American, Vietnamese, Korean brands to spruce up India's EV space on July 15

Tesla will inaugurate its first showroom in India on July 15.

Come July 15, India's electric vehicle (EV) space will witness three major developments -- Tesla's arrival with the Model Y, VinFast opening pre-bookings for the VF 6 and the VF 7, and Kia launching the Carens Clavis EV.

The passenger EV segment is still at a nascent stage in India, accounting for 3.5% of the total car sales in the country in April 2025, 4.1% in May 2025 and 4.4% in June 2025, according to data from the industry body Federation of Automobile Dealers Associations (FADA). The share stood at merely 2.6% in FY25.

The electric car space is currently dominated by original equipment manufacturers (OEMs) like Tata Motors, JSW MG Motor India and Mahindra & Mahindra.

The Tata Punch.ev, Tata Nexon.ev, MG Windsor, Mahindra BE 6, and Mahindra XEV 9e are among the top-selling EVs.

Tesla's arrival with the Model Y

US EV major Tesla will inaugurate its first showroom in India on July 15. It will be located at Bandra Kurla Complex in Mumbai. The carmaker's first offering in the Indian market will be the Model Y.

While Tesla has not announced any immediate plans to start manufacturing in India, the Model Y to be sold here is being imported in the completely built-up (CBU) form from its Shanghai factory.

The Model Y is the world's largest-selling electric car. It is sold in China in rear-wheel drive (RWD) and long-range all-wheel drive (AWD) variants.

There has been no official confirmation yet regarding the specifications of the India-bound model, however the range is claimed to be 593 km on a single full charge for the Model Y RWD and 750 km on a single full charge for the Model Y long range AWD, as per the China Light-Duty Vehicle Test Cycle (CLTC).

The Tesla Model Y price in India is expected to be close to Rs 50 lakh (ex-showroom). It will reportedly attract a basic customs duty of 70%.

Pre-bookings open for VF 6, VF 7

Vietnamese EV manufacturer VinFast will open pre-bookings for the VF 6 and the VF 7 electric SUVs on July 15. Their sales are expected to start in the second half of August 2025.

The company has signed dealer partner agreements with 13 groups for 32 dealerships across 27 cities in India. It aims to expand to 35 dealerships by the end of 2025.

VinFast will start production at its Thoothukudi plant (Tamil Nadu) later this month.

The company has entered into several strategic partnerships to support its operations. It has tied up with Global Assure for 24/7 roadside assistance, dedicated call centre support, and mobile service; myTVS and RoadGrid for a pan-India EV charging solution and service network; and BatX Energies for high-voltage battery recycling and repurposing solutions.

Kia Carens Clavis EV launch

The Carens Clavis EV marks the entry of Kia into India's mass-market electric car space. Till now, the Korean auto giant was offering only premium models -- EV6 and EV9. While the EV6 is priced at Rs 65.96 lakh (ex-showroom), the EV9 is available for Rs 1.30 crore (ex-showroom), both being CBU models.

The Carens Clavis EV will be manufactured at Kia's Anantapur plant (Andhra Pradesh). The carmaker has already confirmed that the upcoming EV will have a maximum range of 490 km (ARAI-certified) with a 51.4 kWh battery pack. We also expect a smaller 42 kWh battery pack from Hyundai's Creta Electric.

The new EV boasts features like a 26.62-inch dual panoramic display panel for infotainment and instrument cluster, front ventilated seats, a 360-degree camera and a panoramic sunroof. We also expect the Carens Clavis EV to get Level-2 ADAS.

Expected to be priced below Rs 25 lakh (ex-showroom) for the top-spec variant, the Carens Clavis EV could serve as a relatively affordable 7-seater option in the electric MPV space.