- Tesla’s India Launch: Elon Musk Aims for Swift Entry into Indian Market
- Meeting with Narendra Modi: Investment Opportunities in Electric Mobility and Commercial Space Industries Discussed
- Tesla’s Plans for India: Manufacturing, Innovation Hub, and Starlink Internet Service
Elon Musk, CEO of Tesla, stated that the electric vehicle manufacturer will launch in India “as soon as humanly possible.”
His remarks followed a meeting with Narendra Modi, who is on a state visit to the United States.
The Indian government stated that Mr. Musk had been invited to investigate investment opportunities in the electric mobility and commercial space industries.
Mr. Musk stated that he was “trying to figure out the right timing” for this to occur.
The meeting between Mr. Modi and Mr. Musk, who also owns Twitter, occurred days after Twitter co-founder Jack Dorsey accused India of threatening to close down the platform for not complying with its orders to remove content from the website.
The Indian government vehemently refuted Mr. Dorsey’s claims, which he made in an interview with an independent news program, calling them “a blatant lie.”
Mr. Musk commented on the incident on Wednesday, stating that Twitter had no alternative but to comply with local authorities or “we will be shut down.”
“We will make every effort to provide the most speech freedom permitted by law,” he said.
Musk called himself a “fan of Mr. Modi” and that India has “more potential than any other large country.”
“He [Mr. Modi] cares deeply about India because he encourages us to make substantial investments in India, which we intend to do. We are simply determining the optimal timing,” he told reporters. “I am confident Tesla will arrive in India as soon as possible.”
Tesla has held discussions with Indian bureaucrats and ministers in preparation for its entry into the domestic market.
Last month, Reuters reported that Tesla had proposed establishing a factory to manufacture electric vehicles and was also considering producing EV batteries in the country. In May, federal minister Rajeev Chandrasekhar told the agency, “They are very seriously considering India as a production and innovation hub.”
The company’s original plans to establish a base in India were shelved last year after the Indian government insisted Tesla manufacture cars locally, despite Tesla’s desire to export to India first to gauge demand.
Mr. Musk stated that he also intended to bring his company’s Starlink satellite internet service to India.
He told reporters, “We do not want to jump the gun on an announcement. But I believe it will be a significant investment in our relationship with India.”
Mr. Modi landed in New York on Tuesday for a three-day state visit that might change India-US ties.
On Thursday, he will receive a formal greeting at the White House before meeting with Vice President Joe Biden.
On Tuesday, almost 70 US legislators urged Mr. Biden to discuss human rights with Mr. Modi. They expressed concern over India’s increasing religious intolerance, press freedoms, and targeting of civil society groups.
