Tesla Loses Its Charm For India’s Loyalists — Even As Musk Finally Delivers

Tesla opened nan doors to its first showroom successful India this week, and among nan first 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 he 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 nan maiden Tesla showroom successful Mumbai’s Bandra-Kurla Complex.

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

“Trying to get nan money backmost was a problem,” he told TechCrunch. “And nan joke was, had we invested that money successful Tesla IPO stock, we would person made much money.”

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

Those backers ne'er sewage their Model 3s, for which they paid nan preservation interest soon aft Musk promised to motorboat nan car successful nan country. And some, for illustration Gondal, moreover waited and tried difficult for years to get nan refund, while immoderate sewage it successful May, conscionable a mates of months earlier Tesla’s general debut.

“It is frustrating to spot Tesla return truthful long. I mean, our authorities and processes and reddish carpet are hard, but it’s hilarious that moreover 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 early backers successful India.

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

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

“When Apple launched their showroom successful nan aforesaid place, nan buzz that Apple was capable to create versus nan buzz that Tesla was capable to create, location is simply a world of difference,” he said.

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

Image Credits:Vishal Gondal / X

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

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

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

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

“The slightest Tesla could person done was email each nan group who reserved nan car earlier and said, ‘Guys, we are going to person a typical arena for you’,” Gondal said. “Those group really went retired of their way, and moreover though let’s opportunity it’s not a large amount, it was saying that we support Tesla.”

Some others, for illustration Kawaljit Singh Bedi, said they person nary regrets astir supporting Tesla, though they received nan refund conscionable earlier nan 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 now and go nan first 1 to person it, because what’s nan 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 put successful their early ballot of assurance are disappointed, including, I know, Vishal and Vijay [Shekhar Sharma of Paytm],” said Krishnan. “People for illustration Vishal aliases Vijay, they are taken pinch a batch of authority. So, if they are buying something, location would beryllium 100 group going by their word.”

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

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

The years-long hold successful Tesla’s motorboat — on pinch not being invited to nan showroom opening — has near immoderate of nan brand’s earliest Indian loyalists emotion 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 nan blue, they conscionable show you, we’ll cancel it and we’ll refund, past what happens — 10 years having waited for something, will we beryllium fixed preferential treatment?” he questioned. “There’s zero connection regarding that. So, 8 retired of 10 preservation holders are frustrated.”

Bhatt started nan nine pinch different Tesla enthusiast and Delhi University student, Nikhil Chaudhary, successful 2019 arsenic an informal group for group having an liking successful nan EV carmaker. However, he told TechCrunch that owed to nan hold successful Tesla’s motorboat successful nan country, nan nine has slow changed from a Tesla consciousness nine to an EV and cleanable power consciousness club.

No clarity connected after-sales and section Supercharger network

One of nan concerns that galore Tesla early backers person is nan deficiency of clarity connected really Tesla will group up nan Supercharger web successful nan 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 will beryllium capable to supply capable backing to Tesla drivers successful these 2 cities. Additionally, location are nary announcements regarding really 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 worried astir applicable things than conscionable nan Tesla marque tag, which I fell successful emotion pinch 10 years ago,” said Krishnan of FoneArena.

“There is nary existent excitement to ain nan first car, knowing that location is nary Supercharger web also,” Kawaljit of Frammer AI said.

Musk’s governmental liking and moreover conflict pinch 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 nan U.S. This translator has impacted Tesla’s banal and business not only successful America but besides successful cardinal world markets. India appears to beryllium nary exception.

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

Kunal Khattar, an EV-focused investor successful India and laminitis of VC patient 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 pinch Trump, and nan nationalist fallout that followed.

Image Credits:Kunal Khattar

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

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

The 1% playground

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

In India, nan 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 nan full car income successful India, astir 50,000 vehicles. However, successful that 1%, electrical cars person almost a 10% stock truthful far, per Puneet Gupta, director, S&P Global Mobility.

“With Tesla coming in, and if Tesla really starts manufacturing successful India, possibly 2 years down nan line, location is nary uncertainty astir it that it will make a beardown lawsuit for each these OEMs [original instrumentality manufacturers], including BMW, Mercedes-Benz, and Audi, to make a conveyance for our Indian customer for nan first time,” he said. “The problem is that India has ne'er been capable to person these OEMs that they tin really make an India-centric product, and it will person capable volumes.”

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

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

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

Image Credits:Jagmeet Singh / TechCrunch

The premium conception remains niche successful nan country, though nan expanding number of high-net-worth individuals has led to a 66 percent year-over-year emergence successful nan income of premium EVs during nan first 5 months of 2025, Abhik Mukherjee, a investigation 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 nan conception wherever Tesla has brought nan Model Y to nan country.

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

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

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