Tesla has expanded its India presence by opening its fourth experience centre in Bengaluru’s Whitefield area and launching the six-seater Model Y L electric SUV at ₹61.99 lakh. The new Model Y L is a longer, three-row version of Tesla’s popular SUV and offers a claimed driving range of up to 681 km on a full charge. Notably, before Bengaluru, the Elon Musk-led firm had already opened experience centres in Mumbai, Delhi and Gurugram as part of its gradual retail expansion in the country.
The Bengaluru experience centre has been established in Whitefield, one of the country’s largest technology and startup corridors. The region houses major global technology companies, startup offices and high-income professionals, making it a strategic location for Tesla’s southern India operations. Unlike conventional automobile dealerships, Tesla’s experience centres are designed as direct-to-customer retail spaces where buyers can explore vehicles, understand charging systems, customise configurations digitally and complete purchases through Tesla’s integrated platform.
The launch of the Model Y L marks Tesla’s first six-seater offering for the Indian market and highlights the company’s attempt to adapt its global products for local preferences. While the standard Model Y is already one of Tesla’s most successful vehicles globally, the new Model Y L has been designed with a stronger focus on family utility and passenger comfort. The SUV measures close to five metres in length and gets an extended wheelbase to accommodate the third row.
Tesla claims the Model Y L can deliver up to 681 kilometres of range under WLTP testing standards, placing it among the longest-range electric vehicles currently available in India. The company has also stated that the SUV can accelerate from 0 to 100 km/h in around five seconds despite its larger size and three-row seating layout. The vehicle is powered by an 83 kWh battery pack and supports Tesla’s fast-charging technology, allowing rapid charging under compatible infrastructure conditions.
The Model Y L enters Tesla’s India lineup between the standard Model Y and the long-range performance-oriented variant. While the standard Model Y starts at around ₹59.89 lakh and the long-range version is priced near ₹67.89 lakh, the new six-seater model has been introduced at ₹61.99 lakh ex-showroom. The pricing continues to reflect the high import duties imposed on fully imported electric vehicles in India, a major challenge the EV giant has faced during its entry into the market.
Tesla’s arrival comes at a time when competition in India’s premium electric vehicle market is intensifying rapidly. Luxury manufacturers, including BMW, Mercedes-Benz, Audi, and Volvo, have expanded their EV portfolios in the country, while Indian automakers like Tata Motors and Mahindra are also moving aggressively into higher-end electric SUVs.
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Ashutosh is a Senior Writer at The Tech Portal, largely reporting on new tech, and intersection of technology and business. Ashutosh’s career spans across nearly a decade of technology writing across multiple platforms and languages.
