Indian testing agencies have given their approval to Tesla to manufacture or import four car models in the country. With this, the electric carmaker has cleared the "homologation stage" for all four of the models/variants it had sought approval for from the Indian authorities. Homologation basically means that the vehicle is road safe as it has met all the required indicators.
"The tests ensured the vehicle matches the requirements of the Indian market in terms of emission and safety and road worthiness", according to the federal Ministry of Road Transport and Highways.
However, it was not immediately clear which models or variants were approved but multiple test cars from Tesla have been spotted regularly on Indian roads. The company has been testing its Model 3 and Model Y in India over the past several weeks.
Tesla's Model Y and Model 3 come with a price tag between $38,700 an $41,200.
The approval, however, does not mean an immediate launch. Tesla, which has sought to lower import duties from the Indian government, is yet to finalise its plans. The company is hoping to have a cheaper price tag on its cars which is otherwise impossible due to the steep import duties.
Aside from the import duties, another roadblock for the company in India will be scant electric vehicle charging infrastructure.
Electric vehicles in India account for only one percent of the nation's annual car sales.