Tesla and Elon Musk always manage to remain in headlines and now, even more so. Because the American EV giant is planning to set foot in our country in 2021. The electric revolution in India might be gaining pace but we haven’t been that lucky when it comes to Tesla because the Elon Musk headed company hasn’t launched any electric car in India to date. But that is all set to change in 2021 as a sea of confirmations have headed our way, cementing the fact that it is indeed happening!
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Reported by a prominent media house, Nitin Gadkari – the Union Minister for Road Transport and Highways has revealed that after an arduously long wait, Tesla will enter the Indian market in ‘early 2021’.
He went on to state that Tesla will begin its India journey by setting up its own sales network, and will evaluate local assembly or manufacturing at a later date, based on market response. Reportedly, Tesla’s official booking order configurator for India will go live on their website from January next year. This was tweeted by Elon as a reply to Twitter handle Tesla Club India. Tesla has been receiving queries on how soon it plans to launch its cars in India. Replying to one such query on social media, Tesla CEO Elon Musk said the company will probably release the details about where to book a Tesla car in India by January next year. He wrote, “Will release order configurator probably in Jan.”
Tesla Model 3
We believe that Tesla is going to enter India riding on the Model 3. Tesla Model 3 is among the most affordable models of Tesla till date. The car was first rolled out in 2017 and has emerged as the world’s best selling all-electric car. Tesla will import the vehicles as completely built units, with the capability of charging in 15 minutes. Tesla’s Model 3, along with Model Y, accounted for nearly 89% of Tesla’s total sales in the third quarter of 2020.
Overseas, the Tesla Model 3 is available with single- and dual-motor options. Opening the line-up is the rear-wheel-drive Standard Range Plus, which has a range of 423km and a 0-100kph time of under 6 seconds. Dual-motor versions including the Long Range AWD, which can do 0-100kph in under 4.5 seconds and has a range of 568km, and the range-topping Performance, which boasts of a 0-100kph time of a little over 3 seconds, a top speed of over 260kph and also features upgraded brakes.