In a significant development, Tesla CEO Elon Musk is scheduled to personally brief Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi regarding the company’s plans to establish a manufacturing base in India. According to a reliable source familiar with the matter, this high-level meeting will take place on Tuesday during Prime Minister Modi’s state visit to the United States. The source, who requested anonymity due to the private nature of the discussions, confirmed that this meeting would be the first of its kind to discuss Tesla’s expansion plans in India.
“Tesla has very strong plans for India, including looking at manufacturing,” the source added.
Last month, Tesla executives visited India and engaged in discussions with Indian bureaucrats and ministers to explore the establishment of a manufacturing base for cars and battery production in the country. Musk is expected to discuss investment plans and the outlook for Tesla in India during the meeting with Prime Minister Modi. The source described the upcoming discussion as a “high-level meeting about India’s economic potential” and emphasized Tesla’s strong interest in India, including its intentions to pursue manufacturing opportunities.
“India is an interesting place for a new plant,” Musk stated last month, expressing his enthusiasm for the country.
When contacted by Reuters for comment, Tesla did not provide a response. Similarly, an Indian government spokesperson did not respond to a request made outside of business hours.
During a previous statement, Musk revealed that Tesla would likely select a location for a new factory by the end of this year, expressing interest in India as a potential site. With tensions between the United States and China, American companies such as Tesla and Apple are seeking to reduce their reliance on China as a manufacturing base.
Notably, Tesla had put its plans to enter the Indian market on hold last year due to the country’s high import tax structures. However, in recent weeks, the company has resumed discussions by sharing its manufacturing plans with Indian officials. This move aligns with India’s long-standing desire to attract Tesla and establish a manufacturing base within the country.
The meeting between Prime Minister Modi and Elon Musk gains further significance in light of recent events involving Twitter co-founder Jack Dorsey, who accused India of threatening to shut down the platform for failing to comply with content takedown orders during a protest in 2020-2021. In response, India labeled the allegation an “outright lie.” As Elon Musk, the owner of Twitter, meets with the Indian Prime Minister, this episode adds a political backdrop to the encounter.
Musk has refrained from directly commenting on the controversy so far. However, during an event on Friday, he expressed his general support for free speech, stating, “I’m generally a fan of that we should have free speech as much as possible, as much as is allowed by the laws of any country.”
In other news, Tesla’s shares rose by 4% following a report that Rivian, another electric vehicle manufacturer, would adopt Tesla’s electric vehicle charging standard.
