Tesla to sell Model Y cars in India, starting at $69,770
With delivery estimated to start from the third quarter, Tesla will drive on to India's busy roads, targeting a niche premium EV segment that accounts for only 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 Motors and Mahindra.
Tesla's Model Y rear-wheel drive will set back buyers ₹6m (R1,250,569), while its Model Y long-range rear-wheel drive costs ₹6.8m (R1,415,002).
That compares with a starting price from $44,990 (R803,224) in the US, ¥263,500 (R655,219) in China, and €45,970 (R958,727) in Germany.
Grappling with excess capacity in global factories and declining sales, Tesla has adopted a strategy of selling imported vehicles in India, despite duties and levies running into about 70%.
On Tuesday, police guarded Tesla's first showroom in India as media crowded outside the office complex where it is located and the chief minister of the western state of Maharashtra, home to the Indian commercial capital, arrived for the launch.
Inside the showroom clad in Tesla's signature minimalist neutral tones, the Model Y 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 the Model Y available for registration in Mumbai at an on-road price of ₹6.1m (R1,268,305), with a booking deposit of ₹22,220 (R4,619).
The firm's Full Self-Driving (FSD) capability is on offer at an additional cost of ₹600,000 (R124,751), with future updates promised to enable operation with minimal driver intervention.
While the features require active driver supervision and are not fully autonomous, Tesla said the system will evolve through over-the-air software updates.
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