“We Won’t Do It Again,” Tesla Apologizes… The Inside Story of the “Guerrilla Delivery” Incident at Daikoku Pier That Enraged Yokohama City

〈As sales of “Tesla” surge, problems related to vehicle deliveries are on the rise. At the end of June, it was revealed that a large-scale delivery had taken place by occupying a parking lot managed by the City of Yokohama. Automotive journalist Kumiko Kato takes a closer look.〉

“New Tesla cars were being brought into the parking lot one after another. After a while, people who appeared to be customers began arriving in droves via taxis and shuttle buses operated by Tesla employees. It seems the rest area inside the parking lot was also being used as a processing area. I was really surprised when what appeared to be a vehicle delivery began. Nothing like this has ever happened before.”

So said a staff member at the Daikoku Sea Fishing Facility parking lot, located at Daikoku Pier.

Tesla’s “guerrilla car deliveries” are causing a stir.The practice involves gathering a large number of cars scheduled for delivery at a large parking lot in the Kanto region and summoning buyers there to hand over the vehicles all at once. During the “guerrilla delivery” held on June 28 at the Daikoku Sea Fishing Facility parking lot, it is believed that dozens of new cars were handed over in a single day.

Using dozens of parking spaces for purposes other than those intended is, of course, prohibited. Furthermore, while the parking lot’s terms of use specify that vehicles must be “no wider than 1.9 meters,” nearly all Tesla vehicles sold in Japan exceed 1.9 meters in width, meaning they are technically prohibited from parking there.On the day of the event, common areas were occupied for an extended period while customers signed their purchase contracts, which may have caused significant inconvenience to the general public.

The Reality of the “Guerrilla Car Delivery” Conducted Without Permission

What is even more problematic is that all of this was carried out “without permission.” An official from the Yokohama Port Authority, which has jurisdiction over the area, told this reporter the following:

“Yokohama City received no prior consultation or permit application. We discovered that the sea fishing facility had been used as a delivery venue after receiving inquiries from users. Upon investigating the facts, we confirmed that deliveries had indeed taken place. We have held discussions with Tesla and have requested that they absolutely refrain from using the sea fishing facility’s parking lot as a delivery venue in the future.”

According to the official, Tesla Japan apologized to Yokohama City, stating, “We will never do this again.” However, no apology or statement of any kind has been posted on their official website—.

But why did this kind of “guerrilla delivery” happen in the first place?

Tesla does not have dedicated dealerships; everything from ordering a new car to making payments, scheduling inspections and vehicle inspections, and purchasing optional accessories is handled through a dedicated app.Delivery can be arranged either by picking up the vehicle in person at one of seven locations nationwide (Okinawa, Fukuoka, Osaka, Nagoya, Tokyo, Chiba, and Sendai) or via paid home delivery. Until now, deliveries in Tokyo had been handled at the “Tesla Delivery Center” in Ariake (located within Ariake Garden).

So why were so many Teslas delivered at Daikoku Pier this time? The main reason is that “deliveries at Ariake had exceeded capacity.”Since Tesla began sales in Japan in 2014, it has sold between 5,000 and 6,000 vehicles annually in recent years. However, last year that number nearly doubled to 10,600. Furthermore, in the first half of this year alone, the company has sold more than 12,500 vehicles. If this trend continues, sales will be on pace to exceed four times the typical annual volume.

Tokyo Is “The City Where You Can Buy a Tesla Cheapest in the World”

The biggest factor behind this rapid sales growth is the significant increase in the CEV subsidy (Clean Energy Vehicle Promotion Subsidy) provided when purchasing an electric vehicle.The Tesla subsidy was raised from the original 300,000 to 500,000 yen to 850,000 yen between 2024 and 2025, and starting in 2026, it was increased to 1.27 million yen—a level nearly on par with domestic EVs from manufacturers like Toyota and Nissan.

Local governments also offer subsidies; depending on eligibility, the Tokyo Metropolitan Government’s ZEV (EV, PHEV, FCV) subsidy provides up to approximately 1.1 million yen, bringing the total from the national and Tokyo governments to 2.37 million yen. Tokyo is even promoted on its official website as “the city where Tesla is the cheapest to buy in the world.”

In addition to these massive subsidies, the Ariake facility was completely overwhelmed, with up to 200 vehicles being delivered in a single day. As a last-resort measure, they devised “guerrilla deliveries” using a large parking lot.Daikoku Pier was likely chosen for its convenience, as it houses Tesla’s PDI facility (where pre-delivery inspections and other checks are conducted).

That said, since it takes at least several weeks from order to delivery, it must have been clear in advance that they would exceed capacity. Given that, using the parking lot as a delivery site without obtaining permission from Yokohama City amounts to nothing less than a nuisance.

Sudden “Delivery Suspensions” and Recalls

Due to the rapid surge in sales over a short period, there has been a sharp increase in other instances of misconduct as well. Here are some of the comments the author has received from buyers:

・No contact even on the scheduled delivery date. When I went to the dealership, they simply insisted, “We can’t deliver the car today,” without explaining why, and sent me away.

• At the time of delivery, the compulsory automobile liability insurance certificate was not included in the vehicle.

Furthermore, a Tesla official revealed that “ we are receiving over 400 complaint emails per day at customer support. Our support channels are overwhelmed, and we are unable to keep up with responding to inquiries.”

More recently, starting around July 11, there have been reports of “recalls” or delivery cancellations for certain models that had already been handed over to customers. There have also been numerous cases where deliveries originally scheduled for early July have been postponed to August or later.

Furthermore, frontline employees have reportedly not been given detailed instructions regarding the delivery suspensions or vehicle recalls, having been told only that there are “issues related to model specifications.” Owners are finding themselves in a situation where their cars are being recalled without them understanding why, and they have no idea when their delivery dates will be rescheduled.

This “Tesla saga” surrounding vehicle deliveries shows no signs of ending anytime soon.