The Story of India's First Tesla

Remember who got the very first Tesla in India? Now there are still a few Teslas that can be seen running on city roads, all of them imported of course. Yet, the first one arrived in India for a very special buyer. It was reportedly the CEO at Indian business giant Essar, Prashant Ruia, who ordered the first imported Tesla electric model in the country. He got hold of the Model X electric SUV from the globally aspirational EV brand.

Prashant Ruia privately imported this electric SUV to Mumbai and it reportedly cost him almost a couple of crores altogether. The Model X is Tesla's flagship SUV, sporting an appealing crossover styling with seven seats. It is the world's swiftest electric SUV with two motors. The power and torque figures are close to 750 BHP and 967 Nm, while the car can touch 100 kmph in only 4.8 seconds. The car gets futuristic equipment including semi-autonomous driving functions and more.

After Prashant Ruia's big acquisition, Mukesh Ambani also got hold of his own S 100D model from Tesla. This model now occupies pride of place in the famous Ambani family garage alongside Rolls Royces, Bentleys, and more. Reports state that the registration of the car has been done in the name of Reliance Industries Ltd. The company is also the second owner of the Tesla model. This is quite usual whenever cars are imported into India since the registration first happens in the importer's name. The S 100D makes 423 PS and 660 Nm of maximum torque, touching 100 kmph in only 4.3 seconds. It gets a 100 kWh battery and may be charged till 396 kilometres of range in only 42 minutes. With a full charge, the car will travel till 495 kmph, while achieving a top speed of 250 kmph as well. Being an imported car, rumor has it that Mukesh Ambani had to fork out upwards of INR 1.5 crore for this beauty!