When you think of Nordstrom, you think of luxury duds, correct? Well, you can start adapting your way of thinking—in L.A., at least, now that Elon Musk‘s electric car company, Tesla, is opening one of its high-end galleries at The Grove in West Hollywood.
The 400 square-foot boutique opened its doors over the weekend to much fanfare thanks to its Model X SUV on display, an auto game of mix-and-match interior car panel displays and on-site test drives.
But can you actually buy a Tesla at Nordstrom? Well, no, not yet. The Palo Alto based brand is still in the process of acquiring a sales license to sell on-site. But in the meantime, the Tesla employees at The Grove can arrange a call between a potential buyer and a Tesla sales rep, direct the buyer to the nearest Tesla store or to the company’s website.
Although some might be confused by the gallery’s appearance, it’s actually a pretty strategic move, for both brands.
“We’re focused on listening to our customers and seeing how they respond to this type of differentiated experience,” Nordstrom added in a statement. The upscale retailer operates 121 stores in the U.S. and Canada, in addition to 200 Nordstrom Racks.
“[We’re] bringing Nordstrom customers a Tesla experience, and I think for Nordstrom as well, it’s like, How can we target Tesla’s audience?” addedGanesh Srivats, the luxury carmaker’s vice president of North American sales, a former Burberry retail executive who played a pivotal role in setting up the initiative.
Musk recently surprised investors with his plan to sell 500,000 vehicles by 2018—of which will include its more cost-effective, affordable sedan mode, the Model 3. The brand currently has 215 store globally, but to meet said goal will need to expand its infrastructure in new and inventive ways. The Nordstrom partnership is a perfect example of what is to come for the innovative electric brand.
