Elon Musk “Hopes” To Bring Tesla Model 3 To India This Year

Tesla’s autonomous and electric car Model 3 is set to come to the streets of India sometime this year, according the company’s chief executive officer, Elon Musk.

Musk answered a person’s inquiry on Tuesday night and said that Tesla is planning to introduce the Model 3 in India between the later part of June and the beginning of September.

The question was a follow-up to Musk’s announcement of the new Tesla Model 3, which was introduced last year, Mashable reported. The Model 3 is the "affordable", mass-market, USD35,000 electric vehicle. Musk said that aside from India, the car model will also be introduced in several other markets, which include India, New Zealand, Brazil, and South Africa ahead of the delivery date, which is by the end of 2017. The company opened pre-orders for India for USD1,000. He also said in another tweet that the company will roll out a nationwide supercharger network for local owners in India to charge their cars at anywhere.

CNN hints that Musk setting his sights on India is a strategic choice. India's rapidly growing economy of more than 1.3 billion people presents a huge potential for Tesla. On the other hand, it would also mean that the market will not present any challenges. For one, the company does not manufacture cars in India or near India, which could mean huge import taxes. And basing from Apple’s attempt to install a manufacturing plant in India, it would take a while for Tesla should they decide to put up a manufacturing plant in the country.