Tepid Start To Tesla Sales In India With 600 Bookings Or In Line With Segment Demands?

Priced competitively but higher than locally assembled rivals, it impressed with space, performance, and tech. While 600 bookings are decent for the luxury EV segment, they fell short of Tesla's 2,500 target.

Tesla launched the Model Y in India, generating buzz despite Elon Musk's absence.

Source : Somnath Chatterjee

Tesla started its India innings with much fanfare, and the Model Y was chosen for launch. While Elon Musk did not show up, the media frenzy over Tesla resulted in a lot of buzz and anticipation. With prices starting at under Rs 60 lakh for the starting variant, the Tesla Model Y being a full important is a bit expensive when compared to rivals, which are locally assembled like the BMW X1 LWB. 

However, after driving the car, the Tesla Model Y did impress us with the space, performance and the technology on offer. 

Now, the EV maker has garnered about 600 bookings since its launch, and actually, that's a decent number. The luxury EV segment isn't vast in terms of sales, and 600 bookings for a single model is in line with the segment. However, it is reported that the target was set to be much higher, and the 2,500 quota was expected to be sold out quickly. 

Tesla will deliver the first cars within a few days' time, and going forward, it might bring more offerings too. 

Currently, one of the best-selling luxury EVs is the BMW iX1 LWB, and it is perhaps one of the biggest competitors for the Tesla Model Y , along with the BYD Sealion and the Kia EV6. Tesla has started bookings across all cities, and the bookings could increase in the coming days. 

Tesla, at the moment, isn't interested in making cars in India and will continue to sell cars via the import route. Tesla recently introduced the Model Y L in China, and that could make sense for India in the future, too, although it is not yet confirmed for India.