Tesla Executives to Meet Indian Govt Officials Tomorrow, Could Start Selling Cars Soon in India

The American multinational electric car manufacturer Tesla has been doing the talks with Indian government for the past few years to expand the business in the country. Now, it has been reported that some of the senior executives from the Elon Musk-owned company, including top management and supply chain personnel are all set to visit India tomorrow. The sole purpose of the visit is to talk with federal government officials and explore the opportunities to set up their business model in the country.

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According to the reports, the top executives from the Austin-based company are expected to meet Prime Minister Narendra, including top government personnel. They will be exchanging talks regarding local sourcing of components for their upcoming Tesla models in the country.

This trip is expected to provide a fruitful result for the company as it has been trying hard to get into the Indian market for a very long time.

Meanwhile, there were many occasions, when the company’s CEO, Elon Musk criticized India’s high import duties and electric vehicle regulations. He said that the country has the highest import duties on EVs as compared to the other countries. He also urged the government to lower the import duty from 60 percent to 40 percent for electric vehicles that cost $40,000 or less. However, the government asked the business to manufacture its cars locally, instead of importing from China.

Tesla base model for Indian market

If everything goes well between Tesla and the Indian government, there is a high chance that the Elon Musk-owned company initially launch its feature-loaded Tesla Model 3 in the country. It is likely to be introduced at that starting price of Rs.60 Lakh (Ex-showroom).

The Model 3 might come in three variants: Standard Plus, Long Range, and Performance. The Long Range and Performance models have dual-motor all-wheel drive systems and are claimed to provide a max range of 568 km and 507 km, respectively. However, the former has a rear-wheel drivetrain, which will provide a max range of 423 km. The company claims the EV can go 0-97kmph in only 3.1 seconds.