Japan

[hiroshiy]

Hi, DTIB,
It's not Yokohama, it's Aoyama. Aoyama is almost the center of the Tokyo (business district) with the biggest number of hair salons in the world
Re; driving in Japan, International Driving Permit, based on Geneva Convension of Road Traffic, can be used as a driver's license. Unfortunately
Hong Kong doesn't seem to ratify the treaty
https://treaties.un.org/pages/ViewD...tdsg_no=xi~b~1&chapter=11&Temp=mtdsg5&lang=en

Now, my electrician is fighting with English documents - here, almost nobody can read English and Tesla didn't provide Japanese installation manual.
I got an English PDF version from Tesla and stripped some pages and sent it to Gengo, crowdsourced translation system so that my electrician
can better understand the document.

 

[DITB]

Hi hiroshiy,

I know it's in Aoyama - Sei Liu who was at the RHD test drive event in Hong Kong, was very kind to point out the location in my map. When I go to Tokyo, I normally stay in either Yokohama or Narita, so when in Yokohama, I wouldn't be too far away from Aoyama.

About the drivers permit, I am not sure if it is only for Hong Kong as such, but maybe a Tesla Motors policy, but I think you are right. I have drivers licenses from three countries, and one of them is a member state (so I have an international license also). Hong Kong and China are the only places I have had problems driving a car, so those are the countries I have a local license (though the Chinese license has now expired recently).

Good work to translate it - a pity Tesla Motors didn't do it. As it is so technical, I am sure it won't suffice to run it through Google Translate. I hope you will share the translation with Tesla, and the Japanese community.

Hi, DTIB,
It's not Yokohama, it's Aoyama. Aoyama is almost the center of the Tokyo (business district) with the biggest number of hair salons in the world
Re; driving in Japan, International Driving Permit, based on Geneva Convension of Road Traffic, can be used as a driver's license. Unfortunately
Hong Kong doesn't seem to ratify the treaty
https://treaties.un.org/pages/ViewD...tdsg_no=xi~b~1&chapter=11&Temp=mtdsg5&lang=en

Now, my electrician is fighting with English documents - here, almost nobody can read English and Tesla didn't provide Japanese installation manual.
I got an English PDF version from Tesla and stripped some pages and sent it to Gengo, crowdsourced translation system so that my electrician
can better understand the document.

 

[hiroshiy]

My car becomes LHD!

 

[hiroshiy]

VIN#44355 is now in production!

 

[DITB]

VIN#44355 is now in production!

In Hong Kong, 44654 also just went into production today.

Seems like HK and Japan are quite close in this "race" of first deliveries. I would imagine first deliveries would be within a week or so, between HK and Japan.

More here: HK: Deposit date - confirmation - Sequence # - expected delivery

 

[Nono14]

Congrats, hiroshiy and DITB, my VIN is a bit younger than yours, but they are still sourcing parts..... But at least good to know that there has been some progress at my neighbors.

 

[DITB]

Congrats, hiroshiy and DITB, my VIN is a bit younger than yours, but they are still sourcing parts..... But at least good to know that there has been some progress at my neighbors.

Mine is also still sourcing parts. And they have been sourcing parts for five months now, so I hope they find them soon! Maybe it's the textile seat covers they cannot find ...

 

[markwj]

Mine is also still sourcing parts. And they have been sourcing parts for five months now, so I hope they find them soon! Maybe it's the textile seat covers they cannot find ...

My prediction is 45XXX next week and 46XXX the week after (so long as factory shutdown hasn't happened yet).

 

[DITB]

My prediction is 45XXX next week and 46XXX the week after (so long as factory shutdown hasn't happened yet).

Maybe you were right after all with your 46XXX = week 46 delivery - oops - in that case, my delivery would be the middle of November

I would imagine they finish all the Signature and "Friends of Roadsters" cars for Hong Kong, Japan, Australia ... before the shutdown. On the other hand, if the shutdown is budget driven, it might as well start on July 1st ...

Lord give me patience - but please give me my Tesla Model S first!

 

[hiroshiy]

@nono14: oh hope your status will change to "in production" soon!! Do you have a sig reservation?

 

[Nono14]

I have a sig reservation. Put down a deposit on the day Tesla Jpn opened the reservation book (May 2011).

 

[DITB]

I have a sig reservation. Put down a deposit on the day Tesla Jpn opened the reservation book (May 2011).

There were some HK orders where the status wasn't changed - because they had been very busy lately. Try to write Tesla directly and ask them when you can expect your car to enter production. It's in their system, they are just reluctant to say more than they think they need - in case something causes a delay. Especially in Asia, where some people seem to get quite upset, quite easily, over what other would consider minor and forgivable.

I'd much rather have a properly designed and built car, rather than one that was rushed through the system to meet a deadline.

 

[hiroshiy]

It seems I might get the "rushed through the system to meet a deadline" car just sayin'

Today the status changed!
生産完了
Your モデルSシグネチャー is being prepared for pickup or delivery.

 

[DITB]

It seems I might get the "rushed through the system to meet a deadline" car just sayin'

Today the status changed!
生産完了
Your モデルSシグネチャー is being prepared for pickup or delivery.

It still only means at the factory. Because it will be exported, you need to wait for it to go on the ship, then sent to Japan, then prepared for delivery including clearing your registration process in Japan.

But I hope for you it will be soon! Mine hasn't been produced yet, and I probably won't see it until middle or end of August ... sigh.

 

[hiroshiy]

Hi @DTIB: I still don't have delivery specialists yet. Some people in Japan had their status changed recently so yours might change! I still believe HK has higher priority than Japan. After all we are too conservative.

And the status changed again slightly.

生産完了
Your モデルSシグネチャー is in transit from the factory.

 

[CCT]

Good to hear your モデルSシグネチャー is almost ready, hiro-san. Do you know if Elon will be coming to Japan for a possible delivery ceremony? Are there any celebrities or public figures you know have ordered the car in Japan?

I'm very curious how the モデルS will fare in the narrow streets of Tokyo also

 

[hiroshiy]

As of now I heard a rumor that Jerome is visiting Japan (of course not me but no information about Elon coming for the first delivery. Celebrities? Nothing in news.. but I'm just an ordinal guy so there may be some celebs that I don't know! Oh I don't have TV so I don't know who the celebs are..

 

[ecarfan]

I am sure that when Tesla makes the first deliveries in Japan Elon will be there. If he doesn't come that will be perceived as offensive since he was at the China and England launches.

 

[hiroshiy]

Very little people here knows about Elon. So I'm not optimistic, won't feel offended by not coming to Japan.
However Japan is also one big potential market for Tesla. In Tokyo we have numerous Merc S classes, BMW 5's and 7's, Porches, Bentleys, Lambos and Ferraris. They just go 10km or 20km per day. No long highway trips. CHAdeMO chargers on every highway at every 50km stop.

I think if Tesla sends Elon over, that time should be best utilized to let him reach *very* big Japanese audience with long interviews etc. Relying only on social media doesn't work here.

 

[DITB]

Very little people here knows about Elon. So I'm not optimistic, won't feel offended by not coming to Japan.
However Japan is also one big potential market for Tesla. In Tokyo we have numerous Merc S classes, BMW 5's and 7's, Porches, Bentleys, Lambos and Ferraris. They just go 10km or 20km per day. No long highway trips. CHAdeMO chargers on every highway at every 50km stop.

I think if Tesla sends Elon over, that time should be best utilized to let him reach *very* big Japanese audience with long interviews etc. Relying only on social media doesn't work here.

Somehow I have a feeling that Japan and Hong Kong are being started more or less in parallel. The markets are quite different, regarding infrastructure, distances, mentality and other aspects, yet it seems we are following each other closely. I wouldn't be surprised if initial delivery of the Signatures would be so close in time that Elon Musk would go from Hong Kong to Japan directly, or the other way around.

Which one will be first? Which market has most cars on order?

It seems a bit quiet in the Japanese forums - maybe the reason has to do with language, rather than sales - yet I would think Hong Kong is a bigger market for Tesla Motors.

Japan has a better infrastructure of charging, for sure, as long as the ChaDeMo cable for the Model S is ready upon launch. Not certain about sales and service, though, how well prepared they are.