Tesla Makes Its Mark: Mumbai Gets the First Taste
On July 15, 2025, Mumbai woke up to a shift in the city's automotive scene. Tesla flung open the doors to its first Indian showroom at Maker Maxity Mall, Bandra-Kurla Complex (BKC). Right out of the gates, the spotlight’s on the Tesla India debut—the facelifted 2025 Model Y SUV. Shipped straight in as Completely Built-Up (CBU) units from Shanghai, these EVs are turning heads, and not just among hardcore car fanatics.
The Model Y’s launch price starts at ₹59.87 lakh for the base model and stretches up to a whopping ₹6.78 crore for the top-of-the-line long-range option. The SUV comes loaded: a dark-grey paint job, black alloy wheels, sleek disc brakes, and a sharp dual-tone black-and-white interior with a 15.4-inch touchscreen. You don’t even have to lift a finger; the voice controls can handle just about anything inside.
Why This Approach—and What About Local Manufacturing?
For now, Tesla’s not rolling out any ‘Made in India’ claims. Union Minister H.D. Kumaraswamy made it clear—Tesla’s India strategy centers on retail, not homegrown factories. That means every Model Y hitting Indian roads is imported, leading to higher prices compared to the US or China. To give you some math, the Model Y starts at about $44,990 in the US, while here it’s just under ₹60 lakh. That’s India’s import tariffs for you—steep and inflexible, making Teslas more of a luxury badge than a mass-market buy.
Still, Tesla’s not playing a short game. More showrooms—branded as Experience Centres—are in the pipeline for cities like New Delhi, aiming to ride the wave as India targets 30% electric vehicle adoption by 2030. These urban centers will let folks get up close with the cars and tech, making the EV leap more inviting.
It’s not all about the cars, either. To make ownership smoother, Tesla has roped in Acko for insurance options tailored for new buyers. At the same time, the launch lines up with Starlink’s green light for wireless internet in India, hinting at a mesh of next-gen tech between vehicles and connectivity.
- Imported Tech: Model Y arrives as a CBU, packed with features but with import duties baked into the price.
- Retail-First Mindset: The showroom kicks off Tesla's India journey, with more Experience Centres on the deck.
- No Indian Manufacturing—Yet: For now, Tesla’s skipping local assembly, raising the price bar for buyers.
- Tied Tech & Insurance: New partnerships with players like Acko and Starlink are aiming to simplify EV life and ownership in India.
With deliveries set to start only after September 2025, customers have time to take in the EV buzz—and maybe decide if now’s the moment to go electric. Either way, Tesla’s entrance has just given India’s auto market a jolt of high-voltage change, and everyone’s watching to see what revs up next.