Tesla coming to India is one of the most talked-about news of 2021. Since Elon Musk announced the intention to set up a base in the fast-growing Indian market, the media is on overdrive about Tesla’s plans for the country. Now, Karnataka CM BS Yediyurappa has released a statement regarding Tesla Motors plan for India. Mr Yediyurappa said, "American car company Tesla will set up its electric car division in Karnataka,". Earlier On 12 January 2021, Yediyurappa deleted a tweet that said Tesla would commence its operations in India with an R&D unit in Bengaluru, Karnataka. As of now, the state government hasn’t received any official proposal from Tesla regarding land allotment. The government has given two options for commencing operations to American Automaker but no development has taken place till now.
Earlier in January, Tesla Inc set-up its subsidiary named Tesla India Motors and Energy Private Limited. The corporate headquarters will be situated in Lavelle Road, Bengaluru. Elon Musk might have opted for Bengaluru considering the city is quickly becoming a hub for EV and aerospace manufacturing. Bengaluru hosts high-end engineering centres of companies like Bosch, Continental, Daimler and Fiat Chrysler among many others.
Elon tweeted “as promised” on January 13, 2021, as a response to a blog that speculated about Tesla plans to enter the Indian market. The automaker was in discussions with several Indian states but Karnataka has won the race. After setting up a corporate office, they would be setting up an R & D centre and maybe a manufacturing plant.
The first Tesla car to arrive in the country is Model 3. The electric sedan will come to the domestic market through the CBU (Completely Built-Up) which will attract a 100 per cent import duty. Tesla would ask the Indian government to give concessions in order to reduce the cost and make the sedan affordable for the buyers. Tesla Model 3 will offer a range of 500 kms on a full charge.
Source - Reuters