Tesla Inc. has lost another senior leader as Siddhant Awasthi, the head of the company’s Cybertruck program, announced his departure after three years in the role.
The move adds to a growing list of high-level exits at the electric-vehicle maker as it contends with uneven demand, intensifying competition, and the wind-down of key US incentives.
Awasthi disclosed his resignation in a LinkedIn post, describing the decision as a difficult one.
He reflected on his eight-year tenure, writing, “It’s tough to sum up eight years in just a few lines, but what a thrilling journey it’s been: ramping up Model 3, working on Giga Shanghai, developing new electronics and wireless architectures, and delivering the once-in-a-lifetime Cybertruck—all before hitting 30. The icing on the cake was getting to dive back into Model 3 work toward the end.”
Awasthi joined Tesla as an intern in 2017 and rose rapidly through the engineering ranks.
In addition to leading the Cybertruck program, he took over management of the Model 3 program in July.
Executive exodus at Tesla continues
Awasthi’s exit follows a series of departures this year, including David Lau, Tesla’s long-serving vice president of software engineering, who left for OpenAI after nearly 13 years at the company.
The leadership churn comes as Tesla shifts its strategic focus toward autonomous driving initiatives such as robotaxis and humanoid robotics, while simultaneously contending with cooling consumer demand and the expiration of US tax credits that supported sales earlier in the year.
The Cybertruck, first unveiled by CEO Elon Musk in 2019, has remained one of Tesla’s most divisive products.
Its unconventional design has earned a loyal base of enthusiasts but failed to translate into broad market traction.
The vehicle has also faced multiple recalls since entering production, further complicating its rollout.
Tesla’s early India launch shows weak momentum
While Tesla battles headwinds in major global markets, its entry into India remains in its infancy and is showing signs of early strain.
The company, which opened its first India showroom in July, sold 40 vehicles in October, bringing cumulative deliveries to 104 units after selling 64 in September, according to data from the Federation of Automobile Dealers Associations (FADA).
October’s total marked a 37.5% month-on-month decline.
India’s broader EV market grew 17.78% m-o-m in October, with 18,055 units sold, highlighting Tesla’s muted performance relative to overall industry momentum.
Tesla currently operates two showrooms — one in Mumbai’s Maker Maxity at Bandra Kurla Complex, and another in New Delhi’s Worldmark 3, Aerocity — and sells only the Model Y SUV, imported fully built.
The Model Y, offered in rear-wheel-drive configurations, is priced at ₹59.89 lakh (ex-showroom) for the standard version and ₹67.89 lakh for the Long Range variant.
These price points place the SUV in competition with luxury electric models from Mercedes-Benz and BMW, although they are substantially higher than Tesla’s global pricing because of India’s steep import duties on completely built units (CBUs).
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