Opinion: Wrong start, Elon!

I visited the Tesla “experience centre” in Mumbai on a work trip. With so much of hype all around, I did not want to miss out on all the excitement. But it was a marketer’s debacle. If one were to take away the signage and the cars, it would be a boring, blind spot devoid of any ambience.

Now, why would the world’s biggest auto brand not want to take up the opportunity to create a sincere showcase? The Model Y is today not the most evocative; not with the Seals, Ioniqs and EV6s also on sale, so the floor space hired could certainly have been used to deliver the famed Tesla experience that Mr Musk keeps sharing on X every day.

There is no brand story, no tech interface, no deep insights, no little touch that leaves a memorable aftertaste. The test drive can be the only redeeming factor, though only from the point of having “consumed” an iconic brand, like having a Coke, a Big Mac or a Starbucks coffee. In fact, some of the material used in the display props would not find acceptance in much ‘lesser’ showrooms. It looked almost apologetic.

Even though you are selling only the Model Y, why would you not get a Cybertruck or a Cybercab just for display? The Model Y carries no halo, so something wild like the aforementioned would only allow for some good rub-off. Why would you not stay away from the traditional glass and chrome and back-lit closed showroom layout and not create a proper immersive experience zone? You have enough resources to take up a large park, do it up entirely your way, call it the Tesla Park and create interactive fun for a larger populace to enjoy, carry back and share. You have the Apple experience zone a few metres away as a role model.

You do not do so because you come with a chip or two on your shoulder. Just like many erstwhile egoistic brands before you, you believe that you have come to redeem the market. Your India team believes it is doing an Indian a big favour by allowing him or her to sit in a Tesla, wide-eyed. At your price point, you know that very few will be buying one anyway, so might as well play the age-old role of exclusivity.

If this “experience centre” is an outcome of Mr Musk’s thinking, then we as a nation should learn our lesson from over-indulgence. If it is an outcome of the thinking of the team entrusted with this market, it needs to recalibrate its attitude right away, as it will not take the brand too far. And further build on the narrative that it is losing its sheen compared with the likes of BYD and Zeekr. Either way, wrong start, Elon!

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