After Elon Musk confirmed India launch plans in Oct, Union Minister of India has confirmed the same in forum recently
Elon Musk, CEO of Tesla, revealed on Twitter that they will launch their cars in India next year. This was back in October 2020. Now, at a business forum, Union Minister for Road Transport and Highways, Nitin Gadkari has confirmed the same.
Gadkari also stated that Tesla will setup their own exclusive distribution facility. Apart from assisting in test drive and sales, Tesla India dealer network will also take care of after-sales support as well. In addition to physical showrooms, Tesla will also launch their online car configurator next month.
Tesla Online Order Configurator
Online car configurator will allow customers to design and customize their own car, sitting at the comfort of their home or office. They will also be able to book their car online and also pay the booking amount. Tesla team is working on building custom sales and production orders exclusively for the Indian market and once the configuration is complete, orders and validation will be done.
Tesla’s official booking order configurator for India is set to go live from January 2021. This has stirred up excitement among electric car aficionados in the country even as Musk has not revealed which model will be launched initially. It could very well be either the Model 3 which is the most affordable Tesla today.
Taking into account the increasing demand for SUVs in the country, Tesla could also launch the Model X or Model Y. Plans to launch their entire range is also in the works – Model S, Model 3, Model X and Model Y. It remains to be seen which cars and what battery pack options are launched in India at the start.
What is an Online Order Configurator
An order configurator is like an online store. Buyers can view the entire range of Tesla cars, view their colour options, exterior features and interior makeup, etc which will help them select the best option. An online configurator also allows buyers to view specifications of various Tesla cars where range and acceleration is concerned. The configurator will also reveal prices of the electric cars with buyers being able to make online bookings and pay deposit amounts. Come Jan 2021, and we will officially know Tesla India car prices.
Tesla Manufacture and R&D Center in India
Even as Tesla plans entry into India via CBU for now, Gadkari said that India has potential to become the largest EV manufacturing base in the world by 2030. Such prospects will push Tesla into making India a manufacturing hub for their electric cars, said Gadkari. Initially, Tesla cars for India are expected to arrive from the company’s Gigafactory in Shanghai, China.
Tesla could do well to locally manufacture the electric vehicles in India and take advantage of excise duty cuts which are exorbitant on fully imported vehicles. Local assembly will allow the electric car maker to position the Tesla Model 3 in the same price range as the Toyota Fortuner in the Rs 30-40 lakh range. CBU prices are expected to be in Rs 55-60 lakh range. Tesla is also in discussion with the Government of Karnataka to set up a large R&D Center in Bengaluru.
Not The First Time
This is not the first time that Musk has revealed plans to set up base in India. In 2018, a Twitter post stated that he would like to bring Tesla to India but was facing some constraints with government regulations. The foreign direct investment norms, prevalent in the country caused some delay.
Musk had tweeted, “Would love to be in India. Some challenging government regulations, unfortunately”. In July this year, Musk stated that Indian fans would soon get a chance to drive the Tesla Model 3 though no timeline was revealed. October saw Musk confirming India launch for 2021, and setting up online booking system in Jan 2021. With Nitin Gadkari also confirming the development, it seems that this time Tesla will finally be arriving in India.