Watch: Tesla delivers first Model Y in India to Maharashtra transport minister Pratap Sarnaik

New Delhi: Mumbai witnessed a bit of history on Thursday as Tesla handed over its first car in India, more than a month after opening its debut showroom at Bandra Kurla Complex. The delivery marked the official arrival of Elon Musk’s electric carmaker in the country’s premium EV market.

The customer was none other than Maharashtra Transport Minister Pratap Sarnaik, who drove away in a white Tesla Model Y. The handover was held at Tesla’s "Experience Centre,” which opened on July 15 and has since drawn steady footfalls from curious buyers and EV enthusiasts.

The exact trim of Sarnaik’s Model Y has not been revealed yet, though the carmaker is offering two India-specific variants. The standard Rear-Wheel Drive (RWD) version comes with a 60 kWh battery, delivering a claimed 500 km range and a 0–100 kmph sprint in 5.9 seconds. The Long Range RWD variant bumps the battery to 75 kWh, extends range to 622 km, and hits the same sprint in 5.6 seconds. Both versions top out at 201 kmph and feature 19-inch alloys along with Tesla’s well-known Supercharging support that can add up to 267 km of range in just 15 minutes.

The price tag is steep, starting at ₹59.89 lakh for the RWD and ₹67.89 lakh for the Long Range RWD (ex-showroom). Tesla’s Full Self-Driving package, though available, will set buyers back another ₹6 lakh.

According to Bloomberg, Tesla has already logged 600 bookings in India, a figure that is lower than the company had forecast. Reports suggest between 350 and 500 units will be shipped into the country this year, with the first batch arriving from Tesla’s Shanghai plant earlier in September.

For now, deliveries are restricted to Mumbai, Delhi, and Gurugram. Tesla has also opened showrooms in these cities, with bookings accessible via its official India website. Handovers for customers outside these hubs are expected later, possibly by the end of 2025.

India’s electric car market is still small, accounting for just 5% of overall car sales between April and July this year. That translates to 15,500 EVs sold, but the growth rate is significant — a 93% year-on-year jump. Tesla’s entry, even in limited numbers, is likely to give the segment more visibility and perhaps push local rivals like Tata, Mahindra, and Hyundai to sharpen their own EV play.

The Model Y sits at the higher end of the market, but for many buyers the draw is more about owning a Tesla than counting rupees at the fuel pump. That said, with local assembly yet to begin, import duties keep prices high and volumes low.