While we do have a few private imports running on the streets, Tesla is considering an official debut in the Indian market by 2020. Recently when the Tesla CEO Elon Musk was asked about when we can expect these electric cars on our roads, it was said that 2020 could be possible. However, there has been no concrete evidence or any work in progress plans which we have seen so far to be really excited about this news. Nevertheless, Tesla coming to India sounds interesting.
Elon Musk, the CEO for Tesla even previously had shown interest to bring the brand here in India, and even said it out loud on social media platform Twitter. But the deterrent for this to happen has been the government rules and regulations for FDI (Foreign Direct Investment). Tesla is currently working on a production plant in Shanghai, China. Cars to India could be brought in from here, rather than the USA as CKD or CBU units.
Tesla currently has the Model S, Model 3, Model X, Model Y and the Roadster listed on their website. Even if Tesla does enter the Indian market, we don’t expect the entire line-up to be made available. Given our markets love for SUVs, we think that the Tesla Model X makes most sense. It is a 7-seater all-electric SUV with performance which can give a tough fight to some high end cars. The Model X can sprint from 0-60 mph in just 2.7 seconds, that is blistering fast.
With unique falcon wing opening doors, the Tesla Model X will surely wow customers and onlookers. The car also has the lowest coefficient of drag on any SUV sold to date, which is 0.25 cd. Potential customers also get to customize the Model X, also in the engine / battery department suiting their budget and driving needs.
All said and done, the infrastructure in India is not ready to support electric cars. There are still conventional fuel pumps which are crowded for a quick stop-and-go refill. Imagine what will happen at charging grids where even with a fast charger you might need to wait a minimum of 1 hour.
