Tesla Motors Inc., U.S. luxury all-electric automaker, has opened its official Korean website and started receiving pre-orders for its flagship vehicles Model S, Model X and the Model 3 last Friday.

For the Model S, a deposit of 2 million won ($1,786), the Model X 5 million won and the Model 3 one million won are required for reservation. The reservation fee is fully refundable once the prospective purchaser drops the reservation.

The Model S features a Medical grade HEPA air filtration system, which removes at least 99.97% of particulate exhaust pollution and effectively all allergens, bacteria and other contaminants from cabin air. So-called bio-weapon defense mode creates positive pressure inside the cabin.

On the website are specific features and driving range per single charge of four different powertrains of the Model S for reference.

The Model X is a seven-seater sports utility vehicle (SUV) that can accelerate from zero to 100 kilometers per hour in as quick as 3.4 seconds (P90D).

The Model 3 is a mid-budget sedan that achieves 345 kilometers (215 miles) of range per charge while starting at $35,000 before incentives.

All Tesla cars feature Autopilot allowing them to steer within within a lane, change lanes with the simple tap of a turn signal, and manage speed by using active, traffic-aware cruise control.

Any interested drivers can request a test drive for the Model S and the Model X on the website. There are no Tesla stores, superchargers or service centers yet in Korea.

The U.S. automaker completed registering itself in Korea as Tesla Korea Ltd. in December. Its original CEOs are Todd Maron, former general counsel at Tesla Motors, and Susan Repo, director at Tesla Financial Services. It is planning to open its first store at Starfield Hanam – what will be South Korea’s largest mall once opened in September – run by Shinsegae Group and another showroom in Cheongdam-dong near its headquarters in southern Seoul, according to the industry sources.

By Park Chang-young

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