Tesla drops ‘coming soon’ teaser ahead of its expected India entry this month

NEW DELHI: Elon Musk-owned electric car company Tesla is finally entering India this month, the company announced on Friday, putting out a teaser on its India-focused X handle. “Coming soon”, reads the brief X post, attached with a graphic that indicates Tesla will be in India this month (July 2025).

Tesla is not interested in manufacturing in India; instead, they are opening showrooms here, Union Minister for Heavy Industries H D Kumaraswamy had indicated in early June. In the later part of June, Kumaraswamy said Tesla is only interested in opening a showroom here in India. “They want to sell their car in India. There is no further development about Tesla”, he had said.

Earlier, there were reports that Tesla was interested in importing Tesla cars into India and subsequently selling them through their showrooms in India. But Tesla has been tight-lipped all through on its India operations.

Early this year, Tesla Inc. officially began its hiring process in India, marking a significant step towards its long-anticipated entry into the domestic market. While Tesla had not provided an official timeline for its India launch, its active hiring had suggested that preparations were in full swing.

Tesla boss Musk had in past indicated that he was interested in investing in India, but “high import duty” structures were a bone of contention. Tesla’s intention to come into India had intensified after India announced its new EV policy, under which import duty was substantially reduced and many incentives were provided for wooing global EV carmakers.

In April this year, Prime Minister Narendra Modi held a telephonic conversation with Tesla CEO Elon Musk and discussed the immense potential for collaboration in the technology and innovation sectors. PM Modi had also met Musk this February in the US. (ANI)