Category World News

Tesla has launched its Model Y in India for about $70,000, a significant markup relative to its other major markets, reflecting the country’s high tariffs on electric vehicle imports, which CEO Elon Musk has long criticised.

The electric carmaker announced the price on Tuesday.

Deliveries are estimated to start from the third quarter, the US automaker is targeting a niche electric vehicle segment in India that accounts for just 4 percent of overall sales in the world’s third-largest car market.

It will compete mainly with German luxury giants such as BMW, Mercedes-Benz and South Korea’s Kia rather than domestic mass-market EV players such as Tata Motors and Mahindra Auto.

On Tuesday, Tesla opened its first showroom in Mumbai and began taking Model Y orders on its website, marking its long-awaited entry into the market where Musk once had plans to open a factory.

For now, Tesla will import cars into a country where tariffs and related duties can exceed 100 percent, driving up the price for consumers.

Tesla’s Model Y rear-wheel drive is priced at about $70,000 (6 million rupees), while its Model Y long-range rear-wheel drive costs roughly $79,000 (6.8 million rupees), according to the website.

Tariff pressures

The prices include the tariff and additional levies imposed by the state. There was no breakdown of the price on the website and Reuters could not immediately ascertain the listing price.

They compare with a starting price from $44,990 in the US, $36,700 (263,500 yuan) in China, and $53,700 (45,970 euros) in Germany.

At the media-only event at the showroom, Tesla displayed two Model Y cars made in China and its supercharger, which it will install at eight different locations in Mumbai and in and around New Delhi, where it is also expected to open its next showroom.

“We are here to create the ecosystem, to invest in the necessary infrastructure, including the charging infrastructure,” Isabel Fan, a regional director at Tesla, said at the launch event.

“We are building from 0 to 100. It will take time to cover the whole country.”

Grappling with excess capacity in global factories and declining sales, Tesla has adopted a strategy of selling imported vehicles in India, despite the duties and levies.

The US EV maker has long lobbied India for lower import tariffs on cars, and Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s officials remain in talks with US President Donald Trump’s administration to lower the levies under a bilateral trade deal.

Tesla’s US factories also do not currently make the right-hand drive vehicles that are used in India.

Although India’s road infrastructure has improved, traffic discipline – like lane driving – is still rudimentary, EV chargers are far and few and stray animals, including cattle, and potholes on the road are a big hurdle, even in cities.

The Kremlin has said that US President Donald Trump’s recent statements, including a threat to impose sanctions on Russia’s trading partners, are serious and require time to assess.

Amid growing frustration with Russian President Vladimir Putin, Trump on Monday announced new deliveries of weapons, including Patriot missile systems, to Ukraine and said that buyers of Russian exports could face severe tariffs if Moscow fails to agree to a peace deal within 50 days, signalling a major policy shift in Washington.

“The US president’s statements are very serious. Some of them are addressed personally to President Putin,” Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov told reporters in Moscow on Tuesday.

“We certainly need time to analyse what was said in Washington. And if and when President Putin deems it necessary, he will definitely comment.”

Former Russian President Dmitry Medvedev mocked Trump’s announcement, calling it a “theatrical ultimatum” and saying that “Russia didn’t care”. Medvedev, who now serves as deputy chair of Russia’s Security Council, has frequently issued strident remarks throughout the war.

Russian Senator Konstantin Kosachev was similarly dismissive. Writing on Telegram, he said Trump’s announcement would have no impact on public sentiment in Russia and claimed the United States was setting a trap for Europe — forcing NATO states to pay for weapons that would primarily benefit the US arms industry.

“Only the American military-industrial complex will profit from this,” Kosachev said.

Europeans promise to support weapons shipments

Several European countries pledged to support Trump’s proposal to send more weapons to Ukraine.

Denmark’s Foreign Minister Lars Lokke Rasmussen said Copenhagen would “do its part” to finance Patriot systems for Ukraine, though he gave no specifics. “It seems the US is finally on the right side,” Rasmussen told reporters in Brussels.

The Netherlands and Sweden also said they were exploring ways to support the initiative. Sweden’s Defence Minister Pal Jonson welcomed Trump’s pressure on Russia and confirmed Stockholm would contribute to the delivery of weapons, though details remained unclear.

Lithuania’s Foreign Minister Kestutis Budrys said the announcements showed that “leadership is once again coming from the US.”

Sanctions package stalls

But in a sign that European unity remains fragile, the European Union’s planned 18th sanctions package stalled on Tuesday after Slovakia requested a delay in the vote. Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fico, who visited the Kremlin last year, said the move reflected domestic political concerns over gas supplies amid a looming ban on Russian imports from 2028.

EU foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas voiced frustration at the setback. “I’m really sad the sanctions didn’t get approved,” she said. “But I hope they will be passed tomorrow.”

Kallas added that the EU welcomes Trump’s commitment to defending Ukraine but said Washington must also “share the burden”.

The European Union has imposed sanctions on seven individuals and three entities it said are responsible for efforts to destabilise Moldova’s democracy, including through vote-buying and political bribery linked to the country’s 2024 presidential election and referendum on EU accession.

In a statement on Tuesday, the European Council said those sanctioned were engaged in “actions aimed at destabilising, undermining or threatening the sovereignty and independence as well as democracy, the rule of law and stability of the Republic of Moldova.”

Among those targeted are figures closely associated with Ilan Shor, the exiled pro-Russian Moldovan businessman and political figure already under EU sanctions. Shor is accused of funding political operations from abroad and leading efforts to spread disinformation.

The council named Shor’s Victory political bloc as one of the three entities sanctioned. It accused the bloc of running orchestrated campaigns to buy votes and spreading misinformation during the EU referendum.

In October 2024, Moldovans voted ‘yes’ to constitutionally codifying their goal to join the EU by a razor-thin margin amid accusations of Russian meddling.

Another group, the Cultural Educational Centre of Moldova, was listed for facilitating interference in the elections. The third entity, A7, was cited for its links to Russian political influence operations.

Those listed will face asset freezes and travel bans across the EU, the council said.

This is the second time the EU has used its special sanctions system for Moldova, which was set up in 2023 at the request of the Moldovan government. It comes as the country faces growing threats linked to Russia’s war in Ukraine.

“The EU remains unwavering in its support for the Republic of Moldova and its peace, resilience, security, stability, and economic growth in the face of destabilising activities by external actors,” the council said, adding that destabilisation attempts would be met with firm measures.

With Tuesday’s announcement, a total of 23 individuals and five entities have been sanctioned under the Moldovan government. EU officials said the listings send a clear signal to actors attempting to undermine the country’s pro-European trajectory.

Two people have been killed in New Jersey following flash flooding in the northeastern United States that caused travel chaos, authorities said, as the region braced for more heavy rain.

Governor Phil Murphy on Tuesday noted the deaths occurred in the northern New Jersey city of Plainfield, where there were two storm-related deaths on July 3. A third person was killed in North Plainfield during that previous storm.

“We’re not unique, but we’re in one of these sort of high humidity, high temperature, high storm intensity patterns right now,” Murphy told reporters after touring storm damage in Berkeley Heights. “Everybody needs to stay alert.”

The names of the two latest victims were not immediately released Tuesday.

Flood warnings in states such as New York, New Jersey, and Pennsylvania began to expire on Tuesday morning as a torrential storm moved on, but some areas remain inundated with floodwater.

“A moisture-rich Summer-time airmass over much of the eastern/central US will continue to lead to areas of scattered to widespread thunderstorms capable of heavy downpours and flash flooding,” the National Weather Service said.

Videos show subway stations in New York City filling with fetid floodwater. Buses and cars in New Jersey were also stranded by flooding, and the state’s Governor Phil Murphy declared a state of emergency on Monday, warning residents to avoid unnecessary travel.

Rescue workers in New York’s Westchester County helped recover people stuck in their vehicles amid rising waters.

“At this time, residents are still strongly advised to avoid all travel unless fleeing an area that is subject to flooding, or under an evacuation order,” said Carolyn Fortino, a spokesperson for the county executive.

Emergency workers also rescued people from flooded basements and carried out 16 water rescues after severe flash flooding in Lancaster, Pennsylvania.

“Intense rainfall dropped over 7 inches of rain in less than five hours,” the fire department for the county’s Mount Joy Borough said in a social media post.

The storms come amid growing debate about US disaster preparedness and predictive capacity following deadly floods in Texas that killed at least 131 people earlier this month, including dozens of children at a summer camp.

Critics have argued that sweeping cuts to numerous government agencies, including weather prediction and meteorological services, will hinder the country’s ability to anticipate and respond to incidents of extreme weather, which are becoming more frequent and severe due to climate change.

Zohran Mamdani, the Democratic Party’s nominee for New York City mayor, stated in a social media post that the flooding underscores the challenges that extreme weather driven by climate change will pose for existing and outdated infrastructure.

“We must upgrade our infrastructure for this new climate reality,” he said.

While rainfall is expected to diminish, weather services said that possible showers and thunderstorms could continue through the evening. They also warned that the region will face high temperatures in the coming days.

“After yesterday’s rainfall, today should be mainly dry. However, a few isolated showers or a thunderstorm is possible this afternoon/evening,” National Weather Service New York said in a social media post.