Electric cars, although being common in the West have not been able to penetrate the Indian market yet, with most citizens still being dependent on their fuel-based counterparts. However, there has been a concerted push from the Government towards electric vehicles. That push, may have received a much needed booster, as Elon Musk-led Tesla is apparently planning an India debut early 2021.
Nitin Gadkari, the Union Minister for Road Transport and Highways told Indian Express that the much-coveted electric car manufacturer Tesla will start operations in India starting early 2021.
The Union Minister, during his conversation with the reporters, acknowledged the drive for eco-friendly vehicles. He said that a lot of Indian car manufacturers have also started manufacturing electric cars in the country, which, although being of the same quality as Tesla, are a lot cheaper.
The minister also said that Tesla might first start sales operations in the country and later expand to manufacturing. He also claimed that within five years India would become the uno numero manufacturing hub in the world.
Back in October while responding to a tweet by a Twitter handle named Tesla Club India who asked for the electric car company’s progress in India, Elon Musk, CEO of Tesla said “Next year for sure“.
In 2016, the company took a deposit of $1000 from people in the country who were interested in buying cars from the company. Despite that, till now, the cars have not made their way to the country.
In 2017, Musk blamed FDI norms for its delay after bookings. He had 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.”
Tesla Model 3 might be the first car to make its way to the country, which is the cheapest of the lot. Bookings might start in mid-January of the coming year. The report from Indian Express also states that the variant that would first come to India might be priced ₹55 lakh onwards.
