[Lowflyer23]

American EV giant Tesla will start it's Indian innings with the Model 3 in June 2021, the bookings for the same will start next month onwards.
It would be exciting to see mature EVs finally reaching Indian shores and how our population would react to it!
Model 3 is the most affordable Tesla, as well as their best selling car today. It's available in both RWD and AWD configurations with a variety of variants with varying range and performance.

[saikishor]

The Model 3 starts at 27-28lakhs in the United States. I'm curious about the Indian pricing, considering the import duties and the hefty taxes. Will this be launched as a CBU or a CKD? And yeah, let's see how many of the so called Tesla fans on social media convert into sales numbers for the company.

[warrioraks]

Originally Posted by Lowflyer23

American EV giant Tesla will start it's Indian innings with the Model 3 in June 2021, the bookings for the same will start next month onwards.
It would be exciting to see mature EVs finally reaching Indian shores and how our population would react to it!
Model 3 is the most affordable Tesla, as well as their best selling car today. It's available in both RWD and AWD configurations with a variety of variants with varying range and performance.

Even though it the cheapest Tesla, Model 3 might be be too pricy for what it offers. Interested to see their India marketing strategy and whether they are able to capitalise on the brand recognition.

Never the less, the ir-rational naive guy in me is hoping for some smartphone style (Apple vs Samsung) competition between the Americans and Koreans. With the hope that it ultimately benefits the Indian customers by bringing in some much needed localisation and reasonable pricing. Maybe too much to ask for in the short term!

[akash_v12]

So, I feel that although Tesla’s will not be mass-market products, it will instead be more like a luxury/premium brand designed to probably compete with the big. Sales would around the region of 100-200 units per month and this should be okay for Tesla. Expecting prices to be around ₹56-57L since it would be a CBU.

Though a gradual step, this could change the game of the EVs in India.

[ChrisTJ]

Great news, all I want to know is whether it will have the self driving feature. If it does come with self driving mode, even if its limited to some roads, the car probably will need twice the computing power to cope with our "style" of driving.

[fordday]

Can some one post the source of this news?

[hridaygandhi]

With the car coming via the CBU route (mostly from China I presume), the 110% import duty is likely to price the car in the 60 lakh+ territory. That is 5 series money for 3 series car with lack of infrastructure and after sales support.

However, it will still find some takers for the sheer exclusivity it is likely to offer, for someone who already has at least another car from the Big 3. Just look at the number of Konas, ZSs and even Nexon EVs on the street. They have been well received despite the premium price tag.

This will again follow the traditional technology cycle: Innovators and early adapters will increase traction in the space, forcing other car makers to launch EVs (Volvo and BMW) and even the Koreans and can carmakers can then move to the CKD route, and (hopefully) to localisation, pushing the prices downward and more attainable. This space sure looks exciting in the coming days.

Originally Posted by fordday

Can some one post the source of this news?

https://www.moneycontrol.com/news/in...t-6273801.html

[GTO]

This is amazing news on many different counts. Some thoughts:

- If Mahindra-Revas gave EVs a bad name, a Tesla Model 3 dual-motor will convert even the most diehard petrol / diesel fan. It is FAST, the torque will pin you to your seat and can be fun to drive.

- Tesla's EV tech is 5 - 7 years ahead of its rivals. When it comes to EVs, this is as good as it gets. I am making this comment after driving EVs from all the big names (including Mercedes, Audi, Nissan, Hyundai, MG etc.).

- Glad they are getting the newer Model 3 and not the old & on-its-way-out 1st gen Model S.

- CBU taxes will make it extremely expensive. Tesla should do CKD. That said, if Volvo can price its CBUs reasonably well, could Tesla too?

- Despite the expected stiff CBU price, it will have takers. Reason = Tesla is the "Apple" of cars and has immense brand cachet. I don't think any other automotive brand is cooler. The rich & elite will lap it up, just like they do 1.5 lakh rupee iPhones, 2-crore rupee weddings and 10-crore rupee homes. Don't forget that the Mercedes S-Class has a waiting period. If a millionaire really wants a car, the price doesn't make a difference.

- Rich dudes are bored of the usual luxury brands. They want something different. A Tesla will give them bragging rights too. The guy who owns a 4-crore holiday home in Alibaug, Goa or Pawna won't blink before cutting a 60-lakh cheque for a Tesla.

- What will help Tesla is it has no direct competition. There is simply nothing like a Tesla dual-motor (please please please bring the high power options in India).

- If you are in the market for a 60-lakh car, I would STRONGLY recommend waiting.

- Main downside of the Model 3 = the plain-jane boring interiors. There is simply no comparison to the cabin of a Mercedes / BMW / Audi. That said, it makes up with a lot of other cool features & innovations.

- Thinking of buying? Read Harshal's exceptional ownership report now!

[Gurgaon_lyon]

I'm sure if they do their market homework properly, then it would be model Y, instead of 3.

[vb-saan]

Originally Posted by GTO

Tesla is the "Apple" of cars and has immense brand cachet.

That indeed is the point; the cool quotient is super high, and the mantra is pretty much the same – simple and effective.
And like iPhone it is a cool & expensive gadget, just with a bigger battery.

Originally Posted by Gurgaon_lyon

I'm sure if they do their market homework properly, then it would be model Y, instead of 3.

I would say the 3 makes perfect sense (than the Y). Its their bread & butter model, been in the market for a while and have gone through constant improvements (and a recent facelift). The Y (in comparison) is still in its settling period.

[saikarthik]

Much awaited, this will boost the EV industry's image and adoption in India.

Hope Tesla studies the Indian market well before launches the model 3 and X,Y here.

Because this market is like no other for variety of use cases. for example, deleting autopilot feature is a big decision but much needed - we are not yet ready for it. And some features like dog mode, sentry mode might need updates in their databases.

And also, they better increase the life of the Horn!

[swiftnfurious]

A colleague in the US has a 3 and I had been in the car for some weekend runs. Its comfortable and F-A-S-T. This is a fun machine and my friend used a lot of auto pilot and it worked. The brakes are strong as well. Of course, the interiors are very plain.

The party trick for the 3 is, it can reverse itself from a parking lot (in case you are jammed with a dirty parallel parking) - thought he was pulling a fast one on me, but he gave me a demo. My friend also mentioned there was an update coming up where the car will drive itself to the owner - not sure its rolled out yet. A little bit of a "James Bond" car.

Well, India is a lot different in terms of roads, mannerisms and infra structure, so a lot of these may be irrelevant or quite different once it launches in India.

I was hoping that Elon will be cutting a deal on duty reduction since this is an EV!

[spoth001]

Tesla has done tons of research and they decided to bet on India. Ofcourse there will be takers, there is no second doubt about it. But what the Indian market fails in are the following grey areas:

1. Charging network (I will give 0 out of 10 here as per current situation. No news on Teslas established charging stations, if they intend to launch in June 2021 then the grids should have been ready by now ?)

2. Bad roads (They have the potential to dis-assemble this car !!)

On a serious note, if Tesla takes care of my Point 1 then they will have success. Point 2 will be added source of revenue for them.

IMPO, moneycontrol is not a reliable source for such news. I wait for more credible sources.

Cheers !!

[AZT]

I've got this on a bunch of whatsapp groups but can't figure if the source is legit. This hasn't been picked up by Reuters or Bloomberg and even Tesla has not officially posted about this.

Tweet happy Elon Musk would have definitely shared the June 2021 date.

[Gurgaon_lyon]

Originally Posted by vb-san

I would say the 3 makes perfect sense (than the Y). Its their bread & butter model, been in the market for a while and have gone through constant improvements (and a recent facelift). The Y (in comparison) is still in its settling period.

While I agree with you on 3 being a more mature product (though not by big margin). But when you consider our market's preference for crossover/soft-roaders, our road infrastructure and small price difference, then Y would make much more sense.