Elon Musk-owned electric vehicle giant Tesla is set to officially launch its first showroom dubbed as experience center in India, according to a report by Reuters. The facility will open on July 15 in Mumbai’s Bandra Kurla Complex (BKC), situated close to Jio World Drive, which also houses Apple’s first retail store in the country. This marks Tesla’s first physical retail presence in India.
The showroom will be Tesla’s fourth formal footprint in India. The company already has an engineering hub in Pune, a registered office in Bengaluru, and a 30-seat leased office space also in BKC, Mumbai, secured for a one-year term. Media reports suggest that Tesla finalised the lease for the 4,000-square-foot showroom in March this year.
Tesla’s entry into the Indian market has been in discussion for several years, with CEO Elon Musk lobbying for reduced import duties to make its cars more competitively priced.
Currently, Tesla’s China-based teams are managing the company’s India operations. No official head has been appointed for India yet.
Tesla To Only Sell Imported Cars
Earlier this month, Union Heavy Industries Minister H.D. Kumaraswamy commented on Tesla’s India plans, stating that the company does not appear interested in local manufacturing. “Tesla is only planning to open showrooms and sell imported vehicles in India,” he said, according to news agency ANI.
Tesla Car Models And Price
five units of Tesla’s Model Y have already arrived at Mumbai port, shipped from the company’s factory in Shanghai, China, as per a Bloomberg report. Documents revealed that Tesla’s imported cars were valued at Rs 2.77 million (around $31,988) each, with import taxes exceeding Rs. 2.1 million per vehicle. This cost aligns with India’s policy of imposing a 70% duty—plus additional surcharges—on fully assembled vehicles priced below $40,000. The model is likely to be priced above $56,000 before taxes and insurance, though the final retail price will depend on Tesla’s profit margins and market positioning strategy.
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