US electric vehicle maker Tesla delivered 60 vehicles in India last month, after starting customer deliveries in mid-September.
BMW led India’s premium EV market in September with 307 registrations, followed by Mercedes-Benz with 95 and Volvo with 22, according to Vahan data.
Tesla officially arrived in India in mid-July, as it opened its first showroom in the Bandra Kurla Complex business center, 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.
According to the EV maker’s Indian website, orders for the Model Y SUV can be placed with a starting price of ₹61,07,190, equivalent to about $71,200.
Bloomberg reported last month that the brand received only 600 vehicle orders between mid-July and the end of August — about 100 orders per week.
To fulfill these, the US brand plans to ship 350 to 500 vehicles to India by the end of 2025, based on the fully paid orders it has secured so far.
Tesla had originally planned to use its full annual import quota of 2,500 units, but reduced this number after demand fell short of expectations.
The first batch, shipped from Tesla‘s Shanghai Gigafactory, likely included the 60 units reported in September.
According to the report, Model Y deliveries in the country are going to be limited to Mumbai, Delhi, Pune and Gurugram.
Customer deliveries started on September 15. However, the company also made a ceremonial handover of a Model Y to Maharashtra State Transport Minister Pratap Sarnaik at its newly opened Experience Centre in Mumbai.
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.
India currently imposes a duty of 110% on imported vehicles that cost more than $40,000 — which has led Tesla to hold back on plans to enter the country before.
In addition, vehicles are subject to city-specific taxes.
In Mumbai, the vehicle has a “on-road” pricing of ₹61,07,190 ($71,200), while in Gurugram, the pricing goes up to ₹66,76,831 ($77,800).
