Musk vows to bring Tesla to India ‘as soon as possible’ after meeting Modi

‘Hopefully we’ll be able to announce something in the not-too-distant future’

File. Elon Musk poses prior to his talks with French President Emmanuel Macron, 15 May 2023 at the Elysee Palace in Paris (AP)

Elon Musk has promised to bring Tesla to India “as soon as humanly possible” after meeting Indian prime minister Narendra Modi who is on a state visit to the US.

The Indian leader met with Mr Musk and several others in New York City on Tuesday evening. The Indian government said it invited the Tesla boss to explore investment opportunities in electric mobility and the commercial space sector in India.

Mr Musk said he was “trying to figure out the right timing” to make that happen.

Reuters previously quoted a source as saying that Musk would brief Mr Modi on plans to set up a manufacturing base in India.

“I am confident that Tesla will be in India and will do so as soon as humanly possible,” Mr Musk said when asked by reporters about the company’s plans to invest in India.

He also added that he intended to visit the country next year.

“I would like to thank the prime minister for his support and hopefully we’ll be able to announce something in the not-too-distant future,” he added.

This comes just days after Twitter co-founder Jack Dorsey accused the Indian government of putting pressure on the social media company to block accounts critical of the government amid the long-running farmers’ protest in 2021.

Mr Dorsey, who was still the platform’s chief at the time, said India placed “many requests” during the months-long farmers’ protests.

Mr Musk tweeted in 2019 about his intent to enter India that year or the next year, i.e. 2020. He wrote: “Would love to be there this year. If not, definitely next!”

He had also stated that the company was in discussion with the Indian government on temporary relief on import duties, till it started local manufacturing.

On Tuesday, Mr Musk said he was “a fan” of the Indian prime minister and mentioned that the Indian leader visited a Tesla factory in California several years ago. “India has more promise than any large country in the world. He (Modi) really cares about India because he’s pushing us to make significant investments in India, which is something we intend to do. We are just trying to figure out the right timing.”

The White House will hold a state dinner in Mr Modi’s honour on 22 June.