Tesla appoints ex-Lamborghini India head as country chief to drive sales: Report

Tesla has appointed Sharad Agarwal as its new country head in India, marking a significant shift in the company’s approach to the local market. Agarwal, who previously led Lamborghini India, begins his role this week and is expected to spearhead efforts to reinvigorate Tesla’s performance in a market where earlier sales figures have not met expectations.

According to a report in Bloomberg, the move is viewed as a crucial step towards developing a more homegrown strategy, with Agarwal providing local leadership rather than Tesla’s previous model of remote management. Agarwal’s immediate responsibility would be to address the challenges that have contributed to Tesla’s slow start in India, the report added. He starts this week and will be tasked in reviving Tesla’s push in a market that has so far failed to deliver on the hype, it stated.

Tesla’s earlier structure relied on a small local team managed remotely by executives in China and other regional centres. The appointment of an on-the-ground leader follows the resignation of the previous country head, Prashanth Menon, in May.

The strategy change is intended to enable Tesla to better navigate India’s unique market dynamics, which include high import tariffs and a slow rate of electric vehicle adoption, the report added.

Tesla’s sales in India have lagged behind expectations, with just over 600 orders placed since sales began in mid-July. By October, orders had increased marginally to over 800 vehicles. These volumes remain low compared to Tesla’s global delivery rate.

The company has set up pop-up displays in major shopping centres in the National Capital Region, including the Gurgaon district, to boost brand and product awareness.