January, the company began negotiations on renting a 2,000 square meter showroom on Menachem Begin Road in Tel Aviv.
 
Currently, the Israeli Tesla launch team is using 20 cars already imported by the company for test drives for potential customers ahead of the launch, which is expected in the coming months.