Tesla opened the door to India’s first showroom this week, with first visitors being Vishal Gondal, a loyalist from Tesla and Elon Musk who pre-booked the Model 3 in April 2016. However, despite appearing on the first day, Gondal says he has no plans to buy a Tesla now.
After visiting the Maiden Tesla showroom at Bandrakurula Complex in Mumbai, Gondal, founder and CEO of fitness technology startup GOQII, said:
For most of the decade, Gondal was hopeful for Tesla’s debut in India. However, his excitement got worse when he had to chase after the company in 2023 looking for a refund. I sent multiple emails just to get his $1,000 booking fee.
“It was a problem trying to get the money back,” he told TechCrunch. “And the joke is that if they had invested that money in Tesla IPO stocks, they would have made more money.”
Gondal is one of the earliest supporters of Tesla in India. He was a person who booked the vehicle in advance long before the warranty was in place. However, nine years later, many of those early followers are not celebrating the launch and seemingly determined not to go with Tesla at least when they debuted.
These supporters never got the Model 3. I paid the reservation fee shortly after Musk had promised to launch the car domestically. And while some, like Gondal, waited years and worked hard to get a refund, they got it in May a few months before Tesla’s official debut.
“It’s frustrating to see Tesla take so long. So it’s difficult for the government and the process and the red carpet, but it’s funny that even Starlink got approval in a short period of time.”
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Tesla did not invite these loyalists to visit the Mumbai showrooms and gave them no updates on the launch.
The 6,000-square-foot Tesla showroom is located at Maker Maxity Mall, near Apple’s first store. Nevertheless, Gondal said the Tesla store is not the same as the Apple Store launcher.
“When Apple launched a showroom in the same place, there’s a world of difference between the topics that Apple was able to create and the topics that Tesla was able to create,” he said.
After waiting for the Model 3 for a long time, Gondal went to the Tesla showroom at the Audi E-Tron, which he purchased the previous year.
“This felt like the coldest launch,” said Amit Bhavani, founder of Tech Blog Phonerdar, who pre-ordered the Model 3 in 2016.
Bhavani ultimately received a $1,000 refund after criticising Tesla for a video released on YouTube in 2020.
He said the video received comments from dozens of people who reserved the Indian Model 3 and were waiting for a refund.
“That’s when I felt that my love for Tesla became a real hatred for Tesla,” he told TechCrunch.
“The thing that Tesla wasn’t done was emailing everyone who previously booked the car and said, ‘Guys, we’re going to do a special event for you,'” Gondal said. “These people really made it out of their way. They said they were supporting Tesla, even though they said it wasn’t a mass.”
Some other people, like Kawaljit Singh Bedi, have said they have received a refund just before the launch this year, but have no regrets about Tesla’s support. Nevertheless, they are not about to buy a Tesla anytime soon.
“After these years I’ve been waiting for, I’m not going to be the first thing I have now bought it. Because I’ve been waiting nine years? I can wait six months more than nine years.”
“Most of them, who voted early confident votes, are disappointed, including Vishal and Vijay. [Shekhar Sharma of Paytm]Krishnan said. So if they’re buying something, 100 people will go in their words. ”
Sharma, founder and CEO of Indian Fintech Giant Paytm, repeatedly commented from other early supporters, informing TechCrunch that he would not go with Tesla and wait for a larger portfolio of cars.
“It might be a little too late,” he said. “There are many other options for mathematics with price values that are suitable for India.”
The long-standing delay in Tesla’s launch, along with not being invited to the showroom opening, disappointed some of the brand’s earliest Indian loyalists, said Arunbat, founder of Tesla Club India, who pre-booked the Model 3 in 2016.
“You paid something, waited for 10 years, then you came out of the blue and they just told you, we cancel it, refunded, what will happen? He asked. “There’s zero communication about it. So, 8 out of the 10 reservation holders are frustrated.”
Bhatt started the club in 2019, along with Tesla enthusiasts and Delhi University student Nikhil Chaudhary as an informal group for those interested in EV Carmaker. However, he told TechCrunch that Tesla’s domestic launch was delayed, and the club was slowly changed from Tesla Awareness Club to the EV and Clean Energy Awareness Club.
There is no clarity in aftersales and local supercharger networks
One concern many early Tesla supporters have is that they are not clear about how Tesla will set up a supercharger network in the country and handle after-sales care. The company announced that it would establish eight charging stations equally distributed to Delhi and Mumbai before it began deliveries in the third quarter. However, it is unclear whether it is sufficient to provide sufficient support for Tesla drivers in these two cities. Furthermore, there is no announcement about how Tesla will handle post-sale services for cars in India.
“I’m older at the age of nine, so I’ve also become wise in the vehicle buying process. I’m worried about practical things, not just the Tesla brand tag I fell in love with 10 years ago,” says Fonearena’s Krishnan.
“There’s no real excitement to own your first car knowing there’s no supercharger network,” said Bedi of Frammer Ai.
Musk’s political interests and even clash with Trump has turned off Indian drivers
In recent months, Musk’s public persona has undergone a shift from visionary entrepreneurs running multiple businesses to polarized American political figures. India doesn’t seem to be an exception.
“I haven’t seen Elon the same colour as before, the whole election and politics, and what’s going on,” said Foneana’s Krishnan.
Kunal Khattar, an EV-focused investor to India and founder of the VC company dominance founder, reiterating Krishnan’s sentiment, said Tesla lost “a bit of sparkle” due to several factors, including Musk’s political involvement, his partnership with Trump and the following public fallout.
“Tesla thought it was saving the world, it was saving the climate.
Khattar was invited to the Tesla launch in Mumbai. Like Gondal of Goqii, he described it as “overwhelming” and “not like a typical vehicle launch.”
1% play area
Tesla launched the Model Y in India, starting at £59,89,000 (approximately $68,000). Prices in India are compared to prices for the US Model Y starting at $44,990 (£38,71,000). However, car manufacturers import cars from China rather than locally manufacture them domestically. The industry is commonly referred to as a fully built-in thing (CBU). This leads to tariffs that Tesla will be paying for some time until it decides to set up a local factory. Therefore, customers must pay exorbitant prices.
In India, the premium segment began at £35,00,000 (approx. $40,700) and rose to £1,00,000 (approx. $116,200), consisting of just 1% of India’s total car sales, and about 50,000 vehicles. However, in that 1%, electric vehicles have had almost a 10% share so far, according to Puneet Gupta, director of S&P Global Mobility.
“If Tesla comes in and Tesla actually starts manufacturing in India, then perhaps two years from now, we’re sure to make a strong claim against all of these OEMs. [original equipment manufacturers]”We’ll be building our first vehicle for Indian customers, including BMW, Mercedes-Benz and Audi,” he said.
Overall, Indian electric vehicle sales account for just 2.5% of the total market in 2024, per counterpoint. However, when Tesla first announced its entry in 2016, it was “almost negligible.” This was also why people showed a lot of interest in Tesla at the time.
“Everyone can get a beautiful, amazing, and extremely powerful electric vehicle in India these days. So Tesla is not “amazing” except for 5-10 minutes.
Indian automotive giant Tata Motors has dominated the country’s electric vehicle market in recent years, but others have begun to gain position, including China’s MG Motor, which recently signed a joint venture with Indian conglomerate JSW Group.
The premium segment remains a domestic niche, but sales of premium EVs increased 66% year-on-year as the number of individuals with a high NET was growing in the first five months of 2025.
The BMW, Mercedes-Benz, Land Rover, Volvo, and Hyundai and Kia selection models sit in the segment where Tesla brought the Model Y to the country.
“Tesla’s current price range is unlikely to cause dents in brands operating within that price range,” Mukherjee said.
Nevertheless, Tesla’s debut is likely to attract customers’ attention in a market where motorcycles dominate the EV space.
“People at least consider EVs. Does Tesla sell a lot of cars? I don’t think so… Will Tesla increase sales for other EV brands?”
Tesla did not respond to requests for comment.
