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'Welcome to India, Tesla': Anand Mahindra shares 2017 invite to Elon Musk, his reply
Mahindra Group's Chairman, Anand Mahindra, welcomed Elon Musk's Tesla to India as the EV maker opens it first store in Mumbai today.
Anand Mahindra, Chairman of the Mahindra Group, extended a warm welcome to Elon Musk's Tesla as the EV giant officially entered the Indian market with its first showroom opening in Mumbai today. The billionaire also shared a screenshot of an old tweet exchange from 2017, in which he had invited Musk's Tesla to the Indian market.
While Tesla’s entry sets the stage for direct rivalry between the two automakers in India’s growing EV space, Mahindra struck a gracious tone, framing the moment as a win for innovation.
"Welcome to India, @elonmusk and @Tesla. One of the world’s largest EV opportunities just got more exciting. Competition drives innovation, and there’s plenty of road ahead. Looking forward to seeing you at the charging station," he wrote on X.
Take a look at the post here:
Anand Mahindra's invite to Elon Musk
In the screenshot shared by the Indian billionaire, Mahindra had reacted to a post by Musk in which the tech titan talked about India's plans to sell only electric cars by 2030. “Time you got out here, Elon. You don't want to leave the whole market to Mahindra, do you? The more the merrier and greener,” Mahindra had written.
Replying to his invite, Musk said, “Good point.”
Now, eight years later, Tesla has made its long-awaited entry into the world's third-largest EV market. With its showroom in Maker Maxity Mall in the Bandra Kurla Complex (BKC), the EV maker is initially offering two versions of the Model Y in India: the rear-wheel drive model priced at ₹60.1 lakh and the long-range variant at ₹67.8 lakh.
However, due to India's steep import duties, the prices are nearly double what the cars are sold for in other markets like the US, China, and Germany.
