The pioneer of Electric vehicles today is about to make its ship sail to the Indian shores. Yes, we are talking about Tesla. The American Auto Giant has been one of the most anticipated Automakers Indians want in the Indian Automotive Market. After many tries over the past 5 - 6 years, this Automaker wasn’t seen rolling out its vehicle on Indian roads. But, this time the chances are high, as it would finally make its last steps to enter India.

The chances have risen pretty much that in the next year, Tesla will finally launch its first vehicle in India, and most probably the brand is going to commence its Indian business with the Model 3 in India. But, in this article, we won’t be talking about the Model 3, instead, we will follow the Brand’s positioning of its Model Range, which is S3XY. So, according to this, we should be talking first about the Model S.

Tesla Model S sits in the Third spot in terms of prices of its Model Range (3 - Y - S - X), and stands First in terms of the brand’s overall Marketing Tactics (S - 3 - X - Y).

About Tesla Model S

Tesla Model S was born in the year of 2009 but debuted in the year of 2012. So, about 11 years later, the brand made many noticeable changes in the car and tried to make it as close to perfect as they could.

Tesla Model S was positioned as a Full-size Premium, and Luxurious Sedan, If to say this in simple words, then it lies in the segment of BMW i7, Mercedes EQS, Porsche Taycan, Audi E-Tron GT, etc.

Tesla Model S packs all the basic characteristics which qualify it in this segment, like, it gets a standard all-wheel drive system, it is the most Technologically Advanced in the segment, etc.

Tesla Model X Exterior For India

Tesla Model S’ exteriors are very similar to other Tesla cars, where it packs a similar-looking Body Structure. 

At the Front, the design maintains the typical Tesla trait, where the whole front end has been Aerodynamically crafted, and it is evident if we look at its nose. Its nose has been placed a bit lower, than the whole body, it overall makes the car more aerodynamically efficient. We can see that there are not much of fancy design bits attached anywhere at the front, the flow of design is simple, yet pretty much maintained. Only at two places, we can see this design flow being interrupted, First at its Nose, where there is an integrated Black Body panel, which packs the Tesla logo inside it; and Second at its Lower bumper, where we can spot an Air Dam between the two Air Curtains at both ends, with Fog Lamps included as well. Over the Hood, we can see again the Curvy design contributes its part to the overall design language of the car. We can also spot two parallel lines added, which start from the Head Lamps and go directly to the A-pillar.

Talking of the Head Lamps, the Model S being a Full-size luxury Sedan, it is definite that it will pack a full LED functioning. All this LED functioning has been placed under a concentrated-like DRL design, which points towards the side of the car. 

Coming to the Side of the 2024 Tesla Model S, the side has nothing much to talk about, as it is very simple in terms of its design. It consists of curves around both the wheels - Front and back. But, we can spot some technological bits on the side of the car, First, we can see the Plush door handles, which are integrated into the Body panel for a clean look, they pop out once you unlock the car; Second, we can spot a Camera right in between the Front wheel arch and the A-pillar, that camera is used for the Autopilot systems, and also for Parking purposes.

At the Rear some design bits have been included to add a bit of contrast to the overall design language of the car. We can see some edges below the Tail Lamps, and a Spoiler treatment right above the logo. All these additions do create a balance in the design, and makes the car pleasant, and nice to look at. 

The Tail Lamps have been elongated till the side of the car, where on the left side of the car, at the Tail lamp’s end, we can see an integrated provision for the Charging plug. The brake light consists of a squared shape design, which also houses the rest of the lighting inside it, and the Lighting bits inside the Taillight are full of LEDs too.

Interior: A Minimalist!

Minimalism is at its peak when you enter the interior of the 2024 Model S for India. Evidently, you can see just one big screen, which is literally used for almost all of the car’s Mechanical and technological functions.

The Dashboard, on the other hand, being a minimalist interior, had to be given a great selection of materials, as it is completely exposed. The whole dashboard has been divided into 3 formats, the middle one getting a ‘White’ shade for itself (in some colour shades), whereas in the rest of the colour shades, the ‘Black’ shade is spread throughout the Dashboard We can see that there have been used soft-touch materials at most of the places.

Talking about the Steering wheel, primarily, you get the traditional shaped steering wheel - Round. But, you can also opt for a ‘Yoke’ style or an ‘Aircraft’ style steering wheel by paying some extra. 

Adding more to it, Tesla has also gone a different way in terms of the typical ergonomic aspects like - The Turn indicators in the Model S are not given on a lever, but they have been added in the form of buttons over the steering wheel. And not only the turn indicators, but even the Wipers, Head Lamps, and Horn have been given in the form of buttons over the steering wheel.

Coming on to the Infotainment Screen & the Instrument Cluster, as both have been integrated in one single unit. It is a 17-inch unit, and to tell you the least, it is an absolute Gimmick. Man-o-man, Tesla has crossed all the boundaries in terms of what a Car manufacturer can reach up to. So, let us talk about it in an order, 

Firstly, Air conditioning - It is integrated into the screen, as said before. You can control all the functions like, Temperature, Fan Speed, etc. from the screen itself. And the most gimmicky feature is that you can literally adjust the flow of each Air vent individually from the screen itself. More to it, the Model S gets a Tri-zone Climate control system.

Secondly, Driver’s benefits - In terms of Driver’s essential functionalities, Tesla has included almost everything in the screen itself, even though there is a traditional Driver's display behind the steering wheel, but, it doesn't show much information. Then whether it be the Speedometer, Tachometer, Other vehicular information, and a few useful technologies, are all available in that 17-inch system. And as there is just this one screen for almost all the functions, if case, Driver finds any sort of problem looking at the screen, he has been given an option to tilt it towards himself, to a certain angle.

Thirdly, Sheer Entertainment - Just in case, you have gotten bored a bit, Tesla has given you an option of entertaining yourself, with the help of the 17-inch screen. Either, you can play games on it (PS5 connectivity is available), or, you can watch movies, through OTT streaming platforms.

Now, coming down the Front Dashboard, we can see a wide Wireless charging pad, which at a time can simultaneously charge two mobile phones. Sliding more downwards, there have been included two Cup holders, which can be kept hidden, when not needed.

And this is not it, Tesla thought, one screen would not be enough, so why not add one more? Yes, at the back of the center Armrest, you will find one more screen for the Rear passengers to control the needful electronics provided to them. In which, they can control the entertainment aspect, Air Conditioning system, and other basic Rear Seat functions.

Battery Packs of Tesla Model S

Actually, there are two variants on sale in the USA of the Tesla Model S - 

• Tesla Model S

• Tesla Model S Plaid

The 2023 Tesla Model S is the Base variant, and it gets all the gimmicky features, so, don't be mistaken by knowing it as a base variant. It packs a 75 kWh Battery Pack, which can be driven up to 500Km. This battery is standard, as mentioned earlier, and it generates 670hp, Just for the record, it can boost from 0 to 100Km/hr in 3.1 seconds. This variant also packs a Dual Motor system - One at the Front & Other one at the Back - which further makes it an all-wheel drive car, as standard.

The Tesla Model S Plaid variant is more of a performance-oriented avatar of the Model S. It is lighter in terms of its weight, it gets a bigger pack of batteries, and it also gets one extra motor to enhance its performance. It generates a blistering 1035hp, which makes it go like a missile from 0 to 100 Km/Hr in just 2.9 seconds. 

However, we won’t be talking about the Plaid variant, as it is the least expected variant to be launched by Tesla in India. Therefore, it is the Base variant - Tesla Model S - which has the highest chance of launching here in India.

Price & Launch OF Tesla Model S in India

As we discussed the Tesla Model S - the Base variant, will be manufactured in Tesla's gigafactory, which will be set up here in India in the coming years. Hence, as it will be a Made in India car, it will comparatively cost less, than rivals Audi E-Tron GT, Porsche Taycan, etc.

The expected price of the 2024 Tesla Model S for India, we believe, will be around ₹65 lakhs, which will definitely make it a Seller!

The Launch of the Tesla Model S in India is expected to take place in the coming year of 2024, we assume it will happen in the last stage of 2024.