More than one year after first incorporating in India, there still appears to be no sign of Tesla launching in India any time soon.
As recently as last week CEO Elon Musk said a Tesla launch in India is still faced with “a lot of challenges.”
The admission came after a near year-long attempt to convince government officials to lower import taxes on electric vehicles (EVs) appears to have hit a roadblock.
With no launch date in sight, one company is trying to convince Musk that opening in India would bring a lot of sales.
BluSmart India, a 100% electric ride hailing platform, has promised to buy 1,000 Model 3s to add to their fleet of EVs if Tesla opens in India.
We at @BluSmartIndia electric mobility are willing to place an order with advance for 1000 Tesla Model 3 cars.. Kindly help us get them.. @elonmusk if you think sales is a problem in India, we are there to solve it.
— Anmol Singh Jaggi (@AnmolJaggi) January 13, 2022
It is not just BluSmart that is keen to see Tesla open in India. Government officials from numerous states across the country have been rolling out the red carpet to Elon Musk on Twitter, trying to woo him to set up manufacturing facilities in their states.
Industry & Commerce Minister KT Rama Rao (KTR) invited Musk to set up shop in Telangana , calling it a “champion in sustainability”.
Hey Elon, I am the Industry & Commerce Minister of Telangana state in India
Will be happy to partner Tesla in working through the challenges to set shop in India/Telangana
Our state is a champion in sustainability initiatives & a top notch business destination in India https://t.co/hVpMZyjEIr
— KTR (@KTRBRS) January 14, 2022
Additionally, Water Resources Minister Jayant Patil also reached out to Musk on Twitter, calling his state one of the most progressive in India while offering “all the necessary help” to become established in Maharashtra.
.@elonmusk, Maharashtra is one of the most progressive states in India. We will provide you all the necessary help from Maharashtra for you to get established in India. We invite you to establish your manufacturing plant in Maharashtra. https://t.co/w8sSZTpUpb
— Jayant Patil- जयंत पाटील (@Jayant_R_Patil) January 16, 2022
Not to be left out, several other leaders also took the opportunity to invite Musk to India, offering any support they can to bring him to their regions.
I invite @elonmusk, Punjab Model will create Ludhiana as hub for Electric Vehicles & Battery industry with time bound single window clearance for investment that brings new technology to Punjab, create green jobs, walking path of environment preservation & sustainable development https://t.co/kXDMhcdVi6
— Navjot Singh Sidhu (@sherryontopp) January 16, 2022
Drop here, we in West Bengal have best infra & our leader @MamataOfficial has got the vision.
Bengal means Business … https://t.co/CXtx4Oq7y5
— Md Ghulam Rabbani (রাব্বানী) (@GhulamRabbani_) January 15, 2022
Since @Tesla is facing so many difficulties in establishing a manufacturing plant in other states of India. We as Maharashtra Govt. should help #Tesla bring this technology to our state. I'm sure for benefit of Maharashtra, you will look into it.@CMOMaharashtra @AUThackeray https://t.co/yP0jtwR6VB
— Rohit Pawar (@RRPSpeaks) January 16, 2022
Looking at the flood of messages from prominent figures across the political landscape, there appears to be no shortage of support for Tesla and Elon Musk to set up shop in India.
Hopefully that support will make its way to the various Ministries within the Indian government who will ultimately decide whether to lower import taxes on EVs and finally allow Tesla to sell cars in India.
