Tesla's Model Y L signals a serious push to disrupt India’s luxury EV market with more space, power, and aggressive pricing.
Priced just ₹2 lakh above the standard version, it undercuts expectations significantly.
Last year Tesla finally came to India with a lot of buzz surrounding its debut along with a launch event which made headline news.
However, while Tesla's India entry was talked about a lot, the response to its first product has been tepid due to the slightly higher pricing.
However, Tesla has now made a dramatic shift and clearly wants to disrupt the luxury car segment with its aggressively priced Model Y L.
The intention is clear as it wants to claw back market share and get the same popularity that the Model Y enjoys overseas.
In hindsight, the Model Y L is perhaps the perfect car, being a long wheelbase model with more space. Here is a first look from the launch floor.
The talking point is the longer wheelbase as at 3040mm, the Model Y L is significantly longer than the standard model and that means tonnes of space on the inside.
The Model Y L has three rows now with a second row captain seats layout with power adjustment, ventilation and powered armrest too.
Space is fantastic and perfect for the chauffeur driven while even the third row has ample space.
The interior too has been spruced up with a new textile based cabin and a more plush layout while luxuries have been poured inside with a 18 speaker audio system and more.
Luggage space is a humongous 2539L with the rows folded. The interior design is heavily software based and retains all functions via its massive touchscreen.
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Unlike the standard single motor Model Y, the L version packs in a more powerful dual motor layout with a claimed 0-100 km/h time of 5 seconds while the range too is more than enough for long road trips at 680km.
Of importance to India, the Model Y L has adaptive suspension and is more comfort oriented.
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Despite the changes, the price has only increased by Rs 2 lakh over the standard single motor at Rs 61.9 lakh and that's clearly aimed at grabbing more market share.
It seems Tesla is now much more serious and confident about India while its focus has also shifted to our growing luxury car market.
Photographs curated by Rajesh Karkera/Rediff
Feature Presentation: Rajesh Alva/Rediff