Tesla, an American electric vehicle company, is reportedly close to launching its operations in India, with recent job postings on its website and social media platforms, including LinkedIn. The company is looking to fill various roles, including store manager, delivery operations, and customer support specialists, in Mumbai, hinting at the opening of a showroom in the city. This comes after a meeting between Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi and CEO Elon Musk, which was followed by the government’s announcement of a new scheme to attract car manufacturers to invest in EV production.
Sources suggest that Tesla will initially import cars and sell them through retail locations in Mumbai and Delhi, taking advantage of the government’s announcement to slash import duty on certain electric vehicles to as low as 15%. Additionally, the government has reduced the import duty on cars costing over $40,000 from 100% to 70%, and replaced the Social Welfare Surcharge with a 40% Agriculture Infrastructure and Development Cess, keeping the overall tax rate the same.
Tesla’s plans are also seen as a boost to the government’s efforts to attract foreign investment in the country. The company has expressed interest in investing between $2-3 billion in the country and plans to make a budget EV, priced between Rs 25-30 lakh, which will also be exported to other regions. The government is enthusiastic about Tesla’s plans, which echo the success of Apple’s iPhone production in India and subsequent exports. With these developments, it seems that Tesla is finally ready to make its ambitious plans for the Indian market a reality.