The Tesla Model 3 could be launched in the Indian market soon, and is expected to carry a base price of around Rs 60 lakh
Tesla Inc. is all set to commence its operations in India soon, and just last month, the American electric vehicle company had registered its office in Bengaluru. Union Minister Nitin Gadkari had previously confirmed that Tesla will commence India operations in early 2021, with the American company first starting with sales, followed by local manufacturing if there is enough demand.
Now it looks like Tesla is all set to launch its first product in India soon, which in all likelihood, will be the Model 3 sedan. India has now appeared on the list of countries where Tesla sells the Model 3 in the company’s website source code, hinting that it will be Tesla’s first car for the Indian market.
The Tesla Model 3 could be launched in India by the end of the first quarter of FY 2021 – 22. In India, the Tesla Model 3 could be introduced as a completely built unit (CBU) and could be imported from Tesa’s Gigafactory in Shanghai, China.
Talking about the car, Tesla offers the Model 3 with three different powertrain options, namely Standard Plus, Long Range and Performance. The Standard Plus variant gets a single electric motor along with a rear-wheel-drive configuration. It has a claimed driving range of 263 miles (423 km), and is capable of sprinting from 0 to 60 mph (96 kmph) in 5.3 seconds, before topping out at 140 mph (225 kmph).
On the other hand, the Long Range and Performance trims both get dual electric motors along with an all-wheel-drive setup. The Long Range variant has a claimed range of 353 miles (568 km), and is capable to reach the speed of 60 mph (96 kmph) in just 4.2 seconds, and has a top speed of 145 mph (233 kmph).
The top-end Performance version has an EPA estimated range of 315 miles (507 km) on a single full charge, and has a 0 – 96 kmph sprint time of just 3.1 seconds, with a top speed of 162 mph or 261 kmph. In the Indian market, Tesla could initially introduce the Standard Plus variant, while the other two variants could be introduced at a later stage.