Tesla debuts six-seater Model Y in India
- Tesla launched a six-seater variant of its Model Y in India to boost slow sales. - The new version seats six and targets buyers in the world's third-largest car market. - The move aims to lift demand after tepid uptake, reflecting tougher competition and slower growth (reuters.com).
Tesla has launched a six-seat Model Y L in India, its first new variant there since entering the market in July 2025. (reuters.com) The new version went on sale on April 22 at an ex-showroom price of ₹61.99 lakh, or about 6.199 million rupees. Tesla is pitching it as a longer-wheelbase, three-row sport utility vehicle for family buyers in India’s premium car segment. (reuters.com, auto.economictimes.indiatimes.com) Tesla’s India lineup had been limited to imported Model Y versions priced from ₹59.89 lakh to ₹67.89 lakh after the company opened its first Mumbai experience center on July 15, 2025. Tesla’s store locator now lists sites in Mumbai, New Delhi and Gurugram. (autocarindia.com, tesla.com) The expansion comes after a slow first stretch in India. Reuters reported Tesla sold about 350 Model Ys after deliveries began in September 2025, while vehicle-registration data cited by Moneycontrol showed 342 units sold in the last six months of fiscal 2026. (reuters.com, moneycontrol.com) India is the world’s third-largest auto market, but electric cars still account for a small slice of passenger-vehicle sales. Moneycontrol reported 199,923 electric passenger vehicles were sold in India in fiscal 2026, equal to 4.25% of the broader passenger-vehicle market. (reuters.com, moneycontrol.com) That has left Tesla competing in a narrow, high-priced bracket shaped by import costs. The company’s India cars are sold as full imports, and Indian auto outlets have consistently cited steep completely built unit duties as a key reason Tesla’s local prices sit far above U.S. and China levels. (thehindu.com, timesofindia.indiatimes.com) The six-seat layout also reflects where Indian premium buyers have been spending. Reuters said larger sport utility vehicles have been gaining traction in the market, and local auto reports describe the Model Y L as a 2+2+2 configuration with captain seats in the second row. (reuters.com, gadgets360.com) Tesla said the Model Y L offers all-wheel drive and a claimed 681-kilometer range on the Worldwide Harmonised Light Vehicles Test Procedure cycle. CNBC-TV18 reported the model is positioned between Tesla’s two existing India Model Y trims on price. (cnbctv18.com, msn.com) For Tesla, the immediate test is whether a roomier Model Y can do what the first one did not: turn a long-awaited India entry into steady sales. (reuters.com)
