Elon Musk’s Tesla is selling its Model Y cars in India starting at about $69,770, as the electric car maker prepared to open its first showroom in Mumbai.
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Tech billionaire Elon Musk’sTeslahas priced itsModelY at about $69,770 inIndia, the highest among major markets, its website showed, as the electric carmaker geared up to open its first showroom in Mumbai on Tuesday.
With delivery estimated to start from the third quarter,Teslawill drive on toIndia’s busy roads, targeting a niche premium EV segment that accounts for just 4% of overall sales in the world’s third-largest car market.
It will compete mainly with German luxury giants such as BMW and Mercedes-Benz, rather than domestic mass-market EV players such as Tata Motorsand Mahindra.
Tesla’sModelY rear-wheel drive will set back buyers 6 million rupees ($70,000), while itsModelY long-range rear-wheel drive costs 6.8 million.
That compares with astartingprice from$44,990in the United States, 263,500 yuan ($36,700) in China, and 45,970 euros ($53,700) in Germany.
Grappling with excess capacity in global factories and decliningsales,Teslahas adopted a strategy ofselling imported vehicles inIndia,despiteduties and levies running into roughly 70%.
On Tuesday, police guardedTesla’s first showroom inIndiaas media crowded outside the office complex where it is located and the chief minister of the western state of Maharashtra, home to theIndian commercial capital, arrived for the launch.
Inside the showroom clad inTesla’s signature minimalist neutral tones, theModelY was draped under black and grey covers, partially visible through the glass. Access was tightly regulated, with no sign of fans or onlookers nearby.
Tesla’s website showed theModelY available for registration in Mumbai at an on-road price of 6.1 million rupees, with a booking deposit of 22,220 rupees.
The firm’s Full Self-Driving (FSD) capability is on offer at an additional cost of 600,000 rupees, with future updates promised to enable operation with minimal driver intervention.
While the current features require active driver supervision and are not fully autonomous,Teslasays the system will evolve through over-the-air software updates.
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