CHENNAI: Elon Musk-owned Tesla on Friday opened its experience centre in Chennai, its sixth in India and third in south, as the electric carmaker expands its retail, service and charging network in this country.
The facility, following centres in Mumbai, Gurugram, Delhi, Hyderabad and Bengaluru, will showcase Tesla’s Model Y range. The company is also offering financing options for the Indian market, a Tesla spokesperson said.
Tesla is selling the five-seater Model Y at Rs 50.89 lakh and the three-row, six-seater Model YL at Rs 61.99 lakh in India. The company said the Model Y is the world’s best-selling vehicle across petrol, diesel, hybrid and electric powertrains.
The 2026 Model Y premium rear-wheel drive offers 2,138 litres of storage space with versatile seating for up to five passengers, ample luggage capacity, and power-folding seats. Powered by ultra-responsive motors, it accelerates from 0 to 100 km/h in just 5.9 seconds and delivers a range of up to 500 km WLTP. It is available with a down payment of Rs 6,00,000 and monthly EMI starting from Rs 39,990, as per a release.
Customers can also experience the Model YL, an all-wheel drive SUV positioned as a family vehicle. With its three-row, six-seat configuration, this model offers a range of up to 681 km WLTP, 0–100 km/h acceleration in just 5.0 seconds, and cargo space of up to 2,539 litres. Model YL is available at a down payment of Rs 6,50,000 and monthly EMI starting from Rs 49,990, the release said.
Tesla has eight service and body-shop facilities operational across the country, along with 20 Supercharging stalls, destination chargers and home-charging installation capabilities.
“Many still think of Tesla as a conventional car manufacturer, but we are a technology, AI and robotics company. The car is simply our ‘robot on wheels’,” Tesla India country head Sharad Aggarwal said, while addressing the media here.
Tesla is positioning its vehicles as AI-enabled products, with cars collecting real-time data to improve autonomous driving capabilities. “We are technically transitioning into a complete physical AI company,” he said.
The company is also developing autonomous Cybercabs and its Optimus humanoid robot, using AI technology developed for its vehicles.
Tesla said its global Supercharger network has crossed 80,000 chargers, with 99.95% uptime. Its service model relies on remote diagnostics, with more than 70% of issues claimed to be resolved through software.
The company is also offering software-led upgrades, including complimentary over-the-air updates and Grok AI voice co-pilot, which supports hands-free commands in 22 Indian languages.