Strengthening its India push, Tesla has hired former Lamborghini India chief Sharad Agarwal to spearhead its local operations.
Tesla Inc. has appointed Sharad Agarwal, the former head of Lamborghini India, as its new country head, signaling a renewed push to strengthen its presence in the world’s most populous market, Bloomberg reported. Agarwal joined Tesla this week and will lead the company’s India operations, marking a shift from Tesla’s earlier management model in which a small local team reported to regional executives in China and Southeast Asia.
The appointment follows the resignation of Tesla’s former India head, Prashanth Menon, in May and comes as the company ramps up local engagement under Southeast Asia director Isabel Fan, who oversaw showroom launches in Mumbai and New Delhi earlier this year.
Agarwal, who led Lamborghini India for nearly a decade, helped the luxury carmaker dominate the country’s super-luxury market by expanding into more than 60 cities. His experience in high-end automotive sales suggests Tesla may initially target India’s luxury segment rather than the mass market.
“Tesla’s strategy seems focused on building brand aspiration among premium buyers before broader expansion,” said an industry executive familiar with the company’s plans.
The EV maker faces challenges, including India’s high import tariffs that make its Model Y cost over ₹6 millions, compared to the ₹2.2 millions average for local EVs. Despite slow sales, Tesla is expanding marketing efforts through pop-up showrooms and displays across Delhi-NCR as it seeks to gain traction in India’s evolving electric vehicle market.
