Tesla reveals Dubai job openings as it prepares to launch officially in the UAE

Self-driving and electric automaker Tesla is set to enter the Middle East region this month.

The American company confirmed that it will soon be launching in the UAE – starting with a launch event in Dubai on February 13.

Invites for the launch at the Armani Hotel in the Burj Khalifa have been sent out, and Tesla’s CEO Elon Musk is anticipated to make an appearance at the event as he will already be in town to attend the fifth edition of the World Government Summit (WGS) the day before.

Looks like .@TeslaMotors is finally coming to the #UAE #DUBAI #AbuDhabi pic.twitter.com/axxWK2Gswf

— EMKWAN (@emkwan) February 5, 2017

The UAE’s Minister of Cabinet Affairs and the Future, Mohammed Al Gergawi, has confirmed Musk as a speaker at the WGS.

“For the first time in the region, we will host Elon Musk, Founder and CEO of Tesla Motors and SpaceX and one of the most important visionaries of the 21st century,” he said.

Tesla’s launch in the UAE will mark its first official presence in the Middle East.

Job listings for the soon-to-be Tesla service centre in Dubai have already opened up, with jobs for a service advisor, service manager and service technician advertised on Tesla’s website.

Even with a lack of sales and service support in the region, many UAE residents have already bought into the self-driving Tesla vehicles, having had them imported into the country from abroad.

The UAE – and specifically Dubai– is focussing heavily on increasing the number of electric-powered cars on the road.

Last year, it was announced up to 10 per cent of the new vehicles purchased by government bodies with huge transportation fleets will be electric and hybrid cars.

The move is part of the Dubai Green Mobility Initiative.

Dubai Water and Electricity Authority (DEWA) already added 13 electric vehicles to its fleet in 2015-2016.

It is also currently implementing a green charger initiative to establish electric vehicle charging stations across Dubai, with 100 charging stations having already been installed since 2015.

Read more: Dubai government to buy new electric and hybrid cars

Electric vehicle chargers now at petrol stations in Dubai