Tesla isn't a typical automotive brand, and in expected fashion, it's using retail as a brand driver.
Instead of being in close proximity to car dealerships, it's bringing more of an upscale retail experience to the brand.
The idea is to capture people's imagination when they are not thinking about cars.
Clearly, their a parallels to Apple, in fact, Tesla's head of retail was responsible for developing Apple's retail stores.
As the video above shows, Tesla's experience is about explaining the technology story to people and allowing customers to design their own car using a combination of physical and technological assets. Users get to see, but also feel and touch the interiors and exteriors.
Of course, there's also the ability to test drive the real vehicles.
While the technology piece isn't that surprising, most car brands have customization and personalization features on their websites, Tesla is smart in bringing the brand closer to more traditional retail because consumers need educating and don't want to go to the typical car dealer to get it; they want the soft sell.
