Tesla opened doors for this First showroom in india This week, and the first visitors had huge gondal-a long time Tesla and Elon Musk Loylist who pre–book a model 3 in April 2016, a few hours after the reservation became live. But despite showing in a day, Gondal says that he has no longer plans to buy Tesla.

After the girl went to the Tesla showroom at Mumbai’s Bandra-Kurla Complex, Fitness-Tech Startup Goki founder and CEO Gondal said, “I felt a little overwhelmed.”

In a better part of a decade, Gondal hoped for the introduction of Tesla in India. But his excitement came to an end when he had to chase the company for a correspondence in 2023 – sending several emails to get only $ 1,000 reservation fee.

“Trying to get the money back was a problem,” he told Techcrunch. “And was a joke, did we invest that money in Tesla IPO stock, we must have earned more money.”

Gondal is one of Tesla’s early backchers in India-a person who booked the vehicle before any guarantee. But after nine years, it seems that many of those early believers are not celebrating the launch and have made up their mind instead No To go with Tesla, at least at its beginning.

Those Backers never got their model 3S, for which they paid the reservation fee soon after Musk promised to launch the car in the country. And some, like the Gondal, even waiting for years to refer to and tried, while some got in May, a few months before Tesla’s formal start.

Varun Krishnan said, “It is disappointing to see Tesla taking so long.

Tesla did not invite these loyalists to visit his Mumbai showroom, nor did it update them to launch.

The 6,000 -square -foot Tesla showroom is located in the Maxity Mall, near the country’s first store. However, Gondal said that Tesla’s store was nowhere similar to the Apple Store launch.

“When Apple launched his showroom at the same place, the discussion that Apple was able to create a tesla that was able to make Tesla is the world of difference,” he said.

Gondal went to the Tesla showroom in his Audi e-trron, which he bought last year after waiting for a long time for Model 3.

Amit Bhavani, founder of Tech Blog Phoarder, said, “It felt like the coldest launch,” in 2016, model 3 was already reserved by the East-Regent.

Bhavani eventually received a $ 1,000 refund after criticizing Tesla Video Was released on YouTube in 2020.

He said that the video received comments from dozens of people, who had also reserved Model 3 in India and were waiting for the refunds.

“When I felt that the full love for Tesla is a real hatred for Tesla,” he told Techchchan.

Gondal said, “At least Tesla could have done, email all those who reserved the car first and said,” Friends, we are going to do a special program for you. ” “Those people really walked out of their way, and even though it is not a large amount, it was saying that we support Tesla.”

Some others, such as Kawaljit Singh Bedi, said that he had no regrets about supporting Tesla, although he received a refund just before the launch this year. Nevertheless, they too are not looking to buy a Tesla soon.

“I’m waiting, I’m waiting, I am not in a hurry to buy it now and it has become the first one, because what’s the matter? I waited for nine years? I can wait for nine years and six months,” Bedi said, Framer AI’s co-founder and CTO.

“Most of them who kept their early votes in confidence are disappointed, in which I know, Vishal and Vijay [Shekhar Sharma of Paytm]”Krishnan said.” People like Vishal or Vijay, they are taken with great authority. Therefore, if they are buying something, then 100 people will be going by their promise. ,

Indian Fintech giant Paytm founder and CEO Sharma echoed the comments from other early backers, saying he would not go with Tesla and rather wait for a large portfolio of cars.

“It can be a little late,” he said. “There are many other options with value-value mathematics for India.”

Tesla’s launch has not been invited to the launch of the year as well as not invited to the opening of the showroom-left some early Indian loyalists who are feeling late, Arun Bhatt said, the founder, Arun Bhatt said. Tesla club indiaWho also booked a model 3 in 2016

“You have paid something and you were waiting for 10 years, and then out of blue, they just tell you, we will cancel it and we will return, what happens then – 10 years to wait for something, will we be given preference treatment?” He questioned. “There is zero communication about it. Therefore, eight out of 10 reservation holders are disappointed.”

Bhatt started the club in 2019 as an informal group for people interested in the EV carmaker with another Tesla enthusiastic and Delhi University student Nikhil Chaudhary in 2019. However, he told Techcrunch that due to the delay in the launch of Tesla in the country, the club gradually turned into an EV and clean energy awareness club from the Tesla Awareness Club.

No clarity after sales and on local supercharger networks

One of the concerns of many Tesla’s early backers is how Tesla will establish a supercharger network in the country and lacks clarity after post -sale care. The company announced that before starting its delivery in Q3, it would set up eight charging stations, equally distributed in Delhi and Mumbai. However, it is not clear whether it will be sufficient to provide adequate support to Tesla drivers in these two cities. Additionally, no announcement has been made about how Tesla plans to handle services after the sale of his cars in India.

Fonerena’s Krishnan said, “After growing up in nine years, I have become more prudent in the purchase process of my vehicle. I am more concerned about practical things than just the Tesla brand tag, which I fell in love 10 years ago.”

“There is no real enthusiasm to be the owner of the first car, knowing that there is no supercharger network.”

Musk’s political interest and even conflict with Trump are shutting down some Indian drivers

In recent months, Musk has a public personality Go through an innings – This is a change for a political person in America, running many companies from a visionary entrepreneur. Tesla’s stock and business affected Not only in America but also in major international markets. India is no exception.

“After the entire elections and politics, and whatever is happening, I don’t see Elon with the same color, as I used,” said Krishnan of Phonerena.

Kunal Khattar, the founder of an EV-focused investor and founder of the founders of VC firm Adventage in India, resulted in Krishnan’s spirit, said Tesla has lost “a small” shine due to many factors-a political participation of musk, his alignment with Trump, and its followers.

“People used to think that Tesla is saving the world, it is saving the climate, and this and it, it’s no longer,” he said.

Khattar was invited for the Tesla launch in Mumbai. Like the Gondal of Goki and others, he also described it as “weak” and “not like a specific vehicle launch”.

1% playground

Tesla has launched model Y in India, starting at ₹ 59,89,000 (about $ 68,000). Some people compare India pricing with model Y in the US, starting at $ 44,990 (₹ 38,71,000). However, the car manufacturer is importing a car from China-instead of making it locally in the country, something that the industry usually refers to as a fully manufactured (CBU). This adds tariffs that Tesla is ready to pay for some time, until it decides to install a local factory, and thus, customers will have to pay an excessive value.

In India, the premium segment, which begins at 35,00,000 (about $ 40,700) and goes up to ₹ 1,00,00,000 (about $ 116,200), which contains only 1% of the total car sales in India, about 50,000 vehicles. However, in that 1%, in that 1%, electric cars have about 10%, per prani Gupta, Director, S& P. Global Mobility.

“With Tesla’s arrival, and if Tesla actually starts building in India, perhaps two years down from the line, there is no doubt about it that it will make a strong case for all these OEMs [original equipment manufacturers]For the first time to make a vehicle for our Indian customer, including BMW, Mercedes-Benz and Audi, “he said.” The problem is that India has never been able to explain these OEMs that they can actually create an India-centric product, and will have sufficient quantity. ,

Overall, the sale of electric cars in India was just 2.5%of the total market in 2024, per counterpoint. But it was “almost negligible” in 2016, when Tesla initially announced his entry. This was the reason that people showed great interest in Tesla then.

“, Everyone can get a beautiful, amazing, super powerful electric vehicle in India. Therefore, Tesla is nothing ‘wow’, in addition to 5–10 minutes, people should say to keep an eye inside it,” Bhavani of Phoneradar said.

India’s automobile giant Tata Motors has dominated the country’s electric car market in recent years, although other – including China’s MG Motor, who recently signed a joint venture with the Indian group JSW Group – starting to acquire land.

The premium segment remains a niche in the country, although the increasing number of high-net-forth individuals has led to a 66 percent year-long increase in the sales of premium EVS during the first five months of 2025, described Techcrunch, a research analyst for Abhik Mukherjee, Automotive and IOT, in the counterpoint.

The selected models of BMW, Mercedes-Benz, Land Rover, Volvo, and Hyundai and Kia are sitting in the section where Tesla has brought the model Y into the country.

“The current price point of Tesla is not the cause of any dental for brands working within that price range,” Mukherjee said.

However, at the beginning of Tesla, some customers are likely to attract attention on electric cars in a market, where two-wheelers dominate EV space.

Khattar of the founders of the Adventage said, “People will at least put EVS in their views set. Will Tesla sell a lot of cars? I don’t think Tesla will increase the sales of other EV brands? I think,” I think that, “I think. ,

Tesla did not respond to the requests of the comment.