Tesla is likely to launch in India between June and September this year, Chief Executive Officer of Tesla Motors Elon Musk said on Tuesday. There is speculation that Musk was talking about Tesla’s Model 3 car, which he had said in April 2016 would be available in India, among other countries. However, this appears unlikely as the Model 3 is only expected to launch at the end of the year in the United States.
Though the electric car, priced at $35,000 (Rs 23 lakh approximately), is touted as an affordable one, its price in India will be much higher because of a hefty import duty. Several businesspersons and entrepreneurs, such as Paytm Founder Vijay Shekhar Sharma and Vishal Gondal, had pre-ordered Model 3 last year with a payment of $1,000 (Rs 67,000 approximately), reported Mashable.
The Indian government is in talks with Tesla to set up a plant to manufacture the cars in the country, which will do away with import duty. Tesla reportedly said it would go ahead with the plan only if its Model 3 got enough takers. The company also plans to set up a network of superchargers across India for people to be able charge their Tesla cars fully in around 75 minutes. The service is offered free of cost at present, reported NDTV.
However, Tesla’s interest in the Indian market is not unique. The automotive sector in India is currently worth $74 billion (around Rs 4.9 lakh crore), according to the The Economic Times. Tesla’s electric car will up the competition and force existing manufacturers to come up with more electric vehicles.
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