After Tesla CEO Elon Musk tweeted out that Tesla electric cars are coming to India ‘next year for sure,’ the country’s transport minister Nitin Gadkari has confirmed that it is indeed the case. You can expect Tesla to kick off India operations early next year, as per an Indian Express report.
In a recent interview, Gadkari revealed that India is looking to make a massive push for electric cars and reduce our dependence on oil. It will help the country curb pollution woes that plague most metropolitan cities. The electric vehicle era has not dawned upon us due to the lack of infrastructure and investments.
The transport minister went on to reveal that many Indian companies, including Tata and Ola Cabs, are working on electric vehicles. They will be as technically advanced as Teslas, but available at a more affordable price point. Telsa might initially import its electric cars and based on the response, it could choose India as its manufacturing and assembly hub down the line. “India is going to become a number 1 manufacturing hub for auto in five years,” said Gadkari in the interview.
There is currently no official word for when Tesla intends to make its India debut. The reports suggest that Tesla Model 3 will be the first electric car to arrive in the country. While Gadkari suggests the company will launch its operations in India in early 2021, an Economic Times report says sales will not kick-off until the second half of the year.
Also, Tesla will initially import the Model 3 for sale in India, so you can easily expect the price to be around Rs. 55 lakhs. This budget electric car, however, starts at Rs. 28 lakhs in the US. The company has already seen a myriad of Indian buyers register their interest for $1000 back in 2016. But, they have been left high and dry with no launch window in sight.
Now, both Elon Musk and India’s transport minister Nitin Gadkari have confirmed that Tesla’s electric cars will arrive in India next year. So yeah, we can potentially get our hopes up again. We will keep you posted on Tesla Model 3’s India launch plans. Stay tuned for more information.
