Elon Musk Meets PM Narenda Modi, Cracks A Deal For India Debut

Familiar with the phrase ‘koshish karne valo ki kabhi haar nahi hoti’? That seems fitting for Tesla’s tale with India, as it is finally happening! Yes, the talks between Tesla and the Indian Government have come to a winning conclusion for all, as Tesla CEO Elon Musk confirmed – after meeting PM Narendra Modi – that after all the hardships and roadblocks, Tesla will finally come to India.

Why the delay?

Tesla's foray into the Indian automotive industry was held up thus far because the Indian Government was persistent for local manufacturing and the costs of import duties were too high for the carmaker to bag profits. The marque had even requested for lower import duties on pure EVs as it wanted to test the waters before setting up a manufacturing base, but that request was never approved by the authorities.

But it seems like the two parties have finally come to a mutual understanding and reports suggest that it will be setting up a manufacturing facility in India very soon. And it does make sense to do so, because not only will it bring down the prices of its offerings as they will be locally assembled, but also make them more appealing, especially from a financial point of view. 

In the video, Musk said “He (Modi) is pushing us to make significant investments in India, which is something we (Tesla) intend to do”.

What could we get?

Tesla may kick off its Indian innings with the Model 3 sedan and Model Y crossover, followed by more premium offerings like the Model X and Model S. A new entry-level EV is also in the works and we hope it’s brought to India as well, while the quirky Cybertruck will be launched globally sometime in 2024.

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