The first Tesla Model Y has been delivered to a customer in India, marking the start of retail sales in the country.
Tesla officially arrived in India in mid-July, as it opened its first showroom in the Bandra Kurla Complex business centre, in Mumbai.
A few weeks later, the US brand also opened a second location in India. The store is located in the IGI Airport, the main international airport in the country’s capital, New Dheli.
On Monday, Siddharth Jain, executive director at Inox Group, said he became the first customer to take delivery of a Tesla in India.
“This one’s for you @ElonMusk!!! I am beyond thrilled to receive India Inc’s 1st @Tesla! I have been waiting for this precious moment ever since I visited the Tesla Fremont factory in 2017! Dreams do come true!” he wrote on social media.
The Model Y has a starting price of ₹61,07,190 in Mumbai, equivalent to about $69,280. In the city of Gurugram, the SUV starts ₹66,76,831 ($75,740).
India currently imposes a duty of 110% on imported vehicles that cost more than $40,000, which has led Tesla to delay its plans to enter the country.
Earlier this month, Tesla made a ceremonial handover of a Model Y to Maharashtra State Transport Minister Pratap Sarnaik at its newly opened Experience Centre in Mumbai.
That event marked the brand’s formal debut in the country but involved an official rather than a retail customer.
On September 4, Tesla India’s official X account posted that “Model Y deliveries [are] starting soon,” naming Mumbai, Delhi, Pune and Gurugram as the first cities where buyers would receive vehicles.
Bloomberg reported earlier this month that Tesla has received about 600 orders in India since July and expects to ship between 350 and 500 vehicles this year, with the first consignment arriving from its Shanghai plant in the first days of September.
Bloomberg also reported earlier this year that the first Tesla models to arrive in the country are Model Y SUVs shipped from the Shanghai Gigafactory.
Despite lower tariffs on automakers producing in India, the US brand does not intend to manufacture vehicles in the country, as confirmed earlier this year by India’s Minister of Heavy Industry.
Model Y deliveries in the country will be limited to Mumbai, Delhi, Pune and Gurugram, according to the Tuesday report.
