Tesla: Four months after entering the Indian market, sales still remain around 100 vehicles!
On December 28, the South Korean media "Global Economy" published an article stating that Tesla, the world's largest electric vehicle manufacturer, has underperformed in India, the country with the largest population.
Tesla opened its first store in Mumbai, the largest city and financial center of India, and began selling cars in July. The company recently also added a large showroom in Gurgaon, a suburb of Delhi.
However, according to the electric vehicle media Electrek, the cumulative sales over the past four months have only slightly exceeded 100 vehicles. For such a huge market with 1.4 billion people, this is a very poor start.
The Indian government has partially exempted import tariffs on electric vehicles since March this year, allowing foreign electric vehicles to be sold locally. However, the price of Tesla Model Y in the Indian market is 59.89 million rupees, approximately $67,000. This is significantly higher than the starting price of $40,000 for Model Y in the United States.
This high price greatly limits the purchasing power of Indian consumers. Electrek pointed out that luxury cars account for about 1% of the overall share of the Indian automobile market.
Tesla currently has one supercharger station installed in India and plans to add two more in Gurgaon. Although there are thousands of public electric vehicle charging stations across India, the number is still far from sufficient compared to the total population and vehicle demand in the country.
Additionally, some people criticize the body size of Model 3 and Model Y as being too large for the Indian urban environment. Considering factors such as traffic congestion, road width, and parking conditions, large electric vehicles are considered impractical. Electrek noted, "Compact, practical, and local brands have advantages in all aspects of urban driving, including time, fuel efficiency, and handling."
On the other hand, the Indian electric vehicle market is rapidly expanding. It is estimated that the number of registered electric vehicles in India this year is about 2 million, most of which are electric two-wheelers. Passenger electric vehicle sales are about 160,000, accounting for about 3% of the total passenger car market. Among them, Chinese-made electric vehicles are estimated to account for about 60,000, or one-third.
Local brands Tata and Mahindra dominate the market with highly competitive prices. German brands Mercedes-Benz, BMW, and Audi together sold 4,000 luxury electric vehicles, far exceeding Tesla.
Electrek commented, "Tesla's weak initial performance may be attributed to external factors, but considering the market size and the gap with competing brands, this performance is closer to a failure."
Original: toutiao.com/article/1852718625810508/
Statement: The article represents the views of the author."