Tesla is going to commence its operations in India early next year, a media report has said.
Tesla will begin operations with sales in early 2021 and perhaps also assemble and manufacture vehicles in the country some time later, a TechCrunch report quoted Nitin Gadkari, Union Minister, Road Transport and Highways, as saying while he was speaking with the Indian Express.
Later, Elon Musk, CEO, Tesla, tweeted, “How early? Definitely not next month.”
For years, Tesla has been showing a keen interest in the Indian market. However, in 2018, Musk, through a tweet had said that some Indian government regulations had emerged as a roadblock.
ET Auto reported that Tesla has geared up to resume bookings next month after 4 years when it last began bookings in the country in 2016. The deliveries are expected to take place by June-July 2021.
Four years back, the company had collected a $1000 token amount from potential customers in India to book the Tesla Model 3, but Musk blamed the FDI norms for the delay in deliveries.
Tesla Model 3 will be the first car to be rolled out in India expected to be priced between Rs 60-70 lakh (ex-showroom). The company is unlikely to partner with any dealers in the country and will stick to the same business model, the report mentioned.
Maruti Suzuki, Hyundai, Tata and Mahindra currently command the auto market in India. In the past two years, Tata Motors, Hyundai, Morris Garages and Mercedes have launched new electric car models in the country, including the Mercedes EQC and Tata Nexon.
