Tesla to start India operations in April-June, tweets CEO Elon Musk

California-based electric car specialist Tesla is planning to kick-start India operations in the coming summer. The outfit's CEO Elon Musk tweeted India launch plan as a reply to a user who enquired about the same on Tuesday.

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The India-bound model from Tesla is the Model 3, unveiled in April 2016. During the product unveiling, Musk confirmed company's plan to sell the Model 3 all over the world including India. Booking were open for Indian customers as well. Within a week after launch, Tesla Model 3 received over 3.25 lakh bookings.

The Model 3 is five-seater car inspired by the design of the bigger sibling, Tesla Model S. Being a pure electric car, the Model 3 comes without a front grille. The four-door vehicle has been confirmed with standard Autopilot hardware (autonomous driving functionality) and supercharging capability. As for performance, the Model 3 will run from standstill to 100kmph in less than six seconds and comes with the range of 346km in one full charge. The company will reportedly increase the range when production begins.

The company plans to begin production of Model 3 from 2018. Hence, India operations for now will focus on setting up basic infrastructure for its car such as charging stations and dealership networks. In November 2016, it was reported that chief ministers of Maharashtra, Andhra Pradesh and Telangana have sent separate envoys in a bid to woo Musk and bag a project to set up a manufacturing plant for Tesla Motors in their respective states. Musk had earlier said that the company may set up a Giga factory in India to make lithium-ion batteries after Prime Minister Narendra Modi visit to Tesla Motors' facilities in September 2015. Tesla Motors is yet to make a formal announcement on the matter.