Four Tesla models have been certified as matching the safety and emission requirements of the Indian market, as per a report referring to a post on the Ministry of Road Transport and Highways site.
EV giant Tesla’s entry into the Indian car market has been long-awaited. The automaker has moved a step closer to making this possible as it has received approval to make or import four of its models in the country.
The EV maker initially plans to import vehicles into the country before looking at making them here.
India is gearing up for American electric vehicle company Tesla to make its debut in the country with four Tesla models approved.
According to a document reported by Bloomberg, Tesla has had its vehicles certified as being ‘roadworthy in India’.
These models are likely the variants of Model 3 and Model Y, as earlier reported by a Tesla fan club.
Tesla CEO Elon Musk had earlier hinted that a factory in India is “quite likely” if it can first assess the market by importing vehicles. The EV maker has also been pushing for a tax cut on imported EVs and had tweeted last month that import duties in the country are among the highest in the world. He wrote that the nation treats clean energy vehicles the same as gasoline, which is not consistent with its climate goals.
Electric Vehicles account for only 1 percent of India’s annual car sales and Tesla has to overcome this challenge of getting the buyers for its market. Since Tesla’s vehicles are quite heavy on the pocket, it will be a tough deal to break.
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