Elon Musk says high import duties will make Tesla electric cars unaffordable in India
Responding to a question on when Tesla will enter India, Elon Musk in said a tweet: “I’m told import duties are extremely high (up to 100 per cent), even for electric cars. This would make our cars unaffordable.”
HIGHLIGHTS
- Tesla electric vehicle (EV) range currently comprises of Model 3, Model S and Model X.
- In March, Musk had said that Tesla would definitely arrive in India by 2020, if not this year.
- Several years back, the CEO had talked about his plans to enter the country with Model 3.
Elon Musk has been frequently talking about Tesla’s plans to arrive in India. In a recent interaction with the students of Indian Institute of Technology Madras, the Tesla CEO had made public his plans to enter the country by 2020. Now Musk has said that the high import duties will make Tesla electric cars unaffordable in India.
The Tesla CEO regularly takes to Twitter to divulge important details about his company. Responding to a question on when Tesla will enter India, Elon Musk in said a tweet: “I’m told import duties are extremely high (up to 100 per cent), even for electric cars. This would make our cars unaffordable.”
Tesla electric vehicle (EV) range currently comprises of Model 3, Model S and Model X. The entry-level Tesla Model 3 is available in three trims — Standard Plus, Long Range and Performance. The Standard Plus is priced at USD 38,990, Long Range at USD 47,990 and Performance at USD 54,990.
Tesla Model 3 had recently achieved five stars in the ANCAP safety ratings, which are published for a range of new passenger, sports utility and light commercial vehicles entering the Australian and New Zealand markets. The electric car has scored five stars in the Euro NCAP (European New Car Assessment Programme) crash tests as well.
In another tweet, Musk said: “For other countries, we pay in part for the local factory by selling cars there ahead of time. Also, gives a sense of demand. Current rules in India prevent that, but recent changes in sales tax give hope for future changes.”
In March, Musk had said that Tesla would definitely arrive in India by 2020, if not this year. Several years back, the CEO had talked about his plans to enter the country with Model 3.
The Government of India is aiming at making the country a global EV manufacturing hub. A tax benefit of Rs 1.5 lakh on the interest paid on the loans taken for the purchase of the EVs has been announced. The GST rate on EVs has been reduced to 5 per cent from 12 per cent. Besides, the tax rate on chargers or charging stations for EVs has been lowered to 5 per cent from 18 per cent.
In July, Hyundai launched Kona electric SUV in India for a starting price of Rs 25.30 lakh (ex-showroom) and received 120 confirmed bookings within 10 days of the launch. Towards the end of 2019, Audi will also introduce e-tron in the country and we are expecting it to be priced around Rs 1.15 crore (ex-showroom, India). In December, MG will drive in EZS electric SUV in India.
Source : indiatoday
