Anand Mahindra Warmly Welcomes Tesla's Entry Into Indian Market
The American electric vehicle manufacturing giant Tesla Inc. has finally entered India with its first Experience Centre (showroom) in Mumbai. Now, generally, when such a significant competitor enters the market, other automakers and their leaders tend to throw shade at the new entrant. However, the billionaire chairman of Mahindra Group, Anand Mahindra, is different. Recently, he shared a tweet welcoming Tesla Inc. and its billionaire CEO, Elon Musk, to India.
Anand Mahindra welcomes Tesla and Elon Musk
This particular tweet was shared by Anand Mahindra's official X account. In this post, he shared a screenshot of his and Elon Musk’s old tweets from 2017. In the latest tweet, Mahindra stated, “Welcome to India, @elonmusk and @Tesla. One of the world’s largest EV opportunities just got more exciting.”
In the same post, he added that competition drives innovation. The billionaire chairman highlighted that there is plenty of road ahead. He concluded by stating, “Looking forward to seeing you at the charging station.” Presently, Mahindra is one of the top ICE and electric SUV manufacturers in the country, with its latest models, the BE 6 and XEV 9E, being the stars of electric mobility from the brand.
Previous tweet
As mentioned, the Mahindra boss has shared a screenshot of his old tweet from 2017 in which he had quoted Elon Musk's tweet. Elon first tweeted, “India commits to sell only electric cars by 2030. It is already the largest market for Solar power.” Following this, Anand Mahindra in his tweet stated, “Time you got out here, Elon.”
He added that he (Elon) would not want to leave the whole market to Mahindra alone (in a cheeky manner). Anand Mahindra added, “The more the merrier—and greener..!” And in reply to this tweet, billionaire Elon Musk replied, “Good point :).”
Netizens’ reactions
A number of netizens were happy to see this warm welcome of Tesla by Anand Mahindra. They highlighted that competitors embracing each other is always beneficial for the buyers. A few users also welcomed Tesla to India. One of the users commented, “Welcome to India, @elonmusk. The land where ambition meets jugaad, and chaos often hides genius.”
He added, “It’s not just a market, it’s a mindset. And trust me, the EV game just got real. Let’s see how Tesla handles India’s roads, roadsides... and roadside tea stalls. Excited to watch this chapter unfold.”
Tesla Model Y launched in India
The first-ever Tesla Experience Centre was inaugurated by Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis in the presence of senior Tesla officials and the public. The 24,566 sq. ft. experience centre has been opened in Bandra Kurla Complex, and the first car to be launched and present on display is the Model Y SUV.
Tesla is offering the Model Y in two variants—Rear-Wheel Drive and Long Rear-Wheel Drive—priced at Rs 59.89 lakh and Rs 67.89 lakh, respectively. Both variants get single electric motors powering the rear wheels. However, the base variant makes 299 PS of power and 420 Nm of torque and gets a 60.5 kWh battery pack offering a 500 km range.
Meanwhile, the more expensive variant offers 340 PS of power and 450 Nm of torque. The Long Range model gets a bigger 75 kWh battery pack, providing a claimed range of 622 km. Both models get a panoramic glass roof, a 15.4-inch central touchscreen, and an 8-inch display for rear passengers. Tesla is also offering FSD (Full Self Driving) for Rs 6 lakh extra.