Elon Musk’s Tesla forays into India, launches Model Y starting at ₹60 lakh

The base model with standard rear wheel drive and 500 kms range has been priced at ₹59.89 lakh while the long range rear wheel drive model with a range of 622 kms is priced at ₹67.89 lakh 

Finally Tesla, the American electric vehicle (EV) company whose founder & owner Elon Musk had lobbied for import duty reduction without any success, has formally entered India with the introduction of Model Y which has been the world’s best selling vehicle -- not just an electric vehicle-- in 2023 and 2024.

The company has opened bookings on its website and has received ‘encouraging response’ said a company official.

The base model with standard rear wheel drive and 500 kms range has been priced at ₹59.89 lakh while the long range rear wheel drive model with a range of 622 kms is priced at ₹67.89 lakh (both ex-showroom Mumbai). 

The Model Y variant comes with a 60 kWh and a larger 75 kWh battery pack.

It can accelerate to 100 kmph from 0 in 5.9 seconds, while the long range model takes 5.6 seconds. It has top speed of 201 kmph.

The price in India is far higher than other countries because of the nearly 100% import duty levied on Completely Built Units (CBUs). The Tesla cars to be sold in India will be shipped from the company’s factory in China. 

In the US Model Y starts at ₹38.6 lakh ($44,990) while in China it priced at ₹30.5 lakh (Yuan 263,500 ) and in Germany is costs ₹46 lakh (€45,970).

Deliveries of the base model will commence from this quarter while the other variant will be delivered from the next quarter said Isabel Fan, Tesla’s director for South East Asia, while briefing reporters in Mumbai. 

The company on Tuesday opened its first Experience Centre in the county at Bandra-Kurla Complex (BKC) in Mumbai where customers can experience the vehicle first hand and interact with the staff. It was inaugurated by Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis. 

By the time cars will be delivered, Telsa has have an elaborate charging infrastructure in Mumbai and Delhi NCR. 

In Mumbai it will install 16 destination charging points and an equal number of super charging points at four locations. In Delhi NCR also it will have 16 super charging points at 4 locations and 15 destination charging points. Ms Fan said.

Tesla, in its 22 years existence has sold over 8 million vehicles globally—all EVs with self-driving options in 50 countries. 

Every order will come with a wall connected charger and the vehicles will be registered in Mumbai, Delhi and Gurugram.

“Model Y has been redesigned. its cyber design language helps in aerodynamics,” Ms Fan said.

“Telsa is not only a car. Its a bold step for clean mobility. What makes it apart is its range and performance. It is the most connected vehicle,” Ms Fan said.

On building an independent charging network she said “We are building from zero to 100% and we will build it across the country. Once we will deliver the vehicle, we will support and we are building the local team,” she said.

Tesla gets smarter over time and is the safest car. Over 250 features were updated in 2024. Tesla is like a mobile device and is committed to sustainable energy and creating an eco system. The backbone is supported by AI,” she added.