Me, Jamie | J3 Private Tours Hong Kong | 48 years living in Hong Kong - I know the culture
… and yes, I am a proud Yorkshireman
The Ultimate Hong Kong Tour Blog
Hong Kong Cars | Tesla making a comeback
© Jamie Lloyd | J3 Private Tours Hong Kong | 2011 - 2020. All rights reserved. Click on the image to enlarge to full screen
June 14th 2020 | The rise and fall and rise again of Tesla cars in Hong Kong
Basic information about Tesla and Electric Cars in Hong Kong
I always get asked by clients about the Tesla car ( and not because of my 75,000 car images ) people note Tesla cars are very common on the streets of Hong Kong.
In a nutshell Tesla came to Hong Kong in 2014 (the model S only) and sales went through the roof as they were exempt from the FRT which is the First Registration Tax, a tax on all cars in Hong Kong, it averages out to roughly 100 - 125% of the car’s sticker price.
In April 2017 and under pressure from mainly German car manufacturers who dominate the local luxury car market the Hong Kong Government with almost no notice slapped a roughly 80% tax on the Tesla sticker price, seemingly overnight and as a result Tesla sales plummeted to a few hundred units a year.
Fast forward to 2020 and we are seeing a resurgence of Tesla cars on the road, mainly the new model 3 and the Model X.
Currently we only have about 13,500 electric cars in Hong Kong and well over 10,000 of them are Tesla (it is quite difficult to get accurate info from any source) there is apparently quite a market for 2nd hand Tesla’s (which are not subject o the FRT) again, reliable information is hard to come by.
Tesla’s are very expensive in Hong Kong because of the First Registration Tax
Model 3 HK$561,00 including FRT US$71,925 vs US$35,000 in the USA for the cheapest version
Model S HK$1,210,031 including FRT US$155,135 vs US$85,000 in the USA for the cheapest version
Model X HK$1,175,760 including FRT US$150,740 vs US$89,500 in the USA for the cheapest version
These prices are significantly higher than most other countries
This is for the standard model, you pay significantly more for faster models with bigger batteries
The Model 3 is the new model and I expect to see massive amounts of these on the roads of Hong Kong in 2020 and 2021 because it is half the price of the slightly bigger and faster Model S, for me the Model 3 is a game changer, honestly to most people in Hong Kong at first glance it looks very similar to the Model S and that is the the genius of Tesla, they may sell a lot less of the Model S but more than make up for it with the Model 3!
Anyway, knowing a few facts and figures about Tesla is worth it as it is the totally dominant electric car brand in Hong Kong by a long way….. at the moment.
We may go from rise, fall, rise to rise, fall, rise and fall again if the European car manufacturers get going, I am already seeing fully electric cars from Porsche, Jaguar, Audi and Mercedes Benz on the streets and they are aimed fairly and squarely at Tesla.
…… oh and for the record I am not a Tesla fan as such, I think of them as a battery on wheels, they may be ultra fast but they have no soul and are dreadfully quiet, when you here a sporty European car whiz by with a rumbly spitting roar you know what I mean, electric cars are just so boring.
The Ultimate Hong Kong Tour Blog
People that distract me from my car photography
© Jamie Lloyd | J3 Private Tours Hong Kong | 2011 - 2020. All rights reserved. Click on the image to enlarge to full screen
June 14th 2020 | Those annoying people distracting me from my car photography
As I have time on my hands because Covid 19 has for the time being killed tourism in Hong Kong I am spending time building up my car images.
I favour a place in the business district at the entrance to the spiral bridge that leads to Garden Road and there is a pathway that leads to numerous super large glass edifices that house many thousands of office workers who come trundling past me whenever I am there for lunch over a 2 hour period from 12pm - 2pm
It can be very distracting and many of them contrive to actually make contact with me even though the pathway is very wide.
Naturally I have no objections to young ladies like this bumping into to me and I always end up profusely apologising to them for my bad manners! I can be such a gentleman.
Tis a hard life I have.
The Ultimate Hong Kong Tour Blog
Hong Kong Religion | The Tsz Shan Monastery
© Jamie Lloyd | J3 Private Tours Hong Kong | 2011 - 2020. All rights reserved. Click on the image to enlarge to full screen
June 14th 2020 | The Tsz Shan Monastery in Tai Po District, Hong Kong
Thanks to my great friend Amy who has a car and took me there, she made the booking as well… thanks Amy.
As is usual the weather was miserable, very overcast and sporadic heavy rain but this just made it perfect, places like this look fabulous in the rain (must be all those earthy tones)
This is the blurb I attach to my images of the place, it saves me having to retype it here
The Tsz Shan Buddhist Monastery opened in 2015, it is located near Tai Po in the New Territories and It was and continues to be fully funded by Li Ki Shing who is Hong Kong’s wealthiest man most of the time with a personal fortune of over US$30 Billion (ish)
The complex is huge and the centrepiece is The Bronze Guan Yin Statue (coated in a special white paint) it is 76m (250ft) in height, it is very hard to miss and I am quite sure it can be seen from space... Peaceful and serene are great words to describe this place and it is quite lovely when it rains!
You cannot just turn up at the Monastery, you must pre book a time slot months in advance on their website as visitor numbers are strictly limited, it is NOT in a convenient location, public transport is really quite limited but it is absolutely worth the effort.
As much as I love the magnificent statue and lovely buildings, the real highlight has to be the Buddhist Art Museum located under the statue, just fabulous and even better, they allow you to take photographs.
Please note that they do NOT allow you to take photographs of the gold leaf statues in the Religious Halls.
Nb. Ladies please note that you should wear pants | trousers | jeans - if not they will give you a wrap to cover your bare legs!
The Plover Cove Reservoir is nearby and is also worth a visit.
Hong Kong District - Tai Po, NT, People, The Streets, Traffic, Places, Buildings + Daily Life, Hong Kong.
The Ultimate Hong Kong Tour Blog
Covid 19 | The mask under the helmet is a bit daft
© Jamie Lloyd | J3 Private Tours Hong Kong | 2011 - 2020. All rights reserved. Click on the image to enlarge to full screen
June 14th 2020 | The death stare from the Traffic Cop, Garden Road, Hong Kong
I take lots of images of the Police and Police vehicles in Hong Kong and I am always greatly amused when they give me a death stare as they go whizzing by, most of the time I have no idea they were staring until I upload the image… I guess they think I am a dodgy individual!
I have always thought that the Police should be slightly aloof and they should project power, something that is sadly missing from this Traffic Cop, the mask really ruins his image I mean the chances of him picking up the Covid 19 virus in Hong Kong are basically ZERO.
Great image though, even though I say so myself.
The Ultimate Hong Kong Tour Blog
Hong Kong Places | Statue Square
© Jamie Lloyd | J3 Private Tours Hong Kong | 2011 - 2020. All rights reserved. Click on the image to enlarge to full screen
June 14th 2020 | Statue Square, Central, Hong Kong
Hong Kong Places - Statue Square, est. 1962, Colonial era Park + Statue of Sir Thomas Jackson (Chief Manager of HSBC in 1876) + Ceramic Fountains Artwork by Antonio Casadei, Italian Artist, circa 1962 + The Cenotaph War Memorial and The Court of Final Appeal (Supreme Court) est. 1912, Central, Hong Kong
Yes, this is the blurb I attach to my images of Statue Square.
The other day I was admiring some old images of Statue Square when it was under construction, it really has not changed much since the 1960’s and I am a frequent visitor, I like nothing better than to sit there with a drink and snack and watch the world go by.
The Ultimate Hong Kong Tour Blog
Hong Kong Car of the Day June 14th 2020
Rolls Royce - UD 9272 | Wald Package
© Jamie Lloyd | J3 Private Tours Hong Kong | 2011 - 2020. All rights reserved. Click on the image to enlarge to full screen
This is NOT how I do tours! There are NO flags, whistles, stickers or large groups!
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