It appears that Tesla is serious as they take another approach at launching in India. Per a Reuters report, the Indian Deputy Minister for Information Technology, Rajeev Chandrasekhar, noted that Tesla was “serious” about establishing a manufacturing base in the country.
Tesla held talks this week with Indian officials on several topics, including battery and car manufacturing incentives. Per Reuters, Tesla proposed setting up an EV production facility in India during the meetings. They also noted their interest in setting up an EV battery manufacturing facility in the country.
Chandrasekhar had to say about the possibility of Tesla setting up production in India:
They are very seriously looking at India as a production and innovation base… We have signalled to them that the government of India is working together (and) will certainly make whatever ambitions they have or investment objective they have in India a success.
Tesla did not comment on the talks nor confirm whether they are interested in establishing EV production in India again. It is also unclear if the discussions touched on lowering import taxes on cars, which was previously the red line for Tesla. However, what is clear, is where there is smoke, there is fire, and Tesla and Indian manufacturing may happen sooner than later.
