Tesla is growing its presence in India, particularly in Maharashtra. The company has sealed a lease for its first showrooms in Mumbai at Bandra Kurla Complex (BKC), a new business and retail campus close to the airport. This is a five-year lease that began on February 16, 2025, with an annual rent of about $446,000, which will rise by 5% each year to about $542,000 in the fifth year. Apart from that, Tesla is looking for manufacturing facilities in India. The Maharashtra government has offered two places at Chakan and Chikhali near Pune for Tesla’s electric vehicle (EV) manufacturing facility. These are convenient sites for Tesla as it has its office in Pune and there are several of its suppliers in the state as well. It is in line with the recent meeting between Tesla CEO Elon Musk and Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, during which discussions on local manufacturing and incentives are believed to have taken place. Along with these, the United States is pushing for lower tariffs on car imports as part of a proposed bilateral trade agreement with India. This is important to Tesla because India has high auto tariffs of up to 110%. If these tariffs are reduced, it would make Tesla’s vehicles more affordable for the Indian market. These coordinated efforts can be seen as an indication of Tesla’s desire to enter the Indian EV market, with Maharashtra being a key node in its growth strategy.
Tesla Expands in India with Mumbai Showroom
