Elon Musk confirms India visit, says looking forward to meeting PM Modi

Tesla CEO Elon Musk confirmed his visit to India in a post on X (formerly Twitter). He wrote, “Looking forward to meeting with Prime Minister @NarendraModi in India!” This comes after it was reported that the billionaire will visit India this month and could make an announcement related to investment plans in the country which could be related to opening a new factory. Earlier, Elon Musk described providing Tesla electric vehicles in India as a ‘natural progression.

What we know about Elon Musk’s India visit so far?

The Tesla CEO is likely to be accompanied by other company executives during the visit, news agency Reuters reported. The meet is expected to take place in the last week of April but Elon Musk did not share any details about the same.

Is this the first time Elon Musk will meet PM Modi?

In June last year, Elon Musk met PM Modi during the latter’s US visit. At the time, the billionaire talked about his plan to visit India in 2024 and said that Tesla would enter the Indian market soon, it was then reported.

What has changed in Centre’s EV policy ahead of Elon Musk’s visit?

Elon Musk’s visit to India comes weeks after the government announced a new electric vehicle policy as per which import duty concessions will be given to companies setting up manufacturing units in the country with a minimum investment of USD 500 million.

Will Tesla enter India soon?

The company approached the Indian government as it sought duty cuts to import its vehicles in the country last year. Before that in 2022, Elon Musk had said that Tesla would not manufacture its products unless it is allowed to first sell and service its cars in India. A year before that, Elon Musk said that Tesla could set up a manufacturing unit in India if it first succeeds with imported vehicles in the country. Tesla wanted to launch its vehicles in India “but import duties are the highest in the world by far of any large country,” he had then said.