'Welcome to India': Anand Mahindra resurfaces old tweet to Elon Musk after Tesla's India debut

Tesla has officially plugged into the Indian market, opening its first showroom at Maker Maxity Mall in Mumbai's Bandra Kurla Complex (BKC).

The milestone moment for Elon Musk's EV giant was met with a warm welcome from Anand Mahindra, Chairman of the Mahindra Group.

Also Read: Tesla debuts in India with Mumbai showroom - and a flood of memes

Taking to X, Mahindra shared a screenshot of a tweet exchange from 2017 where he had invited Musk to bring Tesla to India. In his latest post, Mahindra wrote: "Welcome to India @elonmusk and @Tesla. One of the world's largest EV opportunities just got more exciting. Competition drives innovation, and there's plenty of road ahead. Looking forward to seeing you at the charging station."

Welcome to India, @elonmusk and @Tesla.

One of the world’s largest EV opportunities just got more exciting.

Competition drives innovation, and there’s plenty of road ahead.

Looking forward to seeing you at the charging station. pic.twitter.com/7Uh2ziV0fp

— anand mahindra (@anandmahindra) July 15, 2025

The screenshot he posted featured his original 2017 tweet reacting to Musk's comment about India planning to sell only electric cars by 2030. At the time, Mahindra had playfully remarked: "Time you got out here, Elon. You don't want to leave the whole market to Mahindra, do you? The more the merrier and greener."

To which Musk had replied, "Good point."

Now, eight years on, that light-hearted invitation has turned prophetic. Tesla's India debut includes the launch of the Model Y SUV, available in two variants: Real-wheel drive at Rs 60.1 lakh, Long-range variant at Rs 67.8 lakh.

Despite the excitement, Tesla faces a price disadvantage in India due to steep import duties, making the Model Y significantly costlier than in the US, China, or Germany.

Also Read: Fadnavis welcomes Tesla to Mumbai; says ‘not just a car, but a symbol of sustainability’