04 Nov 2025, 05:41 PM IST i Uphill Battle Tesla’s launch in India has so far underwhelmed its own expectations. The American EV maker had received just over 600 orders since starting sales in mid-July, Bloomberg News reported in September. That’s roughly equivalent to the number of vehicles it delivers globally every four hours. That order tally has edged up to over 800 vehicles by October, according to a person familiar. The muted response underscores Tesla’s uphill battle in a market where high import tariffs have pushed the entry-level Model Y price above 6 million rupees ($67,575), far beyond the 2.2 million-rupee range for most EV sales in India, according to JATO Dynamics. EVs make up just over 5% of India’s total car sales. Tesla plans to expand marketing efforts in the country to improve awareness of its brand and products, a person familiar said, adding it has installed pop-ups in busy malls in the National Capital Region, including one in Gurgaon district. Workers prepare for the opening of the new Tesla Inc. store in New Delhi on Aug. 11, 2025. (Photo: Prakash Singh/Bloomberg) Before leaving Lamborghini about a year ago, Agarwal had spent nearly a decade leading Volkswagen AG unit Lamborghini’s India business, where he helped the brand establish itself as the country’s super-luxury market leader. He also expanded the brand’s reach beyond major metros to more than 60 cities, with smaller markets contributing a quarter of sales. In Nov. 2024, Agarwal became chief business officer of Mahindra & Mahindra Ltd. unit Classic Legends, according to his LinkedIn page. ALSO READ