After almost a decade of anticipation and negotiation, Tesla has formally entered India—although not with no steep price ticket for Indian customers. The Elon Musk-led automaker opened its first showroom in Mumbai yesterday (July 15), marking its long-awaited debut within the nation. Tesla is now accepting orders for its Mannequin Y SUV, which begins at greater than 5.9 million rupees ($69,000), a pointy enhance from the automobile’s $45,000 base value within the U.S.
This value distinction is essentially resulting from India’s excessive import tariffs, which vary from 70 p.c to 110 p.c on cars. Musk has repeatedly criticized these levies, citing them as a significant barrier to Tesla’s entry into India. Even so, the corporate is shifting ahead eventually, eyeing India as a promising progress alternative amid flagging gross sales within the U.S., Europe and China.
Tesla additionally plans to construct charging stations throughout Mumbai, in accordance with Isabelle Fan, the corporate’s director for Southeast Asia. In an interview with CNBC-TV18, Fan mentioned one other showroom is about to open in Delhi by the top of July, and the corporate is concentrated on hiring domestically.
//Historical past//
Musk’s curiosity in India dates again to 2016, when Tesla started accepting $1,000 deposits from Indian prospects to order the Mannequin 3. These orders by no means materialized. In 2021, the corporate registered a subsidiary in India. However once more, no autos had been bought.
Through the years, Musk has held a number of conferences with Indian officers, together with Prime Minister Narendra Modi, however Tesla’s plans repeatedly stalled over the nation’s import insurance policies. In 2022, the corporate formally paused its India rollout, citing the tariff burden as a dealbreaker.
That impasse might lastly be easing. A renewed assembly between Modi and Musk earlier this 12 months seems to have revived negotiations. Within the months since, Tesla has begun recruiting employees and scouting showroom areas throughout main cities. The corporate at the moment lists about 35 open positions in India.
Tesla faces plummeting gross sales in previously sturdy markets
Tesla’s India launch comes at a turbulent time for the corporate, because it grapples with slowing progress in a few of its most necessary markets. Within the U.S., Tesla deliveries declined in the latest April-June quarter in comparison with final 12 months. In Europe, gross sales have dropped for 5 consecutive months, with Might figures exhibiting a 28 p.c year-over-year decline. In China, Tesla’s income has additionally been cooling amid intensifying competitors from home automakers like BYD.
India, the world’s third-largest auto market by gross sales, now presents a contemporary progress alternative. Electrical vehicles accounted for less than 2.5 p.c of all autos bought in 2024. The Indian authorities goals to spice up that determine to 30 p.c by 2030 by incentives and regulatory assist.
“We’ve been engaged on moving into India. India is a very popular market,” mentioned Vaibhav Taneja, Tesla’s chief monetary officer, throughout Tesla’s most up-to-date quarterly earnings name in April. Nonetheless, he acknowledged that India’s tariff construction continues to be a significant hurdle. Whereas the federal government is reportedly contemplating reducing import duties as a part of broader commerce negotiations with the U.S., no formal modifications have been introduced.
For now, Indian consumers might want to pay a premium. The long-range Mannequin Y prices round 6.7 million rupees ($79,000), and choosing Tesla’s Full Self-Driving bundle provides one other 600,000 rupees ($7,000).
