Developed by Comtrade Distribution – a company based in Belgrade – Tesla is one of the fastest-growing brands in the regional household appliance market. Its mission is to develop and offer technology that caters to consumers’ needs, makes their lives easier and more fun, as well as ensures more efficient and simpler everyday living. We spoke to Nebojša Lozo, Tesla’s General Manager, about their plans and goals for the next year.
What’s important to know about Comtrade Distribution, as a company that created Tesla brand?
Comtrade Distribution is a leading distributor of IT equipment, smart phones, and consumer electronics in SEE region. The company has a valuable and considerable customer base in many markets – Hungary, Serbia, Greece, Cyprus, Slovenia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Croatia, Romania, Bulgaria, Montenegro and North Macedonia. As a part of Comtrade Group, during the last 30 years, Comtrade Distribution has developed a diverse product portfolio representing virtually all leading global technology brands. This portfolio also includes a highly successful brand – Tesla.
What is the vision of the company, and how did Tesla come into the picture?
While the company was growing and focusing on establishing its leading position in delivering high-value technology solutions and products in the region, the next logical step for Comtrade Distribution was to create their own brand – in this case, Tesla. We have established the brand “from scratch”, with a mission to fulfill customers’ needs and be able to quickly react and transform as the market changes. From the very beginning, Tesla story has been written by experienced individuals from a large and well-positioned company, but with entrepreneurial spirit and drive.
What products does Tesla offer? Which industry areas are in focus?
It all began with tablets and TVs, and later we have expanded into home appliances segment. Nowadays, Tesla portfolio covers almost all bases when it comes to consumer electronics, including laundry machines, dishwashers, cookers, ovens, cooktops, hoods, air conditioners, air purifiers etc. We expand rather quickly in terms of offering new product groups, carefully monitoring market trends and predicting consumers’ needs and desires. We are quite focused on further brand expansion. After already established categories such as TVs, air conditioners and major domestic appliances, launching of small domestic appliances seems like a logical direction. With small home appliances, we will be on our way to becoming one of the most distinctive brands in the region and beyond.
How does Tesla keep up with modern technology?
We are aware that both major and small household appliances get smarter every year. What we can certainly be proud of is our TV segment: Tesla TVs are keeping up with contemporary technology, using the world’s best operating systems. Cooperation and contract with Google enabled us to use a certified Android TV OS. Also, we were fast to implement webOS operating system on some of our models. When it comes to hardware, Tesla TVs use the latest generation of chipsets by renowned world manufacturers, and we have included QLED technology in our range of panels. We are quite proud of Tesla Smart Things app, which can currently connect a smartphone to a TV, an air conditioner, or an air purifier via Wi-Fi. From 2022, this will also be possible with robot vacuum cleaners. Our plan for this year is to make as many devices as smart as possible. If we want to retain our current position, we must move ahead in sync with smart technology. We’ll continue to be flexible with new additions to our portfolio, focusing on achieving our goal of creating a Tesla smart home ecosystem.
It seems that the home appliance market includes more brands and models than ever. How did you decide to enter it in early years, and did this decision meet expectations?
We are aware of the fact that Tesla is a relatively new brand on the regional market, and that there is still a lot of work ahead. Although we are satisfied with our business operations so far, our goal is to bring our brand even closer to our consumers in Hungary. We want to present all the benefits our brand can offer, and explain that Tesla devices meet all quality standards. We believe that Tesla will strengthen our position and help us gain customers’ trust in years to follow – in Hungary and in all other markets in which we operate.
