The internet and social media has been buzzing with Tesla updates ever since the American electric vehicle (EV) giant officially set foot in India with its first shop in Mumbai. The company also launched its first product in the country — Model Y — at a starting price of Rs 59.89 lakh (ex-showroom).
The images on social media suggest frenzy and excitement at the company’s first experience centre set up at the Bandra Kurla Complex in the financial capital. Many of them would have come to just witness the first Tesla showroom in the country while many would have turned up to book their next ride.
With rain pouring down outside the showroom, the centre was infested with drenched media personnel, some brawny bouncers, and some quiet salespersons. The showroom housed three units of Model Y coloured in white, red and black. But it wasn’t just people from Mumbai or nearby areas who had turned at the Tesla showroom inauguration.
Tesla Model Y bookings commence
According to NDTV Profit, Tesla has already started receiving bookings across variants for the Model Y since it went live on the company website on Tuesday. We tried to get in touch with Tesla about the exact number of bookings received from Model Y but there has been no appropriate response from the company yet.
The report mentions that customers were lining up at the two booking desks, waiting for their turn to confirm their new shiny electric cars. Sales representatives were busy taking groups of people around the three cars on display, explaining details like the range and features of the Elon Musk-led firm’s cheapest model.
A Thane-based businessman who owns cars from luxury brands such as a Range Rover, Mercedes, Lexus, Mini Cooper and an Audi, arrived at BKC to add Tesla to his garage. He booked a long-range Model Y for himself and also paid an additional Rs 6 lakh for Tesla’s revolutionary full self driving (FSD) feature despite not being able to use it anytime soon.
He said the FSD feature can’t be used in Mumbai but it can be tested in the highways. He added that he tried buying the Model Y from Dubai last year, but the pricing and logistics didn’t work out in his favour.
Tesla Model Y test drives not available
A Hyderabad-based businessman recently visited to book a Tesla for his company and is currently awaiting a test drive. However, Tesla has not yet commenced test drives for the Model Y crossover. According to him, the company has assured customers that they will be contacted once the vehicle is ready for test drives. A Tesla showroom employee added that test drives will begin once the company completes internal compliance processes and receives a sufficient number of orders to justify their rollout.
Tesla Model Y is available in two variants — Long Range Rear-Wheel Drive (RWD) and Long Range All-Wheel Drive (AWD).The former is priced at Rs 59.89 lakh while the latter is available at Rs 67.89 lakh (both ex-showroom). The Long Range RWD version delivers an estimated range of 574 km (EPA) and can accelerate from 0 to 100 kmph in 5.4 seconds. The Long Range AWD model, equipped with dual motors, provides a range of 527 km and achieves 0 to 100 kmph in 4.6 seconds.