Musk goes all-in: Tesla enters India amid falling sales

Tesla will open its first car showroom in India. Amid falling sales, investor pressure and outdated models, Musk is betting on one of the fastest-growing markets. The risks are many, but the choices are few.

Here's What We Know

Tesla's first car showroom in India will open in Mumbai on 15 July. The presentation, scheduled for the morning at the prestigious Bandra Kurla Complex neighbourhood, will be not just a debut in a new market - but an attempt to emerge from the global dip. The invitations make it sound pretty: the Tesla Experience Centre, but behind the gloss lies a desperate need.

In the first months of 2025, Tesla's sales are down 13.5 per cent. The reasons are a long-overdue model lineup, aggressive competition from GM, Ford, Volkswagen, BYD and others, and the reputational failures of Ilon Musk himself. His political statements and social media scandals have alienated some of his loyal audience. Plus, trade barriers in the US and Canada, disappearing tax breaks and macroeconomic swings.

And now India

The world's third-largest auto market, ambitious government electric car programmes i a growing middle class....Tesla has no factory in the country and the next deliveries will come directly from Shanghai. The first batch, already on its way, is mostly Model Y.

Tesla hinted in advance that the launch was imminent: the company started an official account @Tesla_India on the X platform (former Twitter) and limited itself to a laconic tweet - "Soon". No exact dates, no models, no prices. Just tacit confidence - in the spirit of Musk. Zero adverts, zero expectations.

The sceptics, however, are not slumbering. Analysts at ValueAct have already called it "a less profitable and less competitive version of the failed Tesla China". And logistics, duties, and lack of local production are not the easiest starting conditions.

Still, for Musk, the move is an opportunity to change the narrative: not failure but expansion, not desperation but expansion. A new market, new fans, a new picture for investors.

Still, the question remains: is India a chance for Tesla to restart or a last-ditch attempt to pretend that everything is under control?

Source: @Tesla_India | Gizmodo