Tesla may soon enter India with an all-new budget electric car, as representatives of the world’s largest EV maker are headed to India for a meeting to find the viability of the idea. The meeting is reportedly set with India’s commerce minister Piyush Goyal, with a focus on building a factory in the country to produce an all-new Tesla car costing $24,000 or close to Rs 20 lakh.
The attempt has been described in a new report by Reuters. Citing a person with direct knowledge of the matter, the report talks of Tesla representatives including leaders of its public policy, supply chain, and business development teams visiting India for the meeting. The team shall gain insight into the Indian market, as well as find out how effective it would be for Tesla to produce and sell a low-priced electric car in India locally, with the option of exporting it to other countries as well.
The meeting shall serve as an opportunity for the Tesla executives to set up a supply chain for the company’s operations in India, as well as discuss land allotment for the plant with government officials.
The discussions take place after Tesla’s request to have the import taxes on EVs shipped to India reduced was denied by the Indian government last year. At the time, the government had pushed the company to produce its electric cars locally so as to give a boost to the Make in India project. The idea was propelled after Elon Musk’s recent meeting with the Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi during his tour of the US. Musk told Modi that he intended to make a significant investment in India.
If the talks go through, India shall be one of the very few hosts of a Tesla Gigafactory outside the US. To date, Tesla only has two production facilities outside its home country, one in Shanghai and another in Berlin. Its plan in India shall serve as a gateway to a whole new market region, especially with a well-priced electric car.