American electric vehicle maker Tesla is set to enter the Indian market with its Tesla Model 3 car expected to go on sale by 2021-end. Further, watchers also “spotted” the model undergoing road testing on Indian streets ahead of the launch.
Elon Musk’s auto company will “set up shop in India” by end of this year, starting with only one model – the Model 3, gaadiwaadi reported. It has already registered the Indian subsidiary as Tesla India Motors and Energy in Bengaluru (Karnataka). Meanwhile, the headquarters will be set up in Mumbai and dealerships in a few major cities.
A video of the road test for a blue dual motor (AWD) Tesla Model 3 in India was posted by The Fat Biker. The vehicle being tested had standard 18-inch wheels and an aero body kit, the report notes.
Globally, the Tesla Model 3 is equipped with a 54 kWh battery pack for the Standard Range and Standard Range Plus variants, and a 82 kWh battery pack for the Long Range and Long Range Performance variants. Depending on the variant, the vehicle gives a range of 381 km to 614 km.
The Model 3 is likely to be priced between Rs 55-70 lakh at launch in India. It is yet unclear whether Tesla will launch the Model 3’s expensive AWD variant to India.
Tesla is “only testing the waters” with the Model 3, the report said, adding that an “India specific” Model 3 will later be manufactured in China and then imported to the domestic market. Whether it will opt for the Completely Built-Up (CBU) or Completely Knocked Down (CKD) is unconfirmed, it added.
CKD would be more beneficial tax-wise, but would require Tesla to establish an assembly plant in India. Speculations are thus rife that CBU route could be taken at first to “gauge market demand”.
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