Tesla announced it is officially launching in India with the debut event scheduled for next Tuesday (July 15), in Mumbai.
The information was revealed in an invitation sent to media outlets on late Thursday, to which Reuters had access.
According to the invite, the event is the “launch of Tesla in India through the opening of the Tesla experience centre at Bandra Kurla Complex.”
Last month, EV had reported that Tesla was finishing the preparation of the showroom located in the largest business district, as seen in images shared on X.
“Confirmed with pics, the first @Tesla showroom in India is in BKC [Bandra Kurla Complex] on the ground floor of Maker Maxity 2 North Avenue,” a post by user mrjain showed.
Bloomberg had reported earlier this year that the first Tesla models to arrive in the country are Model Y SUVs shipped from the Shanghai Gigafactory.
The model is expected to go on sale for more than $56,000 in the country, according to the media outlet. In the United States, the price starts at $44,990, excluding the EV tax credit.
India 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. The country imposes lower tariffs on automakers set to produce in the country.
However, according to India’s Minister of Heavy Industries, Elon Musk-led brand is “not interested in manufacturing” in the country — meaning that Tesla’s business in the country will be import-only.
According to Reuters, Tesla will be subject to about 70% import duty and other levies in the country.
At the beginning of the year, Elon Musk met with India’s Prime Minister Narendra Modi in Washington.
Amid speculation that the brand could be investing in an Indian plant, Donald Trump said it would be “very unfair” to the United States.
“Every country in the world takes advantage of us, and they do it with tariffs… It is impossible to sell a car, practically, in, as an example, India,” Trump said in a Fox News interview.
“Now, if he built the factory in India, that’s okay, but that’s unfair to us. It’s very unfair,” the President added.
In early April, the U.S. imposed a 25% tariff on imported vehicles and auto parts. The Trump Administration also announced additional, country-specific duties.
For India, a 26% tax was set. However, these country-specific tariffs were paused for 90 days as the U.S. negotiated with other nations. According to Indian officials, talks between the two countries are ongoing as they work toward an agreement.
Also in April, the Indian PM stated on X that he and Musk again “discussed the immense potential for collaboration in the areas of technology and innovation,” with Musk later saying that he was “looking forward to visiting India later this year.”
According to registration data from the Federation of Automobile Dealers Associations of India (FADA), passenger EVs represented 4.4% of all vehicles sold in June, while hybrids accounted for 8.1%.
Despite the low EV adoption rate, the EV market share nearly doubled from June 2024, when it was only 2.5%.
The only brand selling only new energy vehicles (NEVS) in India is BYD, which sold 476 units in the country last month — from a total of nearly 2.98 million passenger cars registered.
