Tesla will raise the prices of their cars, reversing plans to close stores

Tesla has reversed the move to nearby stores, announced the company in a blog post. To keep these stores open, the company says it will increase Tesla car prices by 3 percent worldwide on March 18, except for the $ 35,000 model 3, which will remain the same price.

The more expensive model 3s, model S and Model X will all increase in price. The choice to keep multiple stores open came after a two-week evaluation of "every Tesla retail", according to the blog post. About 10 percent of the Tesla stores are closed recently, says the blog post.

The company had previously announced February 28 that it would close its stores and move to online sales. By moving all sales online, Tesla would be able to reduce the price of their cars by 6 percent so that the company could finally sell $ 35,000 model 3, Tesla said at that time. The blog post did not specifically say why the company was reversing course on closing the physical places. But it said that all sales still still will be done online, even in stores – with sellers showing customers how to order Teslas on their phones. There will be "a small number of cars" available for those who want to buy a Tesla right away.

"Over the past two weeks, we've evaluated each Tesla retail, and we've decided to keep significantly more stores open than previously announced as we continue to evaluate them over several months," reads the blog post. Some previously closed shops will be reopened, but with fewer workers. And another 20 percent of Tesla sites are under consideration. "Depending on efficiency over the next few months, some will be closed and some will remain open."

Tesla woman woman Emily Findlay said the company had no comment beyond the blog post.