Tesla, one of the most popular electric car manufacturers, has received approval from India’s vehicle testing and certification agencies to deploy three additional EV models in the country.

According to Vahan Sewa, Tesla India Motors and Energy — Tesla Inc.’s Indian subsidiary — has received approval for a total of seven EV models following the recent addition of three new models.

Even though Tesla established its Indian subsidiary in January 2021, the American electric car maker is yet to publicly announce the commercial deployment of its fully electric cars in India.

Reportedly, the EV-maker’s Indian unit based in Bengaluru has been lobbying persistently for reduced import duty with the Centre, while the Indian government continues to encourage local EV manufacturers in an attempt to emerge as an EV production hub.

Notorious power struggle with current powerhouse China, which at present accounts for 70% of the world’s electric car production, has notably driven the government to impose effective import regulations.

At present, the government implements 100% import duty on EVs in India if the CIF (cost insurance and freight) is above $40,000, whereas if the CIF value is below $40,000, a 60% import duty is applied.

Tesla’s Model Y and Model 3 are reportedly valued within the range of $38,700 to $41,200, which accounted for 90% of the EV maker’s volumes in 2020 while the balance share of 10% was contributed by Model S and Model X of the company, priced in the range of $81,200 to $91,200.

Speculations have it that since earlier this year, Tesla has been working towards building a robust manpower in India and has employed a number of experienced personnel at the top of hierarchy.

As of now, Prashanth Menon, who has served at Tesla for over four years, is overseeing operations in India.

Source Credits: https://www.thehindubusinessline.com/companies/tesla-gets-approval-for-launch-of-three-more-models-in-india/article37940499.ece