Details come to light about a Tesla car that recently arrived in Cuba

A 2021 Tesla Model Y arrived in Havana at the end of November became the first vehicle of its type to be imported through the first license for the sale of electric vehicles in Cuba granted by the US government, as revealed by the economic information blogCubatrade.

The aforementioned source revealed that the car cost 38,850 US dollars and that it is a 2021 Tesla Model Y long-range, 4-door, all-wheel drive (AWD) sport utility vehicle (SUV) with a range of 317 miles and a Tesla Gen 3 wall connector (208/240V).

Premier Automotive Export Ltd -a company based in Maryland - received the first BIS license and the vehicle was transported from Port Everglades, in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, on November 22 byCrowley Shipping (based in Jacksonville), to Puerto del Mariel.

"The Tesla will reside in a private residence in Havana", he indicated CubaTrade, whileThe New Herald He specified that the owners are a "couple with dual residence in the United States and Cuba."

The official mediaLatin Press He even gave a face - although not names - to the Cuban couple who have become owners of the first Tesla imported from US territory.

The vehicle was exhibited this Friday at a private event at the restaurant owned by the world high jump record holder,Javier Sotomayor.

The event included the premiere of the documentary “Driving towards change”, which recounts the businessman's adventures.John Felder, founder and CEO ofPremier Automotive Export who managed to be the first beneficiary of a license from the US government to sell electric vehicles to Cuba.

Although at least two other Tesla cars have been seen in Cuban territory in recent weeks,Cubatrade underlines that "this purchase represented the first delivery of a vehicle manufactured by Austin, Texas-based Tesla, Inc. (revenues of $81 billion in 2022) from the United States to the Republic of Cuba, authorized by a license issued to Premier Automotive Export, based in Columbia, Maryland, Ltd. (PAE) of the Bureau of Industry and Security (BIS) of the United States Department of Commerce."

In the case of the importation of these cars to the island, the media explained that If the buyer is a Micro, Small or Medium Enterprise (MSME), the tariff is 21% but if it is a natural person, the tax amounts to 42%.

Luxury cars in Cuba

At the end of October, a video broadcast in the Facebook group Diplomatic Cars in Cuba showeda video of a blue Tesla, without a license plate, driving through Havana, who said he saw him at Café Colón.

Just a couple of weeks before that appearance - also in October -The image of a first Tesla in Cuba caused a sensation on social networks, where the presence of the modern electric vehicle generated a wide debate.

In that case, several Cubans agreed to point out that it is a type of vehicle that will not be able to access all of its benefits on the island, due to the poor internet. That first Tesla seen in Cuba was tuned in a SEA Automotive Workshop in Havana, and there were those who assured that the final destination of the vehicle was the province of Ciego de Ávila.

In recent months, several imported cars have been seen circulating on Cuban roads,some of them high-end, unleashing the curiosity of Cubans who wonder what the “blockade” the regime speaks of is, in view of the growing number of American-made vehicles that roll around the island. The Autos de Cuba Instagram profile has been dedicated to documenting since the beginning of April the presence ofBMW, Mercedes, Toyotas, Cadillacs y Porsches through various streets and avenues of the national geography.

At the end of February, the Cuban regime announcednew measures approved for sale and import of motor vehicles, trailers and semi-trailers, in the midst of the transportation and energy crisis that hits the country.

Two months later, in April, the US Treasury Departmentgranted licenses to Miami businessmen to ship cars, trucks, tractors and even trailers to self-employed workers in Cuba. The license is for a maximum value of 10 million dollars in each case and only allows shipping to self-employed workers, not to Cuban Government agencies.