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Elon Musk owned Tesla is all set to begin its India drive with its first Indian showroom all set to come up in Mumbai’s Bandra Kurla Complex on July 15. The Tesla India X account shared a “coming soon” post on Friday night.
The new showroom in Mumbai is called a “Tesla experience centre” in media invites. At first, it will only be open to VIPs and business partners. Regular customers will likely be allowed in the following week. Visitors will be able to explore different car models, check prices, and even start placing orders as early as next week.
Tesla in India
Tesla’s entry into India has been in the news for years, with talks, lobbying, and even a cancelled visit by CEO Elon Musk last year. Musk had once said he was interested in investing $2–3 billion to make electric cars in India, but for now, the focus seems to be on importing cars rather than building them here.
Between January and June, Tesla brought about $1 million worth of cars, chargers, and other products into India — mainly from China and the US. This included six Model Y SUVs: five priced at $32,500 each and one long-range version at $46,000, plus several Superchargers.
High Costs for Indian Buyers
Because of India’s high import tax (around 70% for cars under $40,000), the final price of a Tesla in India will be much higher than in the US. This makes the Model Y a good test to see if Indian buyers are ready to pay more for the Tesla brand.
Why Now?
Tesla is entering India at a time when it’s looking to grow in new markets. Sales are slowing in some countries, and factories aren’t being used to full capacity. Meanwhile, India’s electric vehicle market is slowly picking up, with more interest from city buyers and support from the government.
Tesla has also started hiring in India — for store managers, sales teams, and service staff. The company is also looking for supply chain engineers and vehicle operators, which may be part of its future plans for self-driving technology.
