27 September 2017, India:
Elon Musk-led Tesla is hoping to come to India sooner than later. The company has initiated talks with Government of India for the same.
Tesla has been making waves, right from the moment its cars hit the market. Hailed as a game changer, its highly refined, fully electric cars disrupted one of the most static sectors in the global market – the automobile sector. It recently made headlines as the best car brand in the US, trumping giants like Ford and GM Motors.
The company has written to the government evincing interest in entering the market through the single-brand retail window, sources told TOI. The development comes months after Musk had tweeted about the high import duty and sourcing requirements.
With India going all guns blazing to make sure every Car is electric, Tesla has a market to capture.
Related Read: When Will India Create Tech Giants Like Google, Apple, Tesla Or Facebook?
Maybe I’m misinformed, but I was told that 30% of parts must be locally sourced and the supply doesn’t yet exist in India to support that.
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) May 22, 2017
.@elonmusk With respect to news reports on launch plans of Tesla in India being delayed, please note some key clarifications#MakeInIndia pic.twitter.com/9RFICGM9Kk
— Make in India (@makeinindia) May 23, 2017
India had earlier invited Tesla to make the country its Asia manufacturing hub. Musk himself had indicated that Tesla might establish a “gigafactory” there to manufacture lithium-ion batteries as per the report by Quartz. A senior roads ministry official told the ET that Tesla has made no official proposal to produce cars or batteries in the country yet. If indeed there is no availability of components, as Musk claims, Tesla could import them and assemble the car in India.
In September 2015, Prime Minister Narendra Modi had visited Tesla’s facility in San Jose and showed a keen interest in some of their path-breaking inventions, particularly in the renewable energy sector which can have multiple applications in remote rural areas.
Also Read: 7 Things To Consider Before Buying A First Tesla In India
