According to a Business Standard article, Tesla, under the leadership of billionaire Elon Musk, is currently looking at land choices in Satara, Maharashtra, to establish a CKD (Completely Knocked Down) electric vehicle assembly factory.
Nevertheless, CKD lowers the high import duties India imposes on fully constructed cars by importing the parts and assembling them domestically.
Megha Engineering, located in Hyderabad, and Tesla had previously discussed a possible joint venture. However, according to sources included in the report, these discussions did not result in an agreement. Although no agreement has been reached yet, the EV behemoth was also in contact with other Indian companies.
India could witness a Tesla launch by April 2026.
According to a source cited by Money Control, an official stated that Tesla might formally join the Indian market by April 2026.
Tesla has previously indicated that it was getting ready to enter the country by posting job positions in Delhi, Pune, and Mumbai. These events came after Elon Musk met Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi while he was in the United States.
First Showroom in Mumbai
According to a Reuters story from March, Tesla has agreed to open its first showroom in Mumbai. The area is approximately the size of a basketball court at 4,003 square feet. According to reports, Tesla has agreed to a five-year lease and would pay $446,000 (about Rs 3.7 crore) in rent for the first year.
Questions Are Raised because of the Leadership Shake-Up
After nine years with the firm, Prashanth Menon, the head of Tesla India, resigned just as things were starting to pick up steam. According to Bloomberg, India operations will now be managed by Tesla’s China team.
Given that Tesla has previously had numerous delays in its entry into the Indian market, this abrupt adjustment has sparked concerns about the company’s objectives.
Will India See Tesla’s Arrival at Last?
There have been lots of disputes, missed deadlines, and delays throughout Tesla’s entry into India. By lowering import duties in exchange for Tesla agreeing to produce its vehicles domestically, the Indian government has demonstrated interest. Even if hiring and land exploration seem encouraging, there is still a lot of uncertainty.