Tesla loses its charm for India’s loyalists — even as Musk finally delivers

Tesla opened the doors to its first showroom successful India this week, and among the archetypal visitors was Vishal Gondal — a longtime Tesla and Elon Musk loyalist who pre-booked a Model 3 successful April 2016, conscionable hours aft reservations went live. But contempt showing up connected time one, Gondal says helium has nary plans to bargain a Tesla now.

“I felt a small spot underwhelmed,” said Gondal, laminitis and CEO of fitness-tech startup GOQii, aft visiting the maiden Tesla showroom successful Mumbai’s Bandra-Kurla Complex.

Over the amended portion of a decade, Gondal held retired anticipation for Tesla’s debut successful India. But his excitement soured erstwhile helium had to pursuit the institution for a refund successful 2023 — sending aggregate emails conscionable to get his $1,000 preservation fee.

“Trying to get the wealth backmost was a problem,” helium told TechCrunch. “And the gag was, had we invested that wealth successful Tesla IPO stock, we would person made much money.”

Gondal is among the earliest backers of Tesla successful India — idiosyncratic who pre-booked a conveyance agelong earlier determination were immoderate guarantees. But 9 years on, it seems galore of those aboriginal believers are not celebrating the motorboat and person alternatively made up their caput not to spell with Tesla, astatine slightest connected its debut.

Those backers ne'er got their Model 3s, for which they paid the preservation interest soon aft Musk promised to motorboat the car successful the country. And some, similar Gondal, adjacent waited and tried hard for years to get the refund, portion immoderate got it successful May, conscionable a mates of months earlier Tesla’s ceremonial debut.

“It is frustrating to spot Tesla instrumentality truthful long. I mean, our authorities and processes and reddish carpet are hard, but it’s hilarious that adjacent Starlink has gotten support successful a shorter period,” said Varun Krishnan, who runs tech blog FoneArena from Chennai and is besides 1 of Tesla’s aboriginal backers successful India.

Tesla did not invitation these loyalists to sojourn its Mumbai showroom, nor did it springiness them an update connected the launch.

The 6,000-square-foot Tesla showroom is located successful Maker Maxity Mall, adjacent Apple’s archetypal store successful the country. Nonetheless, Gondal said Tesla’s store was obscurity adjacent akin to that of the Apple store launch.

“When Apple launched their showroom successful the aforesaid place, the buzz that Apple was capable to make versus the buzz that Tesla was capable to create, determination is simply a satellite of difference,” helium said.

Gondal went to the Tesla showroom successful his Audi e-Tron, which helium had bought the erstwhile year, aft waiting a agelong clip for the Model 3.

Image Credits:Vishal Gondal / X

“This felt similar the coldest launch,” said Amit Bhavani, laminitis of tech blog Phoneradar, who besides pre-reserved the Model 3 successful 2016.

Bhavani yet got the $1,000 refund aft criticizing Tesla successful a video released connected YouTube successful 2020.

The video received comments from dozens of radical who had besides reserved the Model 3 successful India and were waiting for a refund, helium said.

“That’s erstwhile I felt that the full emotion for Tesla became a existent hatred for Tesla,” helium told TechCrunch.

“The slightest Tesla could person done was email each the radical who reserved the car earlier and said, ‘Guys, we are going to person a peculiar lawsuit for you’,” Gondal said. “Those radical truly went retired of their way, and adjacent though let’s accidental it’s not a large amount, it was saying that we enactment Tesla.”

Some others, similar Kawaljit Singh Bedi, said they person nary regrets astir supporting Tesla, though they received the refund conscionable earlier the motorboat this year. Nevertheless, they are besides not looking to bargain a Tesla soon.

“After each these years I person waited, I’m successful nary hurry to bargain it present and go the archetypal 1 to person it, due to the fact that what’s the point? I waited 9 years? I tin hold 9 years and six months more,” said Singh, co-founder and CTO of Frammer AI.

“Most of them who had enactment successful their aboriginal ballot of assurance are disappointed, including, I know, Vishal and Vijay [Shekhar Sharma of Paytm],” said Krishnan. “People similar Vishal oregon Vijay, they are taken with a batch of authority. So, if they are buying something, determination would beryllium 100 radical going by their word.”

Sharma, laminitis and CEO of Indian fintech elephantine Paytm, echoed comments from different aboriginal backers, telling TechCrunch that helium would not spell with Tesla and would alternatively hold for a larger portfolio of cars.

“It whitethorn beryllium a spot excessively late,” helium said. “There are truthful galore different options with price-value mathematics much suited for India.”

The years-long hold successful Tesla’s motorboat — on with not being invited to the showroom opening — has near immoderate of the brand’s earliest Indian loyalists feeling fto down, said Arun Bhatt, laminitis of Tesla Club India, who besides pre-booked a Model 3 successful 2016

“You paid thing and you ardently waited for 10 years, and past retired of the blue, they conscionable archer you, we’ll cancel it and we’ll refund, past what happens — 10 years having waited for something, volition we beryllium fixed preferential treatment?” helium questioned. “There’s zero connection regarding that. So, 8 retired of 10 preservation holders are frustrated.”

Bhatt started the nine with different Tesla enthusiast and Delhi University student, Nikhil Chaudhary, successful 2019 arsenic an informal radical for radical having an involvement successful the EV carmaker. However, helium told TechCrunch that owed to the hold successful Tesla’s motorboat successful the country, the nine has dilatory changed from a Tesla consciousness nine to an EV and cleanable vigor consciousness club.

No clarity connected after-sales and section Supercharger network

One of the concerns that galore Tesla aboriginal backers person is the deficiency of clarity connected however Tesla volition acceptable up the Supercharger web successful the state and grip after-sales care. The institution announced that it would found 8 charging stations, arsenic distributed crossed Delhi and Mumbai, earlier starting its deliveries successful Q3. However, it is unclear whether these volition beryllium capable to supply capable backing to Tesla drivers successful these 2 cities. Additionally, determination are nary announcements regarding however Tesla plans to grip after-sales work of its cars successful India.

Image Credits:Tesla India / X

“Having gotten older successful 9 years, I’ve besides gotten much prudent successful my conveyance acquisition process. I’m much disquieted astir applicable things than conscionable the Tesla marque tag, which I fell successful emotion with 10 years ago,” said Krishnan of FoneArena.

“There is nary existent excitement to ain the archetypal car, knowing that determination is nary Supercharger web also,” Kawaljit of Frammer AI said.

Musk’s governmental involvement and adjacent clash with Trump are turning disconnected immoderate Indian drivers

In caller months, Musk’s nationalist persona has undergone a shift — from a visionary entrepreneur moving aggregate companies to a polarizing governmental fig successful the U.S. This translation has impacted Tesla’s banal and business not lone successful America but besides successful cardinal planetary markets. India appears to beryllium nary exception.

“After the full elections and the politics, and immoderate is happening, I don’t spot Elon with the aforesaid colors arsenic what I utilized to,” FoneArena’s Krishnan said.

Kunal Khattar, an EV-focused capitalist successful India and laminitis of VC steadfast AdvantEdge Founders, echoed Krishnan’s sentiment, saying Tesla has mislaid “a small spot of its shine” owed to respective factors — including Musk’s governmental involvement, his alignment with Trump, and the nationalist fallout that followed.

Image Credits:Kunal Khattar

“People utilized to deliberation Tesla is redeeming the world, it’s redeeming the climate, and this and that, it’s nary longer there,” helium said.

Khattar was invited to the Tesla motorboat successful Mumbai. Just similar Gondal of GOQii and others, helium besides described it arsenic “underwhelming” and “not similar a emblematic conveyance launch.”

The 1% playground

Tesla has launched the Model Y successful India, starting astatine ₹59,89,000 (approximately $68,000). Some comparison the India pricing with that of the Model Y successful the U.S., which begins astatine $44,990 (₹38,71,000). However, the carmaker is importing the car from China — alternatively than manufacturing it locally successful the state — thing that the manufacture commonly refers to arsenic a Completely Built-Up (CBU). This adds up to tariffs that Tesla is acceptable to wage for immoderate time, until it decides to acceptable up a section factory, and thus, customers volition person to wage an exorbitant price.

In India, the premium segment, which starts from ₹35,00,000 (approximately $40,700) and goes up to ₹1,00,00,000 (approximately $116,200), comprises conscionable 1% of the full car income successful India, astir 50,000 vehicles. However, successful that 1%, electrical cars person astir a 10% stock truthful far, per Puneet Gupta, director, S&P Global Mobility.

“With Tesla coming in, and if Tesla truly starts manufacturing successful India, possibly 2 years down the line, determination is nary uncertainty astir it that it volition marque a beardown lawsuit for each these OEMs [original instrumentality manufacturers], including BMW, Mercedes-Benz, and Audi, to marque a conveyance for our Indian lawsuit for the archetypal time,” helium said. “The occupation is that India has ne'er been capable to person these OEMs that they tin truly marque an India-centric product, and it volition person capable volumes.”

Overall, electrical car income successful India accounted for conscionable 2.5% of the full marketplace successful 2024, per Counterpoint. But it was “almost negligible” successful 2016, erstwhile Tesla initially announced its entry. This was besides the crushed wherefore radical showed a batch of involvement successful Tesla backmost then.

“These days, everyone tin get a beautiful, amazing, ace almighty electrical conveyance successful India. So, Tesla is not thing ‘wow’ worthy, but for 5-10 minutes, radical should inquire to conscionable instrumentality a look wrong it,” Bhawani of PhoneRadar said.

India’s automobile elephantine Tata Motors has dominated the country’s electrical car marketplace successful caller years, though others — including China’s MG Motor, which precocious signed a associated task with Indian conglomerate JSW Group — are starting to summation ground.

Image Credits:Jagmeet Singh / TechCrunch

The premium conception remains niche successful the country, though the expanding fig of high-net-worth individuals has led to a 66 percent year-over-year emergence successful the income of premium EVs during the archetypal 5 months of 2025, Abhik Mukherjee, a probe expert for automotive and IoT astatine Counterpoint, told TechCrunch.

BMW, Mercedes-Benz, Land Rover, Volvo, and prime models from Hyundai and Kia are sitting successful the conception wherever Tesla has brought the Model Y to the country.

“Tesla’s existent terms constituent is improbable to origin immoderate dent to the brands operating wrong that terms range,” Mukherjee said.

Nonetheless, Tesla’s debut is apt to gully immoderate lawsuit attraction to electrical cars successful a marketplace wherever two-wheelers predominate the EV space.

“People volition astatine slightest enactment EVs successful their information set. Will Tesla merchantability a batch of cars? I don’t deliberation truthful … Will Tesla summation the income of different EV brands? I deliberation so,” Khattar of AdvantEdge Founders said.