Tesla, the electric vehicle giant led by Elon Musk, officially entered the Indian market on Tuesday, July 15, by launching its first showroom in Mumbai. The showroom is located in Maker Maxity mall at Bandra Kurla Complex (BKC), one of the city’s prime commercial districts. The company has also established a service center and warehouse roughly six kilometers from the showroom.
However, soon after the news spread around, the social media went abuzz and triggered a series of tweets turning attention towards the language war going in Maharashtra.
Tesla’s first offering in India will be the Model Y — a mid-range luxury electric SUV — available in two variants. The vehicle is being imported from Tesla’s Shanghai Gigafactory.
In the U.S., the long-range rear-wheel drive (RWD) version of the Model Y starts at $37,490 (approximately ₹32.2 lakh). However, the Indian version is expected to cost nearly double, primarily due to the 70% import duty levied on fully built electric vehicles. The price gap may reduce if Tesla begins local assembly in India, a possibility that has reportedly been under discussion.