Tesla Motors has made its plan for India quite clear on Monday. The launch of Tesla motors in India was expected this year. But CEO Elon Musk hinted the delay of the launch of Tesla cars in India. He stated the reason while responding to a twitter user.
Tesla vehicles are finding it difficult to enter the Indian market due to the norms of ‘Make in India’ reforms, according to which foreign companies need to source at least 30% of products locally.
Musk tweeted, “Maybe I’m misinformed, but I was told that 30 % of parts must be locally sourced and the supply doesn’t yet exist in India to support that.” This is definitely a setback for all those waiting for Tesla manufacturing unit in India. The hopes were set up due to a message conveyed in February 2017 on Twitter. Musk tweeted that he was hoping to enter the Indian market by summer 2017.
The bookings for Tesla’s Model 3 Sedan have already been started. Famous Indians like Paytm CEO Vijay Shekhar Sharma, Pinstorm technologies CEO Mahesh Murthy and Vishal Gondal of GOQii have made the bookings worth $1000. The price of Model 3 starts at $35000. The Model 3 Sedan is the third model after Model S and Model X. Model S and Model X range over and above $85000, thus making Model 3 the most affordable one till date. The Model 3 Sedan can run 346 km on a full charge and can speed up from 0 to 100 kmph in just six seconds.
India is eagerly waiting for electric vehicles and thus local taxes on electric vehicles have been abolished in states like Delhi and Karnataka. The elimination of such taxes totally supports the plan of making India a 100% electric vehicle nation by 2030.
Indian Ministry of road transport and highways had been looking forward to providing a place for the set up of Tesla’s manufacturing unit in India, which still awaits the confirmation from Tesla.
Prime Minster Modi had also visited the Silicon Valley plant of Tesla to discuss renewable energy in September 2015. After that meeting, Musk tweeted, “Given the high local demand, a Gigafactory in India would probably make sense in the long term.”
But after the latest tweet, the people waiting out there for Tesla vehicles in India can keep the wait going on!
