Tesla Finally Enters India: Model Y at a wallet-melting price of ₹59.9 to ₹67.9 lakh.

India, Say Hello to Tesla (Again?)

Elon Musk once tweeted “India has promise,” and nine years later, he finally delivered—though not with the budget-friendly Model 3, but with the premium Model Y at a wallet-melting price of ₹59.9 to ₹67.9 lakh.

Tesla’s long-awaited arrival to Indian shores has sparked everything from excitement and memes to skepticism and groans. But behind the headlines and showroom selfies lies a bigger question: Can Tesla survive the tax-la reality of India?

First, What’s Actually Happening?

Tesla launched bookings for its Model Y Rear-Wheel Drive (RWD) variant via its official India website, with deliveries expected in Q3 FY26. A Long-Range RWD variant will follow in Q4. The launch is being backed by Tesla’s first Experience Center in Mumbai, with Delhi coming next.

The cars are currently fully imported from Shanghai, and no local manufacturing has been confirmed yet. In other words, these are CBU (completely built units)—which means they’re smothered in India’s famous 70–100% import duties.

And thus, you get the meme-worthy price tag.

The Cost of Elon’s Promise

Let’s break it down:

For context, this puts Tesla in the same arena as BMW iX1, Mercedes EQB, and Kia EV6—hardly the mass-market segment.

Also, a budget-conscious Indian buyer could probably buy two Tata Nexon EVs, still have money for a 4BHK EMI