Electric carmaker, Tesla, unveiled its cheapest model, Model 3, last year and since then news has been going around pointing at a launch in India as well. While the car is definitely coming to India, Model 3 might take some time to actually launch here.
On July 28, Musk announced the delivery of 30 models to owners and successive deliveries from hereon. The sedan is available in the US for $35,000 or almost Rs. 25 lakh(when it comes it India sans duties).
In fact, India is only one of the countries that the company is looking for to go global. Model 3 will also be launched in other developed or developing countries such as Brazil, South Africa, New Zealand, South Korea, Singapore and Ireland. It might be as powerful or feature rich as Model S, but packs in just the right amount of everything at this price point.
A few days backs, India’s road transport minister decided to ban self-driving cars in India, which made us wonder if we’re actually going back to the 20th century. Tesla Model 3 also comes with the autopilot feature seen in some of its expensive models, which allow you to drive your car without holding the steering.
Specifications of Model 3
Model 3 comes in two trims – standard battery and long range battery. The standard battery model comes with a range of 220 miles, or 354 kms, accelerates from 0-60mps in 5.6 seconds, has a top speed of 130mph or 210kph. This model has been priced at $35,000.
The long range battery model has been priced higher starting $44,000 and comes with a range of 310 miles or nearly 500 kms, which is a lot. It accelerates from 0-60mph in 5.1 seconds, only 0.5 seconds quicker than the cheaper version, and has a top speed of 140mph or 225kph.
The interior of both the versions comes with a 15-inch touchscreen display in a landscape mode, rather than a portrait mode as in Model S. It also comes with a dual cone climate control system, WiFI & LTE connectivity, Tesla app for keyless entry and all the other key elements from Model S.
The standard battery version is not going to be available before this fall, since the company is focussing on the larger battery to simplify the production process.
Model 3 launch in India
As per reports, and the global production efforts, Model 3 in not expected to launch in India this year or next year. Even though we were hoping for this to happen, Model 3 might actually come only in 2019 or 2020.
Even though Tesla is planning to make a manufacturing plant in India for its cars, it is highly likely that the first few years will have CBU models for sale. The company is focussing on upgrading its processes and streamlining them to mass produce the cars and as many as possible.
India is definitely on the list, but you will to wait for another couple of years to actually see a launch of this car. This might be disheartening, but an Indian launch is going to set a trend in the country, unless a local player announces something similar by then.