Tesla is preparing to expand its lineup in India as demand there has been significantly below expectations.
According to a Bloomberg report on Friday, the company plans to launch its six-seat Model Y L in India as early as next week, citing people familiar with the matter.
The Model Y L — a long-wheelbase, three-row version of the company’s best-selling SUV — would be Tesla‘s first new product in the country since its market entry last July.
The variant features a 2+2+2 seating layout with captain’s chairs in the second row, targeting families seeking more space than the standard five-seat Model Y.
It stretches to 4,976 mm in length, about 179 mm longer than the regular version, with a wheelbase extended by 150 mm to 3,040 mm.
The six-seat SUV is currently available in 11 markets — including China, where it launched in August 2025.
The model has been introduced in Australia, New Zealand, Japan, South Korea, Thailand, Hong Kong, Singapore, Malaysia, Macau and the Philippines.
India Launch
Tesla entered India in mid-July 2025 with the standard Model Y, priced from ₹59.89 lakh (approximately $70,000) due to the country’s 110% import duty on vehicles priced above $40,000.
Despite lower tariffs available through a government scheme tied to local manufacturing commitments, Tesla chose to import its vehicles without setting up domestic production.
On-road pricing varies by city. In Mumbai, the Model Y carries an on-road price of approximately ₹61,07,190 ($71,200), while in Gurugram, the figure rises to around ₹66,76,831 ($77,800).
Customers configuring a Model Y as of Friday are quoted delivery times of two to 10 weeks.
Slow Start
Earlier reports noted that Tesla received roughly 600 orders between mid-July and the end of August 2025, ahead of the start of deliveries.
The company had originally planned to use its full annual import quota of 2,500 units but scaled back after demand fell short of expectations.
It intended to ship between 350 and 500 vehicles to India by the end of 2025, based on fully paid orders.
Bloomberg later reported that a batch of about 300 Model Y units were sent to the country.
Between September and December, however, only 217 vehicles were registered — 60 in September, 40 in October, 48 in November and 69 in December.
The figures suggest that roughly 100 units may still be in inventory, though Tesla has not confirmed import totals.
In January, Bloomberg reported that Tesla began offering discounts of up to ₹200,000 ($2,215) on approximately one-third of the vehicles it had imported, as early bookings that were later canceled left unsold stock.
Tesla registered 37 vehicles in the market that month.
Registrations then dropped to their lowest level ever in February, with 29 vehicles. In March, the number rose again to 49 vehicles.
According to VAHAN data, a total of 342 Tesla vehicles were registered in India since the debut — well below the 600 orders it initially received.
Retail Network
Tesla opened its first showroom in India at the Bandra Kurla Complex business center in Mumbai in mid-July 2025.
A second location followed weeks later at Aerocity, New Delhi.
A third location — the company’s largest sales and service hub in the country and its first full-scale experience center — opened in Gurugram, Haryana late last year.
The company launched its first Supercharger station at One BKC in Mumbai in August, featuring four V4 Superchargers and four destination chargers.
Four months later, it opened a second site in Gurugram with four Superchargers and three destination chargers.
Model Y L
The Model Y L launched in China in August 2025, priced from 339,000 yuan (approximately $47,200). Deliveries began in September.
The variant is built exclusively at Gigafactory Shanghai and features a dual-motor all-wheel-drive system.
In China, it is rated at 751 km of range under the CLTC cycle and accelerates from 0 to 100 km/h in 4.5 seconds.
Export-market specifications differ slightly — in Australia and New Zealand, for instance, the 0-to-100 time is rated at 5.0 seconds with a WLTP range of 681 km.
The six-seat SUV shares its design with the standard Model Y from the front to the B-pillar but is noticeably longer from there back.
It features larger rear glass panels, a taller roofline and a more upright rear profile to create additional headroom for third-row passengers.
Earlier this year, Australia became the first export market to receive the Model Y L, followed by New Zealand.
The variant then cleared energy efficiency certification in South Korea earlier that month and is already open to order in the market.
Potential Launch in US and Europe
Tesla has not officially confirmed plans to bring the Model Y L to the United States or Europe, though several signals point in that direction.
In late August 2025, CEO Elon Musk said the variant would not begin US production until the end of 2026, adding that it might not happen at all given the company’s focus on autonomous vehicles.
However, drone footage shared by Tesla enthusiast Joe Tegtmeyer in late March showed what appeared to be a Model Y L body shipped from Gigafactory Shanghai inside a wooden crate at Gigafactory Texas in Austin.
The shipment could signal a shift in Tesla’s plans, though the company has not commented.
The timing is notable, as Tesla ended production of the Model S and Model X, leaving the company without a three-row vehicle in its US lineup — aside from the seven-seat Model Y, an option that fits an additional row into the standard body without added legroom.
Industry observers expect Tesla to localize Model Y L production at GigaTexas by mid-to-late 2026 to fill the gap left by the Model X — which offered five, six or seven-seat configurations starting at $99,990.
In December 2025, the Tesla Model Y L was granted approval for sale by the Netherlands Vehicle Authority (RDW).
No further updates on a European launch have been announced since then.
Tesla also launched the seven-seat Model Y in Europe earlier this year.
