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For years, the Tesla badge remained a distant icon for Indian car buyers, a symbol of what was possible, but not yet accessible. That changed on Tuesday, as the company opened its doors in India with the launch of the Model Y, instantly adding weight to a segment already jostling with established German names and fastgrowing Chinese contenders.

Buyers considering the likes of the BMW iX1, MercedesBenz EQA, Volvo EC40, Kia EV6 or even the BYD Sealion 7 now have another electric option on the table. Not to mention the overlap with luxury internal combustion models like the Audi Q3, BMW X1 or Land Rover Discovery Sport. In this competitive bracket, where price is less about affordability and more about value perception, Tesla’s late but calculated entry signals intent more than volume.

The Model Y, Tesla’s global bestseller, arrives in two variants. The rearwheeldrive model is priced at Rs 59.89 lakh (exshowroom), while the longerrange version climbs to Rs 67.89 lakh. Both come to India via Tesla’s Shanghai plant, the company’s largest globally. With a 70% import duty, these are among the costliest Model Ys anywhere in the world, almost 30% dearer than their US equivalents.

Bookings opened for both variants on Tuesday. Deliveries of the Model Y, with a 500 km range will commence in this quarter itself, while that of the 622 km range will start in the December quarter, a company presentation said.

The response was swift. The 3,000 squarefoot experience centre at Maker Maxity in BKC saw a steady stream of visitors from early morning, despite the downpour. The official unveiling was attended by Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis, alongside Tesla’s South East Asia director Isabel Fan. The company will later open its second outlet in Delhi’s Aerocity, later this month.

Tesla’s launch in India comes at a time when the company is confronting turbulence elsewhere. Sales have dipped across its major markets. Deliveries dropped again in the June quarter, and even in China, its secondlargest market, Tesla has only just clawed back into positive growth territory after eight months of decline. In the US, volumes fell over 13% yearonyear.

In that context of India, volumes are expected to be small, with the luxury car market having a share of under 1% of total vehicle sales, and EV penetration remains in low single digits.

A network of superchargers across Mumbai and Delhi, with four locations in each city, will support early adopters. Each purchase will include a wall charger, capable of adding 70 km of range in an hour. The faster superchargers can push more than 250 km with just 15 minutes of charging.

What comes next depends on how this opening act plays out. The more affordable Model 3, long speculated and repeatedly delayed, remains absent from the India plan, at least for now. Company sources suggest its arrival will hinge on the response to the Model Y.