4 ms·

India and Australia are not that small. They literally missed a chance to sell hundreds of millions of teslas.

panick21_ 3y ago
India is actually a very small market for cars. And Australia is also not very big. and these are the expensive models, a tiny number of them would be sold there. The cheaper models, 3/Y will continue to be sold. Also you do understand that if there was actually the possibility for lots of sales, they could just reintroduce it again later. Its not like they have categorically lost the ability to make RHD models.
- delta_p_delta_x 3y ago
  > India is actually a very small market for cars. It's a small market for foreign cars, which have a huge import duty slapped on them. Indians love buying Tatas, Mahindras, Maruti Suzukis, and locally-built Hyundais and Hondas.
  - fakedang 3y ago
    Indians love buying foreign cars too. Nobody likes buying Tata, Mahindra and Suzuki, it's all about Mercedes and BMW where I'm from. Heck even Skoda, Chevrolet and Toyota are considered fancy. That being said, this was the right move for Tesla. Tesla is not suited for the Indian road currently, and X and S are pricey even without the import tax even for upper class Indian standards, so it doesn't make sense making for India. That being said, I'm surprised they haven't been able to crack the Japanese market.
    - yurishimo 3y ago
      That one is easy! Tesla still has quality control and more importantly, interior issues. Japanese buyers expect the highest quality which is why many of their products are still produced domestically. The country is also so small and well connected with public transportation that people don’t need cars with 400 miles of range. The infrastructure and battery tech is arguably the biggest selling point for Tesla currently and those are non-factors in Japan.
      - fakedang 3y ago
        Hmm, that explains quite a bit. My experience with the pharma industry previously gave me the impression that the Japanese were big on foreign brand names, but I guess the underlying driver is just quality.
    - delta_p_delta_x 3y ago
      If you're talking about the glitziest parts of Mumbai or Bengaluru, maybe. It's rare to see Mercedeses or BMWs outside of the wealthiest parts of even Chennai, for instance. I don't think a small-towner in a second- or third-tier city is going for a C-class that would be worth several years' salary, even as a software engineer. Indians might want to buy German luxury cars, but whether they can afford to actually buy them and whether they actually buy them is a different story altogether.
      - fakedang 3y ago
        Sorry but I have to disagree. The district my father hails from is the second biggest luxury car market in the country, and not even 30 years back, it was the most backward in the entire state as well as one of the poorest in the country. A generation of education later and we have one of the most affluent districts in the country. In the coming years, I expect more of this boom to occur in other districts (and it's already happening). Just drive around Rajasthan or Haryana these days - that's where the markets are growing now. As for Chennai, it's a different story. In my experience, rich Tamilians tend to flaunt wealth less prominently as a cultural trait, unless you're talking nouveau riche politicians and entertainment industry people. I've met Tamilians all over the world and they have consistently been comparatively down-to-earth in terms of material wealth. An old friend's dad was a producer for several Rajnikanth movies, yet he drove around in a Hyundai.
        delta_p_delta_x 3y ago
        > The district my father hails from is the second biggest luxury car market in the country > we have one of the most affluent districts in the country You're still sort of cherry-picking a single (wealthy) district out of hundreds in the rest of India. Whether said district was wealthy thirty years ago or not is irrelevant, and I stand by my point: luxury cars are in general rare in India, and I was speaking generally. There are 1.4 billion Indians, and the overwhelming majority of them cannot really afford a German luxury car.
        fakedang 3y ago
- benj111 3y ago
  They haven't lost the ability to make the models in the future no. But if you'd been on a 3 year waiting list for a car only for it to be cancelled, would you be in a rush to join the queue in the future?
blackoil 3y ago
Tesla do not sale cars in India. Someone may import one paying >150% import duty, but definitely a minuscule market.
- diebeforei485 3y ago
  In fact they can't sell directly to customers in India, because of local sourcing rules.
pridkett 3y ago
They’re not stopping selling the Y or 3 with RHD, just the much more expensive and increasingly out of date S and X. Tesla’s best bet right now to “sell hundreds of millions of teslas” are the Y and 3.

India is actually a very small market for cars. And Australia is also not very big. and these are the expensive models, a tiny number of them would be sold there. The cheaper models, 3/Y will continue to be sold. Also you do understand that if there was actually the possibility for lots of sales, they could just reintroduce it again later. Its not like they have categorically lost the ability to make RHD models.

delta_p_delta_x 3y ago
> India is actually a very small market for cars. It's a small market for foreign cars, which have a huge import duty slapped on them. Indians love buying Tatas, Mahindras, Maruti Suzukis, and locally-built Hyundais and Hondas.
- fakedang 3y ago
  Indians love buying foreign cars too. Nobody likes buying Tata, Mahindra and Suzuki, it's all about Mercedes and BMW where I'm from. Heck even Skoda, Chevrolet and Toyota are considered fancy. That being said, this was the right move for Tesla. Tesla is not suited for the Indian road currently, and X and S are pricey even without the import tax even for upper class Indian standards, so it doesn't make sense making for India. That being said, I'm surprised they haven't been able to crack the Japanese market.
  - yurishimo 3y ago
    That one is easy! Tesla still has quality control and more importantly, interior issues. Japanese buyers expect the highest quality which is why many of their products are still produced domestically. The country is also so small and well connected with public transportation that people don’t need cars with 400 miles of range. The infrastructure and battery tech is arguably the biggest selling point for Tesla currently and those are non-factors in Japan.
    - fakedang 3y ago
      Hmm, that explains quite a bit. My experience with the pharma industry previously gave me the impression that the Japanese were big on foreign brand names, but I guess the underlying driver is just quality.
  - delta_p_delta_x 3y ago
    If you're talking about the glitziest parts of Mumbai or Bengaluru, maybe. It's rare to see Mercedeses or BMWs outside of the wealthiest parts of even Chennai, for instance. I don't think a small-towner in a second- or third-tier city is going for a C-class that would be worth several years' salary, even as a software engineer. Indians might want to buy German luxury cars, but whether they can afford to actually buy them and whether they actually buy them is a different story altogether.
    - fakedang 3y ago
      Sorry but I have to disagree. The district my father hails from is the second biggest luxury car market in the country, and not even 30 years back, it was the most backward in the entire state as well as one of the poorest in the country. A generation of education later and we have one of the most affluent districts in the country. In the coming years, I expect more of this boom to occur in other districts (and it's already happening). Just drive around Rajasthan or Haryana these days - that's where the markets are growing now. As for Chennai, it's a different story. In my experience, rich Tamilians tend to flaunt wealth less prominently as a cultural trait, unless you're talking nouveau riche politicians and entertainment industry people. I've met Tamilians all over the world and they have consistently been comparatively down-to-earth in terms of material wealth. An old friend's dad was a producer for several Rajnikanth movies, yet he drove around in a Hyundai.
      - delta_p_delta_x 3y ago
        > The district my father hails from is the second biggest luxury car market in the country > we have one of the most affluent districts in the country You're still sort of cherry-picking a single (wealthy) district out of hundreds in the rest of India. Whether said district was wealthy thirty years ago or not is irrelevant, and I stand by my point: luxury cars are in general rare in India, and I was speaking generally. There are 1.4 billion Indians, and the overwhelming majority of them cannot really afford a German luxury car.
        fakedang 3y ago
benj111 3y ago
They haven't lost the ability to make the models in the future no. But if you'd been on a 3 year waiting list for a car only for it to be cancelled, would you be in a rush to join the queue in the future?

blackoil 3y ago

Tesla do not sale cars in India. Someone may import one paying >150% import duty, but definitely a minuscule market.

diebeforei485 3y ago
In fact they can't sell directly to customers in India, because of local sourcing rules.

pridkett 3y ago

They’re not stopping selling the Y or 3 with RHD, just the much more expensive and increasingly out of date S and X. Tesla’s best bet right now to “sell hundreds of millions of teslas” are the Y and 3.