There’s a solid reason why, even before this article starts, there are two question marks. Rumours about Tesla entering the Indian market have been flapping since 2016. And, of course, it was one of Elon Musk’s tweets that started it all. Soon afterwards, Tesla began accepting bookings for Model 3 from Indian customers. A few did fall for it and dropped $1,000 each as a token amount. That’s before the car even went into production.

We’re about to complete 2020 (Thank God!) and Tesla is yet to formally confirm whether it even wants to set up shop in India. Perhaps, 2021 will be that year. Why? Nitin Gadkari, the Union Ministry for Road Transport and Highways, has confirmed it to The Indian Express. He said that through the Idea Exchange programme, Tesla will “start operations” in India in early 2021. Gadkari further confirmed that Tesla will start India innings with direct sales. If demand rises, the company may look at the assembly and production of cars locally.

So, if all that pans out, which product will Tesla bring first? In all honestly, based on the business model, Tesla could offer the entire portfolio in one go. But, to get the numbers going, it’ll be the Model 3 (most probably). In Tesla’s product tree, the Model 3 is where the range of pure-electric vehicles begin. Reports suggest that Tesla will start entertaining bookings from as early as next month.

The Model 3 is nothing short of a blockbuster for its maker. It, along with the Model Y, accounted for a whopping 89 per cent of overall sales Tesla recorded in quarter three of 2020. At the moment, Tesla retails three versions of its least-expensive offerings – Standard Plus, Long Range and Performance. Based on the variant chosen, the car can hit 261kmph flat out. Drive sensibly, though, and the most frugal derivative can travel up to 580km on a single charge.

Expected price range? Well, Tesla should slot it within the Rs 50-60 lakh bracket. In USD, that’s anywhere between 68,000 and 82,000. With all the latest developments, do you think Tesla will finally enter India? If yes, how do you think the country could benefit from the world’s most valuable EV brand?