Raising a car brand from scratch is not easy. In fact, as we said about the future of Rivian or NIO, it is extremely complex. Generally, many things are needed, but three of them are necessary:
Really a lot of money.
Tesla knows what we’re talking about. Since its founding in 2003, it has taken almost two decades for the brand to become popular. profitable company and competitive. It achieved this because it offered a differentiated product (an electric car), investors assumed years of losses (about two decades), and money, a lot of money, was burned along the way.
Interestingly, among the companies that have kept Tesla alive is Toyota, with whom they have entered into a cooperation agreement to give life to the electric Toyota RAV4 in the early years of the new 21st century.
But also because investors and potential buyers have done their bit. Automotive companies usually ask the latter for money to implement their projects. They enjoy little progress take the first steps, carry out the first developments, with the promise that they will finally be the first to receive their product.
Tesla did the same, asking for a $1,000 reserve to get one of its Tesla Model S, a car that managed to popularize the brand after it became famous with the Tesla Roadster. The strategy is the same as that used to create the Tesla Cybertruck and the future Tesla Roadster.
Problems with this type of strategy arise when a company does not execute on expected plans. This is what Tesla is known for. We’ve been hearing about the next convertible sports car since 2017, and the last we knew in 2023 was that it was being delayed.
The same thing happened with Tesla’s Indian customers. Customers who despite booking the car in 2016 paying Rs 66,237 i.e. $1,000 are yet to receive a response from the brand. Eight years later, they still don’t have a car.
And without money.
And they demand it.
As is the case with many Tesla products like the Cybertruck, the aforementioned Roadster or the Robotaxi, Tesla has been promising its arrival in India for years now.
In 2016, Tesla opened orders for the purchase of Tesla Model 3 in the Asian country. The strategy was simple: the client placed 1000 dollars and in 2017 I will get a car. I didn’t know the final price, but there was an opportunity to get it and be one of the first Indians to enjoy Elon Musk’s cars.
Since then, those who trusted the company’s CEO have lived in a nightmare. As they say in The rest of the world With many voices, what those who launched the reservation did not know was that the car would not arrive in 2017. And not in 2019.not even in 2024. In fact, there isn’t even a fixed date on the table at the moment because what Musk put forward the last time he was asked about his arrival in the country was mentioning that they would do it “as soon as humanly possible.”
Eight years later, customers have no idea when their car will arrive. Tired, many people ask for their money back, but it’s not easy. In fact, some customers explain this it took years achieve this because they had to repeatedly ask the brand to return the $1,000 reserve.
One of the victims is Varun Krishnanfounder of the technology blog FoneArena, who states in the article The rest of the world, be the first customer to book a Tesla Model 3 in India. He says he was unable to get his money back until 2022 and did so, like others, by pressuring Tesla workers in China and the US whom he contacted through LinkedIn.
Some buyers demanded their money from the company’s American workers as a measure of pressure to return the $1,000 they contributed in 2016.
This is not the only case. In fact, putting pressure on workers or Post your disappointment on social media This was a quick route that many took to get their money back. Or at least part of it, because refunds are not subject to updating for inflation. The reserve is currently expected to be around $1,300.
The problem Tesla faced was not hidden anywhere. In fact, it was within sight of any manufacturer. Indian laws require that in order to freely sell a vehicle in the country, it must be manufactured there. Otherwise, India allows the import of only 8,000 cars, subject to a 15% rate if they cost less than $35,000 and the company is committed to investing in the country over the next three years.
IN Bloomberg They explain that Tesla’s interest in India, like that of other companies, is very noticeable. The country is the third largest market in the world for the auto industry, but it is very difficult to enter it to compete.
In the economic environment it is explained that the supply of cars sold there should be particularly affordable and, in addition, have very specific characteristics Indian audiences will like it. Despite the competitive price, those who can buy an electric car in the country are affluent people who appreciate all the possible amenities inside and love the ornate interiors to enjoy as passengers. This, in fact, is the antagonistic public of the company.
They give this test as an example Coach India, in which the journalist complains about all the above details and the height from the ground, which he considers too low for the tastes of the country’s clients. This is a problem for a company that has difficulty selling a particular model in this market, even though much of its success is based on a manufacturing process that allows it to make very few changes to its product.
Added to this is the two-way game that Elon Musk is trying to play between India and China. While the company seemed to be very close to the country in 2023, and the possibility of opening a plant in India seemed closer than ever, subsequent meetings with senior Chinese officials were not well received.
In fact, according to ReutersElon Musk himself reportedly recently canceled a visit to India, saying the company had asked him to postpone the trip. However, the agency says there are those who believe that the Tesla CEO’s alleged interest in the Asian country was nothing more than a maneuver designed to reassure investors when shares were falling.
As of now, Tesla’s arrival date in India is unknown.
And not so that customers can get their car.
It is not even known when they will be able to receive their money.
Image | Milan Cizmadia and Navid Ahmed
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