Tesla Inc is “serious” about its plans to build a manufacturing base in India, the country’s deputy technology minister told Reuters in an interview on Friday, a day after meeting with the electric carmaker’s top executives express. U.S. automakers led by Elon Musk held talks with Indian officials this week on various topics, including incentives for car and battery manufacturing, as Tesla reconsiders entering the Indian market, Reuters reported on Thursday.
“They take India very seriously as a production and innovation base,” Indian government official Rajeev Chandrasekhar said in his first public comment during the talks.
“We’ve signaled to them that the Indian government is fully cooperating (and) will certainly achieve any ambition or investment they have in India,” said Chandrasekhar, one of the prime minister’s most senior officials. Narendra Modi’s government.
Tesla has proposed building a factory in India to produce electric vehicles (EVs) and is also considering making EV batteries, Reuters reported.
Asked whether talks with Tesla included more than just building cars, Chandrasekhar said that when such discussions take place, “you don’t talk about cars alone.”
“You talk about cars, you talk about energy, you talk about manufacturing technology. So all these numbers in the conversation. What are they trying to do in India, that’s too far for me (to say) and I shouldn’t be saying,” he added .
Tesla did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
The discussions in India represent a shift in position for Tesla, which said late last year that it was focused on seeking to reduce taxes on car imports by up to 100%.
The talks have stalled as the government is keen to let Tesla build cars locally, while the automaker has said it wants to export to India first to test demand.
Outside the U.S., Tesla has a factory in Shanghai — its largest in the world — and a factory in Brandenburg, Germany.
First published date: May 19, 2023 at 16:45 PM CST
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