Tesla will officially open its first showroom in India on Tuesday, July 16, at Jio World Drive in Mumbai, according to people familiar with the development told Bloomberg. This marks a major milestone for Elon Musk’s electric vehicle company, as it enters the world’s third-largest auto market at a time when global sales are slowing.

The showroom will offer customers access to model pricing, variant options, and configuration tools, with vehicle bookings expected to begin next week. The first set of deliveries is expected to start as early as late August, the sources said.

According to documents reviewed by Bloomberg, Tesla has already brought in its first batch of Model Y rear-wheel drive units from its China factory. The Model Y is currently the world’s top-selling electric vehicle and will be Tesla’s first product for India.

With an import value of around ₹27.7 lakh per unit ($32,270), these EVs are expected to retail at a much higher price in India due to the country’s 70 per cent import tariff on fully built electric vehicles priced under $40,000. After applying additional surcharges, the Model Y’s price could be significantly higher than the $46,630 it is sold for in the US.

Tesla’s second Indian showroom is set to open in New Delhi by the end of July. The initial week of operations at the Mumbai outlet will be dedicated to VIPs and business partners, with general public access planned for the following week.

Tesla’s India debut comes at a crucial time, as the company faces slowing global sales. The Indian expansion is expected to help offset the downturn and gauge consumer interest in premium EVs in a market still dominated by conventional cars. High import duties have long been a sticking point in Tesla’s India strategy, something CFO Vaibhav Taneja acknowledged earlier this year.

Tesla representatives have not yet responded to media queries on the launch and rollout strategy.