{"id":78349,"date":"2025-07-20T15:52:16","date_gmt":"2025-07-20T15:52:16","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/78349\/"},"modified":"2025-07-20T15:52:16","modified_gmt":"2025-07-20T15:52:16","slug":"tesla-loses-its-charm-for-indias-loyalists-even-as-musk-finally-delivers","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/78349\/","title":{"rendered":"Tesla loses its charm for India’s loyalists \u2014 even as Musk finally delivers"},"content":{"rendered":"

Tesla opened the doors to its first showroom in India<\/a> this week, and among the first visitors was Vishal Gondal \u2014 a longtime Tesla and Elon Musk loyalist who pre-booked a Model 3 in April 2016, just hours after reservations went live. But despite showing up on day one, Gondal says he has no plans to buy a Tesla now.<\/p>\n

\u201cI felt a little bit underwhelmed,\u201d said Gondal, founder and CEO of fitness-tech startup GOQii, after visiting the maiden Tesla showroom in Mumbai\u2019s Bandra-Kurla Complex.<\/p>\n

Over the better part of a decade, Gondal held out hope for Tesla\u2019s debut in India. But his excitement soured when he had to chase the company for a refund in 2023 \u2014 sending multiple emails just to get his $1,000 reservation fee.<\/p>\n

\u201cTrying to get the money back was a problem,\u201d he told TechCrunch. \u201cAnd the joke was, had we invested that money in Tesla IPO stock, we would have made more money.\u201d<\/p>\n

Gondal is among the earliest backers of Tesla in India \u2014 someone who pre-booked a vehicle long before there were any guarantees. But nine years on, it seems many of those early believers are not celebrating the launch and have instead made up their mind not to go with Tesla, at least on its debut.<\/p>\n

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 Gondal, even waited and tried hard for years to get the refund, while some got it in May, just a couple of months before Tesla\u2019s formal debut.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt is frustrating to see Tesla take so long. I mean, our government and processes and red carpet are hard, but it\u2019s hilarious that even Starlink has gotten approval in a shorter period,\u201d said Varun Krishnan, who runs tech blog FoneArena from Chennai and is also one of Tesla\u2019s early backers in India.<\/p>\n

Techcrunch event<\/p>\n

\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tSan Francisco
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t|
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tOctober 27-29, 2025\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n

Tesla did not invite these loyalists to visit its Mumbai showroom, nor did it give them an update on the launch.<\/p>\n

The 6,000-square-foot Tesla showroom is located in Maker Maxity Mall, near Apple\u2019s first store in the country. Nonetheless, Gondal said Tesla\u2019s store was nowhere near similar to that of the Apple store launch.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhen Apple launched their showroom in the same place, the buzz that Apple was able to create versus the buzz that Tesla was able to create, there is a world of difference,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

Gondal went to the Tesla showroom in his Audi e-Tron, which he had bought the previous year, after waiting a long time for the Model 3.<\/p>\n

\"\"Image Credits:<\/strong>Vishal Gondal \/ X<\/p>\n

\u201cThis felt like the coldest launch,\u201d said Amit Bhawani, founder of tech blog Phoneradar, who also pre-reserved the Model 3 in 2016.<\/p>\n

Bhawani eventually got the $1,000 refund after criticizing Tesla in a video<\/a> released on YouTube in 2020.<\/p>\n

The video received comments from dozens of people who had also reserved the Model 3 in India and were waiting for a refund, he said.<\/p>\n

\u201cThat\u2019s when I felt that the whole love for Tesla became a real hatred for Tesla,\u201d he told TechCrunch.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe least Tesla could have done was email all the people who reserved the car earlier and said, \u2018Guys, we are going to have a special event for you\u2019,\u201d Gondal said. \u201cThose people really went out of their way, and even though let\u2019s say it\u2019s not a big amount, it was saying that we support Tesla.\u201d<\/p>\n

Some others, like Kawaljit Singh Bedi, said they have no regrets about supporting Tesla, although they received the refund just before the launch this year. Nevertheless, they are also not looking to buy a Tesla soon.<\/p>\n

\u201cAfter all these years I have waited, I\u2019m in no hurry to buy it now and become the first one to have it, because what\u2019s the point? I waited nine years? I can wait nine years and six months more,\u201d said Bedi, co-founder and CTO of Frammer AI.<\/p>\n

\u201cMost of them who had put in their early vote of confidence are disappointed, including, I know, Vishal and Vijay [Shekhar Sharma of Paytm],\u201d said Krishnan. \u201cPeople like Vishal or Vijay, they are taken with a lot of authority. So, if they are buying something, there would be 100 people going by their word.\u201d<\/p>\n

Sharma, founder and CEO of Indian fintech giant Paytm, echoed comments from other early backers, telling TechCrunch that he would not go with Tesla and would rather wait for a larger portfolio of cars.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt may be a bit too late,\u201d he said. \u201cThere are so many other options with price-value math more suited for India.\u201d<\/p>\n

The years-long delay in Tesla\u2019s launch \u2014 along with not being invited to the showroom opening \u2014 has left some of the brand\u2019s earliest Indian loyalists feeling let down, said Arun Bhatt, founder of Tesla Club India<\/a>, who also pre-booked a Model 3 in 2016<\/p>\n

\u201cYou paid something and you ardently waited for 10 years, and then out of the blue, they just tell you, we\u2019ll cancel it and we\u2019ll refund, then what happens \u2014 10 years having waited for something, will we be given preferential treatment?\u201d he questioned. \u201cThere\u2019s zero communication regarding that. So, eight out of 10 reservation holders are frustrated.\u201d<\/p>\n

Bhatt started the club with another Tesla enthusiast and Delhi University student, Nikhil Chaudhary, in 2019 as an informal group for people having an interest in the EV carmaker. However, he told TechCrunch that due to the delay in Tesla\u2019s launch in the country, the club has slowly changed from a Tesla awareness club to an EV and clean energy awareness club.<\/p>\n

No clarity on after-sales and local Supercharger network<\/p>\n

One of the concerns that many Tesla early backers have is the lack of clarity on how Tesla will set up the Supercharger network in the country and handle after-sales care. The company announced that it would establish eight charging stations, equally distributed across Delhi and Mumbai, before starting its deliveries in Q3. However, it is unclear whether these will be sufficient to provide enough backing to Tesla drivers in these two cities. Additionally, there are no announcements regarding how Tesla plans to handle after-sales service of its cars in India.<\/p>\n

\"\"Image Credits:<\/strong>Tesla India \/ X<\/p>\n

\u201cHaving gotten older in nine years, I\u2019ve also gotten more prudent in my vehicle purchase process. I\u2019m more worried about practical things than just the Tesla brand tag, which I fell in love with 10 years ago,\u201d said Krishnan of FoneArena.<\/p>\n

\u201cThere is no real excitement to own the first car, knowing that there is no Supercharger network also,\u201d Bedi of Frammer AI said.<\/p>\n

Musk\u2019s political interest and even clash with Trump are turning off some Indian drivers<\/p>\n

In recent months, Musk\u2019s public persona has undergone a shift<\/a> \u2014 from a visionary entrepreneur running multiple companies to a polarizing political figure in the U.S. This transformation has impacted Tesla\u2019s stock and business<\/a> not only in America but also in key international markets. India appears to be no exception.<\/p>\n

\u201cAfter the whole elections and the politics, and whatever is happening, I don\u2019t see Elon with the same colors as what I used to,\u201d FoneArena\u2019s Krishnan said.<\/p>\n

Kunal Khattar, an EV-focused investor in India and founder of VC firm AdvantEdge Founders, echoed Krishnan\u2019s sentiment, saying Tesla has lost \u201ca little bit of its shine\u201d due to several factors \u2014 including Musk\u2019s political involvement, his alignment with Trump, and the public fallout that followed.<\/p>\n

\"\"Image Credits:<\/strong>Kunal Khattar<\/p>\n

\u201cPeople used to think Tesla is saving the world, it\u2019s saving the climate, and this and that, it\u2019s no longer there,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

Khattar was invited to the Tesla launch in Mumbai. Just like Gondal of GOQii and others, he also described it as \u201cunderwhelming\u201d and \u201cnot like a typical vehicle launch.\u201d<\/p>\n

The 1% playground<\/p>\n

Tesla has launched the Model Y in India, starting at \u20b959,89,000 (approximately $68,000). Some compare the India pricing with that of the Model Y in the U.S., which begins at $44,990 (\u20b938,71,000). However, the carmaker is importing the car from China \u2014 rather than manufacturing it locally in the country \u2014 something that the industry commonly refers to as a Completely Built-Up (CBU). This adds up to tariffs that Tesla is set to pay for some time, until it decides to set up a local factory, and thus, customers will have to pay an exorbitant price.<\/p>\n

In India, the premium segment, which starts from \u20b935,00,000 (approximately $40,700) and goes up to \u20b91,00,00,000 (approximately $116,200), comprises just 1% of the total car sales in India, roughly 50,000 vehicles. However, in that 1%, electric cars have almost a 10% share so far, per Puneet Gupta, director, S&P Global Mobility.<\/p>\n

\u201cWith Tesla coming in, and if Tesla really starts manufacturing in India, maybe two years down the line, there is no doubt about it that it will make a strong case for all these OEMs [original equipment manufacturers], including BMW, Mercedes-Benz, and Audi, to make a vehicle for our Indian customer for the first time,\u201d he said. \u201cThe problem is that India has never been able to convince these OEMs that they can really make an India-centric product, and it will have sufficient volumes.\u201d<\/p>\n

Overall, electric car sales in India accounted for just 2.5% of the total market in 2024, per Counterpoint. But it was \u201calmost negligible\u201d in 2016, when Tesla initially announced its entry. This was also the reason why people showed a lot of interest in Tesla back then.<\/p>\n

\u201cThese days, everyone can get a beautiful, amazing, super powerful electric vehicle in India. So, Tesla is not something \u2018wow\u2019 worthy, except for 5-10 minutes, people should ask to just take a look inside it,\u201d Bhawani of PhoneRadar said.<\/p>\n

India\u2019s automobile giant Tata Motors has dominated the country\u2019s electric car market in recent years, though others \u2014 including China\u2019s MG Motor, which recently signed a joint venture with Indian conglomerate JSW Group \u2014 are starting to gain ground.<\/p>\n

\"\"Image Credits:<\/strong>Jagmeet Singh \/ TechCrunch<\/p>\n

The premium segment remains niche in the country, though the increasing number of high-net-worth individuals has led to a 66 percent year-over-year rise in the sales of premium EVs during the first five months of 2025, Abhik Mukherjee, a research analyst for automotive and IoT at Counterpoint, told TechCrunch.<\/p>\n

BMW, Mercedes-Benz, Land Rover, Volvo, and select models from Hyundai and Kia are sitting in the segment where Tesla has brought the Model Y to the country.<\/p>\n

\u201cTesla\u2019s current price point is unlikely to cause any dent to the brands operating within that price range,\u201d Mukherjee said.<\/p>\n

Nonetheless, Tesla\u2019s debut is likely to draw some customer attention to electric cars in a market where two-wheelers dominate the EV space.<\/p>\n

\u201cPeople will at least put EVs in their consideration set. Will Tesla sell a lot of cars? I don\u2019t think so \u2026 Will Tesla increase the sales of other EV brands? I think so,\u201d Khattar of AdvantEdge Founders said.<\/p>\n

Tesla did not respond to requests for comment.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Tesla opened the doors to its first showroom in India this week, and among the first visitors was…\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":78350,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[6],"tags":[64,21767,66,54166,50734,7829,54167,67,132,68],"class_list":{"0":"post-78349","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-business","8":"tag-business","9":"tag-byd","10":"tag-elon-musk","11":"tag-mg-motors","12":"tag-tata-motors","13":"tag-tesla","14":"tag-tesla-india","15":"tag-united-states","16":"tag-unitedstates","17":"tag-us"},"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"https:\/\/pubeurope.com\/@us\/114886367233958205","error":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/78349","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=78349"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/78349\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/78350"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=78349"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=78349"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=78349"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}