Last week, rumours started floating in the air that Tesla is planning to import three test mules of Model 3 in India to test how the EV fares in our conditions before it marks its official launch. And now, a blue-coloured Tesla Model 3 has been spied testing on the streets of Pune. Several years back, Elon Musk showed a lot of interest in entering the Indian market but due to umpteen reasons, the plan couldn’t pan out but it seems now that it is finally happening.
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The Tesla Model 3 is the most affordable car in its portfolio and it only makes sense to mark your debut with the most affordable car in such a price-sensitive market.
Specs and features
Model 3 draws power from a Li-ion battery with dual motors which digitally distribute torque to both axles as required by the conditions. It is offered in 3 variants – Standard plus, Long Range AWD and performance with 0-97 kph taking 5.3s in Standard Plus and an outrageous 3.1s in the Performance.
The range varies from 424 Km on the Standard Plus to 568 Km on Long-Range AWD while the Performance can go on for 507 km on a single charge. Tesla’s network of Superchargers across the world also helps charge up the juice in the battery, while a battery swap is also possible in the Tesla making it easier for the user. It remains to be seen which variant gets here.
The interiors are as lovely as the exteriors and are a vehicular embodiment of simplicity, minimalism and class. All you get is a Steering and a large touchscreen system which is frankly all you need in a Tesla. You can control absolutely everything via the 15’ touchscreen which is larger than the tyre size on a few cars. It gets 12-way adjustable seats, heated seats, wireless charging pads and some other gizmos. You also get auto park and auto lane change and Tesla’s very famous Autopilot mode which might be a bit irrational here because of our traffic, roads and drivers.
Tesla Model 3, despite being the brand’s entry-level brand, will come bearing a heft price tag. This is because the Model 3 will be imported here via the CBU route and this will bump up the price of the electric sedan in the country. Nevertheless, we do reckon that the Model 3 will have a fair number of buyers here.