Tesla Motors Inc (TSLA): On Fire, So It Needs Ice(land)

Tesla Motors Inc (NASDAQ:TSLA) would seem to have the perfect car for Europe with its Model S. Gas prices are high, the taxes on fuel are high, and some countries tack on extra taxes for having an engine with too much horsepower. Alas, as Tesla is an American company, it has had to spend its entire 10-year history building cars for North America due to the expense of shipping cars across oceans.

But certainly as Tesla Motors Inc (NASDAQ:TSLA) continues to grow, it was going to be a matter of time before Europe – of the high fuel prices and prohibitive taxes on gas-powered cars – will see the Model S invasion. And that time seems like it will be pretty darn soon, and the car likely will make its beachhead in Iceland, of all places. Reykjavik, to be exact.  A very rich Icelander, energy mogul Gisli Gislason, is determined to bring the first Model S to Europe (just like he brought the first Roadster to the continent years ago) along with 999 of its friends.

Yes, Iceland will be the European entry point for the Tesla Motors Inc (NASDAQ:TSLA) Model S, and one man has ordered 1,000 of the vehicles that he will try to sell on his little island country of almost 325,000 people. Gislason is a huge fan of electric vehicles, and his mission is to teach his fellow Icelanders about the vehicles, then try to sell a Model S, and then he would provide the charging stations for the buyers. He believes the Model S will sell well, though he doesn’t expect to go through the 1,000 cars in less than five years. He wants to be so sure that his Model S is the first one to land in Europe that he will have it arrive on a plane from New York.

Tesla Motors Inc (NASDAQ:TSLA) debuting in Europe on a tiny island near the Arctic Circle, and being brought to the island by a single individual who ordered 1,000 of the cars (about 5 percent of the company’s projected output in 2013)? One of those sorta-hard-to-believe stories for an automotive startup. But sometimes it takes a hard-to-believe story to create a brand champion and get the company on a positive trajecotroy. Seems like we can put Gisli Gislason in the “brand champion” column for Tesla. What do you think? Let us know in the comments section below.

DISCLOSURE: None