The much-awaited Tesla brand will officially enter the Indian market in 2021. Union Minister - Nitin Gadkari confirmed the launch of Tesla in India after Elon Musk announced the same in October. Gadkari also said that Tesla will set-up a local assembly and manufacturing facility in the future.
Talking at an event, Nitin Gadkari said that India is going to be number one manufacturing hub for the automobiles in the next five years. The details of the launch are not known but Tesla will sell the vehicles in India as CBU or completely build units. The American car manufacturer will make use of the no homologation rule that is valid for any car selling in India for less than 2,500 units per year. After analyzing the initial response from the Indian market, Tesla is likely to upscale its Indian operations.
Tesla will also set-up its own distribution facility in India. Tesla will be directly involved in the sales, dealership network and service network in India. The American electric car manufacturer will launch the online configurator for India next month. However, Tesla has not given any price indication of the upcoming car or has talked about the booking for the car.
Tesla Model 3 India Launch
The entry-level car of the Tesla - the Model 3 will be launched in India as its first car. It is a popular model around the world and is also the best-selling model of the brand. As for the price, Tesla is likely to put a price tag of Rs 55 to Rs 60 lakhs on the car including the import duty. However, Tesla can price the car at about Rs 35-40 lakhs with subsidy and other benefits if they bring the Model 3 under the 2,500 units per year rule. Tesla will reveal more details in the coming weeks.
The Tesla Model 3 is powered by electric motors that generate about 283 Bhp of maximum power and 450 Nm of peak torque. It can accelerate from standstill to 100 km/h in just 5.5 seconds while the top speed is limited at 210 km/h. The Model 3 has a claimed range of 350 km per charge and there are autonomous capabilities in the vehicle.
There is also a more powerful Model 3 that gets 450 Bhp pf maximum power through AWD system. This model also has much more torque at 639 Nm and can accelerate from standstill to 100 km/h in just 3.1 seconds. This high-performance model has a range of 500 km and has a fast-charging capability that allows the vehicle to charge to 80% of battery in just 30 minutes.
