Tesla shakes automotive world with announcement regarding major new facility: 'We wish to see R&D and manufacturing done [here]'
Half a dozen display vehicles were imported for the July 15 launch, which was intended to gauge interest among consumers.
One of the challenges facing Tesla in the market is sky-high tariffs, which amount to around 70% on imported vehicles, according to Teslarati. With no manufacturing facilities in the country, the company has no choice but to import its vehicles, at least until a domestic production plant can be brought online, which would take years.
"In the future, we wish to see R&D and manufacturing done in India, and I am sure at the appropriate stage, Tesla will think about it," said Devendra Fadnavis, chief minister of Maharashtra, according to Reuters.
The tariffs make India's Teslas far more expensive than they are in other markets.
The Model Y will sell for roughly $70,000 in its standard rear-wheel-drive configuration, while the long-range model will start at nearly $79,000, per Reuters. These vehicles sell in the United States for around $32,500 and $46,000.
The move into the Indian marketplace comes as Tesla's global sales continue to slump. From April through June, Tesla sold 13% fewer vehicles than it did during the same period a year prior, CBS News reported.
Overall, Tesla's share of the U.S. EV market has plummeted from 60% in 2020 to 38% in 2024, largely because of stiffer competition, according to the International Energy Agency.
Perhaps most troubling, Tesla has struggled even as overall sales of electric vehicles have climbed.
In 2024, 1 in 5 new cars sold was an EV, totaling 17 million worldwide and an increase of 25% over the year prior, the IEA found.
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Electric vehicles help improve public health, particularly in cities, where particulate matter and other pollutants from internal combustion engines contribute to a range of health problems.
According to the World Health Organization, air pollution combined with household air pollution causes 7 million premature deaths every year, and 99% of the world's population lives in areas where the air does not meet minimum health standards.
The vast majority of this pollution comes from the burning of dirty energy sources, such as gas, oil, and coal, which releases heat-trapping gases into the atmosphere, contributing to rising global temperatures.
Thus, EVs are a win-win for public health and for mitigating the worst impacts of the warming planet.
A great way to enhance the environmental and public health benefits of driving an EV is to charge it with solar energy. By installing solar panels on your home, you can drop your electricity bill to practically nothing while charging your EV for less than it would cost at a public charging station or via the grid.
EnergySage offers a free tool that makes it easy to compare quotes from vetted solar installers in your area, saving customers up to $10,000 in the process.
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