WATCH: Tesla Model Y Spotted On Indian Roads As Musk’s EV Empire Shifts Gears
As India gears up for what could be a major automotive disruption, Tesla is slowly but surely turning its long-standing interest in the country into action. A Tesla Model Y was recently seen cruising on the Mumbai-Pune Expressway, sparking excitement and speculation online.
Viral videos of the electric car, shared widely on X (formerly Twitter), show the vehicle bearing a red number plate — a clear indicator of temporary registration, typically used for road testing or newly delivered vehicles awaiting permanent RTO registration. Interestingly, the numberplate seem to belonging to the state of Karnataka.
This sighting adds to a series of developments hinting at Tesla’s quiet but steady march into the Indian market.
Why The Red Plate Matters
In India, red number plates aren’t just cosmetic. They indicate a car is either undergoing road tests or is brand new and yet to be fully registered. The Model Y’s presence on one of India’s busiest highways, combined with the red plate, strongly suggests Tesla is actively testing its vehicles on Indian roads — likely to study real-world conditions and performance before an official rollout.
Laying the Groundwork: Jobs and Chargers
It’s not just test runs that are making headlines. Tesla has been actively hiring in India, with new job listings pointing to serious groundwork being laid. Among the latest roles advertised on LinkedIn is a position for an “excellent charging developer” — someone who can take charge of Tesla’s EV charging ecosystem in India. The responsibilities include identifying new charging locations, negotiating deals, overseeing installations, and building long-term relationships with stakeholders like property owners and government authorities.
“Charging infrastructure is key to Tesla’s operations,” the job post notes, indicating that the company isn’t merely testing cars, but also building the support systems needed to make EV adoption viable.
Other open roles focus on crafting a strong marketing strategy and ensuring a “memorable experience” for customers in Mumbai and Delhi — clear signals that Tesla’s launch strategy is in full swing.
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Showroom in the Making: Tesla Moves into Mumbai’s BKC
Further cementing its India entry plans, Tesla has now leased its first showroom in the country. The space is located in the plush Bandra Kurla Complex (BKC) in Mumbai — a premium business hub — and comes with a staggering rental of Rs 881 per square foot, the highest ever recorded in India for a lease of this nature.
The agreement, signed on February 27, 2025, secures Unit G-1B on the ground floor of 2 North Avenue, Maker Maxity. Tesla India will pay a monthly rent of Rs 35.26 lakh for the 4,003-square-foot space, with a 5% annual escalation. The company has also put down a hefty security deposit of Rs 2.11 crore. The lease officially kicks in from February 16, 2025, with a rent-free period extending till March 31.
This five-year lease underscores Tesla’s long-term commitment to the Indian market and its confidence in the country's growing appetite for premium electric vehicles.
From Talks To Action
Tesla’s journey into India has been long in the making. The company first expressed serious interest in 2022, but plans stalled due to regulatory and infrastructural bottlenecks. Things took a turn in February 2025, when Elon Musk met Prime Minister Narendra Modi in Washington, DC — a meeting that reignited buzz about Tesla’s India entry.
Since then, Tesla has posted 20 job openings — 15 in Mumbai and five in Pune — and has been actively scouting showroom spaces in major metros.
While the company hasn’t made an official announcement yet, all signs suggest the wheels are finally in motion. And if the Model Y on the expressway is anything to go by, India’s EV revolution could soon get a serious jolt of energy — Tesla style.
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