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Relations between India and Tesla, the world’s largest electric car maker, have deteriorated somewhat in recent years. The company considered bringing its own vehicles into the country and requested the government to reduce import tariffs. However, the Indian government has always refused this request. After lobbying talks stalled for some time, several executives from the American electric car maker are now reportedly visiting India to meet with Indian government officials. The purpose of the conference is to find ways for the company to deepen its supply chain in India and diversify out of China. 

Image courtesy Reddit

So far, the topics of discussion at this meeting between senior Tesla executives and officials from Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s office have not been made public as the meeting is closed to the public in nature. However, a source familiar with the situation said the company would like to discuss opportunities to source local products for use in building luxury electric vehicles such as the Model S, Model 3, Model X and Model Y.

Attendees are expected to include executives and managers from Tesla’s supply chain, manufacturing and business development, based in Austin, Texas. Executives said Tesla plans to reiterate its call for India to lower import tariffs on its cars, according to people familiar with the matter. 

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For those who don’t know, as previously reported on Cartoq, Tesla has been pressuring the Indian government to lower high EV import tariffs since 2019. But the Indian government decided not to do so. India currently imposes an import duty of 60% on EVs under $40,000. However, EVs priced above $40,000 will be subject to a 100% import duty. The same problem applies to internal combustion engine vehicles brought into the country. Alongside Tesla, Audi was also alleged to have lobbied the Indian government to lower its high tariffs. 

The American electric car maker has even appointed a dedicated official to lead Tesla’s lobbying efforts in India. But after the government reluctantly ignored Tesla’s request, the company asked its Indian team to work on expanding into the larger markets of the Middle East and Asia Pacific (APAC). As a result, Manuj Khurana, the head of policy and business development at Tesla in India, resigned.

For more than a year, Mr Khurana has been lobbying India to reduce import tariffs on electric cars from 100% to 40%. Tesla argued that this would allow it to test the market with imports from manufacturing hubs such as China before investing in factories. But Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s government has demanded that Tesla first tackle car production in India before making any concessions. As a result, Tesla put its ambitions to sell cars in India on hold, redeployed its domestic workforce and abandoned its search for showroom space after negotiations stalled. 

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Rumour has it that the EV division of Tata Motors, the country’s largest electric car maker, has been working on an electric version of its hugely popular Punch micro SUV for a long time. After months of rumours, we finally have proof that this is true. I recently captured a spy shot of an electric version of the Tata Punch being towed by a flatbed. Team-BHP reports that this latest Tata Punch EV test mule was spotted near Lonavala Hill Station in Maharashtra. 

Tata Punch EV Spotted Look

You can’t tell from the photos that there’s much difference in appearance, but discerning observers will notice that this particular test mule has an extra rear disc brake. This option is not available for ICE iterations of punch. This additional braking equipment is believed to have been added to support the extra weight created by the car’s heavy battery and motor. The report also states that the Test Mule didn’t have a conventional exhaust system, which is another big piece of evidence that this is an electric version of the Punch.

Aside from these differences, there were no noticeable changes to the exterior, but you can expect some cosmetic tweaks to be made once the car is unveiled. Presumably, the car’s front bumper will be fitted with a closed grille, similar to the EV version of the Tiago EV. In addition, the car received an additional EV badging with blue accents around the perimeter and the standard ICE brothers, still the most popular micro SUV in the country and one of Tata’s most popular cars. are distinguished from 

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Tata Punch EV Expected Look

So far, no details have been revealed about the powertrain specs of the upcoming Tata Punch EV, but the company has announced that it will feature Ziptron technology, which is also found in models such as the Tata Tiago EV and Nexon EV. expected to provide. Several battery packs are available that offer different ranges. In his recently launched Tiago EV, the company offers a hatchback powered by his 24kWh battery, which gives him an MIDC-certified range of 315km. There is also a small battery of 19.2 kWh. The MIDC-certified range is 250 km. Presumably, these numbers will hold up for the Tata Punch EV as well.

The Tata Punch EV could also be equipped with various driving modes such as city and sports. Different levels of playback may also occur to increase range. Perhaps the company will also offer an EV micro SUV with telematics via Z-Connect. Tiago EV now has over 65 features including remote climate control on/off, remote geofencing, real-time charging status, smartwatch connectivity and more. Tata may also offer leather seats, automatic climate control, rain-sensing wipers, automatic headlights, power ORVM, cruise control, and more. In addition, the vehicle can also be supplied with a top-of-the-range version with up to eight loudspeakers. 

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