Prospective Indian Lining Up to buy Tesla Model 3; Bookings Rose to 2,32,000

India bound Tesla Model 3 launched-2

Tesla Model 3 bookings rose to over 2,32,000 globally; prospective Indians lining-up to buy

Dubbed as the ‘automobile of the future’, the much talked about Tesla Model 3 all-electric car finally arrived at a launch event in Hawthorne, California. In just over a day of its global reveal, the revolutionary EV which cost less than half of the current Model X and Model S, it’s been announced that more than 232,000 pre-order bookings were made from potential customers all over the world for $ 1,000 deposit.

With the car won’t be rolled out of assembly lines for nearly another two years, it’s been quite obvious that Tesla’s entry into India will be with the Model 3 as the vibrant American company’s CEO and founder Elon Musk targets the ‘mass markets’ like India and Brazil. The four-door sedan with a stylish outlook will re-define the perception of EVs as on paper it’s fast, stylish and can comfortably seat five occupants.

India bound Tesla Model 3 launched

The devoid of internal combustion engine meant that the wheel arches have been pushed further to the edge with the driver and co-passenger space moved in front. This allows more room at the rear for three and Musk claims the Model 3 can beat any four-door IC-engined sedan on sale currently in terms of space. Even the base variant is said to hit 96 kmph from standstill in less than six seconds with sportier versions set to follow. It is believed to achieve 225 miles driving range on a single charge.

Vijay Shekhar Sharma, founder of mobile wallet company Paytm, venture capitalist Mahesh Murthy , Vishal Gondal of GOQii and Voonik CEO Sujayath Ali tweeted about booking the Model 3. “Let’s see how long does it take for #TeslaModel3 to reach India. Reservation done for now,” Sharma, who admires Elon Musk so much and calls himself a fan boy, tweeted. He went on to say he wants to be the first Tesla Model 3 owner in the country.

India bound Tesla Model 3 launched-5

As the timeframe of the Indian venture hasn’t been divulged, India will be among the 48 countries bookings can be made. Tesla’s ‘reservation agreement’ has listed the Model 3 to cost $35,000 (Rs. 23 lakh) but it doesn’t mean it will be the same for India or any other country with taxes and federal incentives or duty exemptions yet to be accounted for. The final price upon deliver could go up to $ 80,000(expected to be around Rs. 60 lakh in India).

Tesla will extend the dealer shops from 215 to 441 internationally and is set to double the superchargers and destination chargers for the model to plug in publicly. For a niche brand like Tesla, setting up network and infrastructure won’t take long and we expect to see the brand up and running in 2018 covering showrooms in selected top-tier cities.

India bound Tesla Model 3 launched-4

Our honourable Prime Minister Mr. Narendra Modi met Tesla CEO and founder Elon Musk at the Silicon Valley and had productive talks about the technology sharing and electric vehicles. With the central government setting up a dedicated working group to explore the future of EVs and making the nation fully emission-free by 2030, the import duties and tax exemptions for a fully-fledged EV like Model 3 are likely to be minimal. It will be slotted in the luxury segment that saw phenomenal growth in recent years in the country.

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