Tesla opened a long-awaited showroom in India in July. However, nearly a decade of delayed promises, a competitive electric vehicle market, and CEO Elon Musk's forays into politics dampened enthusiasm for the launch among early backers of the company.
What's happening?
After Tesla opened its Mumbai showroom at the Maker Maxity mall July 15, TechCrunch spoke with supporters who pre-reserved their Model 3s in 2016, when Musk first promised he'd be bringing his EVs to the Indian market.
For early backers such as Vishal Gonda, who prebooked his Tesla in a matter of hours after reservations went live in 2016, the promise fulfilled came far too late.
"I felt a little bit underwhelmed," the founder and CEO of fitness-tech startup GOQii said, detailing how it took multiple emails for Tesla to refund his $1,000 reservation fee.
Gonda added that he doesn't intend to purchase a Tesla at this time. "The joke was, had we invested that money in Tesla IPO stock, we would have made more money," he said of an initial public offering.
Other former Tesla enthusiasts shared similar sentiments, including Varun Krishnan, founder of Chennai-based tech blog FoneArena. "It is frustrating to see Tesla take so long," Krishnan said.
Why is this important?
The delayed opening wasn't the only factor turning early backers' love for Tesla into what Amit Bhawani, founder of tech blog Phoneradar, called the "coldest launch," per TechCrunch.
In addition to their public health and environmental benefits, given their status as zero-tailpipe-pollution vehicles, a major draw of EVs is that they are easier and cheaper to maintain than gas-guzzlers because they have fewer moving parts and don't require oil changes.
However, uncertainty remains over how Tesla will handle its after-sales care in India. What's more, the automaker's Supercharger network there isn't yet up and running.
Musk said that Tesla would deploy V4 Superchargers before beginning EV deliveries, as reported by The Economic Times. However, early Tesla supporters in India told TechCrunch that they were hesitant to believe those promises after their previous experiences.
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Cost concerns 💸 "Having gotten older in nine years, I've also gotten more prudent in my vehicle purchase process. I'm more worried about practical things," Krishnan said. He added that Musk's involvement in politics also changed his perception of the brand.
EV-focused investor Kunal Khattar had a similar take, telling TechCrunch that Musk's politics and his public feud with U.S. President Donald Trump overshadowed his initial judgment that Tesla was saving the world with its clean tech. "It's no longer there," he said.
Could negative perception of Tesla hinder EV adoption in India?
Back in 2016, EV sales in India were "almost negligible," as TechCrunch reported, which is one reason why Tesla sparked so much interest.
In the years since, that has changed. In January, JMK Research & Analytics described India as "riding the wave of the e-mobility revolution" as it had annual EV sales surpass 2 million for the first time in 2024, representing a growth rate of 24% compared to the previous year. Electric two-wheelers accounted for around 60% of all EV sales.
"These days, everyone can get a beautiful, amazing, super powerful electric vehicle in India," Bhawani told TechCrunch.
Despite Tesla's disappointing sales numbers in the first half of 2025 and its struggling image, Khattar believes the company's name recognition could be enough to pique the interest of consumers considering the benefits of EVs — regardless of brand.
"Will Tesla sell a lot of cars? I don't think so. … Will Tesla increase the sales of other EV brands? I think so," the founder of VC firm AdvantEdge Founders told TechCrunch.
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