Tesla is finally here in India, and the high price of the Model Y has been the talking point. A vehicle, which many were hoping to be under Rs 40 lakh, is finally launched at Rs 59.89 lakh, exshowroom. There are a couple of reasons for its pricy cost, starting with the import duties and Tesla having no immediate plans to manufacture or assemble its electric vehicles in India. The other issue is that the made in China Model Y is manufactured as a lefthand drive vehicle, which has to be switched to righthand drive for India, which adds to the additional costs. If you thought that sounds unreasonable, then wait for it… the famous Tesla Full SelfDriving (FSD) is an optional feature that costs Rs 6 lakh, which is the price of a topoftheline Maruti Suzuki Alto.
The Model Y buyer in India is in a catch22 situation. Opting for the FSD feature while booking the Model Y on the official Tesla website will cost flat Rs 6 lakh, which is quite a substantial amount. If you opt for it later, then the price is expected to be steeper. According to Acko Drive, while buying the Model Y, the FSD function is bundled with a 5% GST, but if updated later as an individual feature, then it attracts a whopping 18% GST.
Now here’s the kicker. Currently, Tesla does not have the permits to activate its FSD as it awaits government approval. Hence, for the Rs 6 lakh feature that you’ve opted for, no one at the moment can confirm when it will be activated. Also, this amount is not refundable.
The Model Y is available in two versions — RearWheel Drive at Rs 59.89 lakh and Long Range RearWheel Drive at Rs 67.89 lakh, exshowroom. Both trims are available in six colour options, with Stealth Grey as the standard. Otherwise, the rest of the paint schemes come at a premium. The Pearl White MultiCoat and Diamond Black cost an additional Rs 95,000, while Glacier Blue is available at Rs 1.25 lakh and the Quicksilver and Ultra Red at Rs 1.85 lakh.
