Elon Musk-owned Tesla is finally in India with its first showroom being inaugurated today in Mumbai with much fanfare. With it, the American car manufacturer has officially entered the Indian markets with its electric vehicles. The company and Musk received a warm welcome on their launch with even a competitor wishing them luck.

Mahindra Group Chairman Anand Mahindra extended a warm and sporting welcome to Elon Musk. “Welcome to India, @elonmusk and @Tesla. One of the world’s largest EV opportunities just got more exciting. Competition drives innovation and there’s plenty of road ahead. Looking forward to seeing you at the charging station,” Mahindra posted on X.

The industrialist also shared a nostalgic screenshot of a tweet exchange from 2017, in which he had playfully invited Musk to India before Tesla had global momentum. The screenshot showed Mahindra reacting to a 2017 tweet where Musk noted India’s ambition to shift to all-electric cars by 2030. “Time you got out here, Elon. You don’t want to leave the whole market to Mahindra, do you? The more the merrier and greener,” Mahindra had said. Musk then replied, “Good point.”

Eight years later, Tesla is here with its first Indian outlet in Maker Maxity Mall in Mumbai’s BKC. Tesla will offer two versions of its Model Y — a Rs 60.1 lakh rear-wheel drive and a long-range variant priced at Rs 67.8 lakh.

However, with India’s high import duties, Tesla’s prices remain steep, nearly twice what buyers pay in the US or China.