Sharad Agarwal Takes Charge as Tesla’s New India Head, Focus on Luxury EV Market

American electric mobility company Tesla has appointed Sharad Agarwal as its country head in India. Agarwal earlier headed Lamborghini India. This move marks the direction of Tesla's new strategy in the Indian market since the company aims to gain more sales and brand awareness. Agarwal, who was appointed as country head for India, will target luxury buyers. He has inherited the task of dealing with high import duties and slow adoption of electric vehicles (EVs) in India.

Tesla's appointment of a country head in India reflects the company's shift in approach to the market after a slow start to sales in the world's most populous country. The electric car manufacturer has appointed Sharad Agarwal, who headed Lamborghini India until now, to lead local operations, people familiar with the matter said.

Sources said Agarwal will take charge this week and will be tasked with reviving Tesla's operations in a market that has so far failed to meet expectations. He will also be the on-the-ground leader for Tesla, unlike previously, where a small team of local employees operated remotely through an executive team in China and other regional centers.

Tesla's move to appoint a country head for India reflects the company's changing approach to the slow start to sales in the world's most populous country. According to experts, electric car manufacturer Tesla has selected Sharad Agarwal to lead local operations. Sharad previously headed Lamborghini India. According to sources, Sharad is expected to take charge this week and will be tasked with reviving Tesla's presence in the Indian market, which has so far failed to meet expectations. He will lead Tesla on the ground, unlike previously, where the local team was led by employees from China and other regional centers.

Tesla's Southeast Asia director, Isabel Fan, oversaw the launch of two Tesla stores in Mumbai and New Delhi in July and August. Previous country head Prashant Menon, who was working from India and the US, resigned in May. Sources say the decision to bring in Agarwal was part of an effort to develop a domestic strategy in India.

Tesla representatives declined to comment, and Sharad Agarwal could not be reached for comment. Agarwal's challenge will be to convert initial interest into meaningful sales while overcoming India's tariff challenges and slow EV adoption rate.

Tesla's launch in India has received a lukewarm response, and the company has so far failed its own expectations. Bloomberg News reported in September that the US EV maker had received just over 600 orders since starting sales in mid-July. The company delivers this many orders roughly every four hours on the global stage. By October, the number of orders had reached more than 800 vehicles.

Tesla's muted response reflects the uphill battle it faces in a market where high import duties have pushed the price of the company's affordable car, the Model Y, above ₹60 lakh ($67,575), well above the ₹22 lakh threshold for most EV sales in India. According to JATO Dynamics, EV sales account for 5% of total car sales in India.