Tesla rival Triton to manufacture cars in Gujarat

Tesla’s rival and electric vehicle (EV) maker Triton Electric Vehicle has opted for Gujarat to manufacture its electric cars in India. 

The American auto giant said it will set up the factory in an area spread across 600 acres. The plant will be a three million square feet facility, according to Himanshu Patel, chief executive officer (CEO) and founder of the EV company.

Triton had tweaked its earlier India plans, when it had zeroed in on Zaheerabad near Hyderabad to set up a plant. But the proposed Triton factory remained a non-starter.  

Triton N4 Sedan -- Courtesy: Triton

The company unveiled its eight-seater Model H electric SUV last year in Hyderabad when it had announced its India plans. 

Triton had then said it wants to set up a local manufacturing unit for making electric cars, SUVs and pick-up trucks in the country. 

Besides India, it is likely to sell these vehicles in South-East Asia and may also consider Nepal, Bangladesh and African countries.

Triton Model H -- Courtesy: Insideevs.com

Triton’s entry is at a time when Tesla is having difficulty in entering the Indian market because it has not yet committed to setting up a manufacturing unit in India. 

Instead, Tesla wants to make the cars in China and sell them in India. For this, it has been seeking duty cuts.

Triton initially planned to import its cars to India but found the import duty to be too steep. 

Like Tesla, Triton also asked for a duty cut but the Indian government did not approve it, calling for local manufacturing.  

If Triton sets up a factory in India, it could sell its luxury vehicles early and gain an initial edge over Tesla. 

India’s Union minister Nitin Gadkari today said that the cost of EVs is set to be the same as petrol-run vehicles in about two years. 

If so, the EV market will explode and players like Triton will have the first advantage.

But if Tesla acts fast and sets up a manufacturing facility in India, it could get an immediate advantage because of its immense brand value.  

Gujarat is one of the few states in the country that has already come up with a dedicated electric vehicle policy and Triton is hoping to benefit in a big way from it. 

There is no buzz yet but Triton could initially bring in the N4 Sedan into India. And, another iconic vehicle that Triton manufactures is the Model H.

The Triton N4 is priced around Rs 40 lakh (Rs 40,000,00) while the Model H currently comes for approximately Rs 1.10 crore (Rs 11 million).

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Triton claims that the Model H can deliver a full charge of a whopping 700 miles (1,126 kms). And, this is double compared to Tesla’s Model 3, which has a range of 520 km (323 miles).

The Triton N4 has either a 75Kwh or a 100Kwh battery pack, with a range of 523 km (325 miles) or 696 km (432 miles), respectively.

So, Triton’s early move of setting up a factory in Gujarat is crucial for it to get a headstart over rival Tesla.