NEW DELHI: Mercedes-Benz, the leader of the Indian luxury car market, has said that the entry of Tesla “doesn’t worry the company at all” and added that the addition of the American electric giant will only help in strengthening the position of premium green cars in the country.
Martin Schwenk, who leads Mercedes in India, said his company’s business in India remains on a strong footing and faces no apparent threat from the Elon Musk-run auto giant which has been gaining in scale and market capitalisation over the past few years.
Mercedes and Tesla have been competing across various markets, including neighbouring China, the US, and many countries in Europe.
Asked whether the entry of Tesla in India is a source of worry for the business of Mercedes, Schwenk said, “Rather it’s the opposite… Entry of any new brand creates additional interest and additional markets. And it’s not only Tesla (that we compete with). There is lots of activity across manufacturers.”
In clear indications that it is finally setting foot in India, Tesla has got an Indian subsidiary registered with the registrar of companies (RoC) in Bangalore and this is called, Tesla India Motors and Energy Pvt Ltd.
Musk has often spoken about his desire to sell cars in India, and recently Union minister Nitin Gadkari said the company will start operations here in 2021 which may include setting up a manufacturing unit.
Worried over rising pollution across cities and the burgeoning fuel import bill, the Modi government has been pushing the Indian auto industry to transition to electrics, throwing in a variety of incentives to encourage the adoption of green cars. These include a lower GST rate (only 5% against 28%-plus for non-electric cars), buyer subsidies, and income tax benefits on their purchase.
Tesla has been enthused by the policy direction of the Indian government and is currently engaged in charting out an India plan for its launch that may initially happen through imports and thereafter through local production as its factory comes up. There have been indications that the company may enter into a local tie-up, though homegrown companies such as Tata Motors have denied such speculations.
In November last year, replying to a Twitter user who asked about the progress of the company’s India plans, Musk had said, “Yea… Next year for sure”.
Even in 2019, replying to a Twitter query, Musk had said he “would love to be there this year. If not, definitely next!” However, in 2018, he had cited the country’s “challenging regulatory environment” among the reasons for not foraying into India.
Mercedes currently has the Rs 1 crore-plus EQC SUV as the only electric car in its India line-up. The company plans to beef up its green line-up going forward.
Tesla, on the other hand, had received bookings for its Model 3 model in 2016 but has officially not rolled out the model here so far.

MUMBAI: Tata Motors said on Tuesday it has accelerated its drive for engineering excellence and innovation by filing 80 and receiving 98 patents in 2020.
These patents predominantly relate to the mega-trend of CESS (connected, electrified, sustainable and safe) automobiles and encompass an eclectic mix of improvements in automotive electronics, noise vibration and harshness, conventional and advanced powertrain systems, and crash safety under various categories of industrial designs, copyrights and notarizations.

“We have a rich history of introducing innovations that develop to become industry benchmarks,” said Chief Technology Officer Rajendra Petkar.
“We encourage our talented team to think afresh and challenge the status quo in our consistent pursuit of excellence. A carefully-curated, solution-oriented approach enables us to collectively ideate, innovate and collaborate to evolve new technologies, products and processes to delight customers.”

Petkar said consistently developing intellectual capabilities and properties at an institutional level is key for advancing India’s auto industry’s role in building ‘Aatmanirbhar Bharat.’
“At Tata Motors, our objective is to create best in class ‘Make in India’ products that offer global standards design, safety, comfort and driveability,” he said.