Keystone-SDA
The American car manufacturer Tesla leaves to conquer the most populous country on the planet by inaugurating Tuesday in the megalopolis of Bombay (west) its first Indian concession, at a time when its world sales are receding.
(Keystone-ATS) His boss Elon Musk has long made India and its 1.4 billion inhabitants a privileged target, believing that it offered “more prospects than no other country in the world”.
His ambitions were however hampered by the high level of local customs duties aimed at electric vehicles, “among the highest in the world”, according to the multimillionaire.
India has since offered a reduction in its taxes on “green” cars imported to all foreign manufacturers who promise in exchange to set up factories on its soil.
Tesla has not yet announced this type of investment. According to local media, the first Tesla vehicles sold in India will come out of the Chinese assembly lines.
Fall in sales
The manufacturer announced last week a decrease in its world sales for the second consecutive quarter, against the backdrop of increased competition and consumer reaction to Elon Musk collaboration with Donald Trump.
According to analysts, Tesla sales should initially remain limited in India, however the third world automotive market.
“We anticipate a figure of 500 to 700 monthly sales at the start, which should then fall to 200-300,” said analyst Soumen Mandal for AFP of the Counterpoint firm.
The electric vehicle segment posted a strong increase in 2024 in India, but for around 100,000 copies sold barely or less than 3% of the entire market.
The sale price of a Tesla model is displayed there from $ 70,000 on the manufacturer’s Indian site, much above the means of most local buyers.
Under the threat of the sharp increase in customs duties brandished by Donald Trump, India has been negotiating a trade agreement with the United States for several weeks.
The Indian government gave its green light last month to operations on its territory of the telecommunications network and Internet access Starlink by Elon Musk.
