Indian Government invites Tesla to Make in India

Union Transport Minister, Nitin Gadkari, has extended an official invitation to Tesla motors for setting up a manufacturing plant in India. Gadkari met top officials of the EV manufacturer during his visit to Tesla's manufacturing facility in San Jose, California. Interestingly, this visit comes 10 months after India's Prime Minister, Narendra Modi's trip to the same facility.

In order to lure the company to make India a manufacturing hub for its Asian operations, Nitin Gadkari has also offered to provide land near any one of the major ports of the country, in order to facilitate exports to South and South-East Asian nations. Moreover, the minister has offered to promote the possibility of a joint venture with Tesla and the existing Indian automotive OEMs, in order to work in the field of commercial and public vehicles.

Tesla officials have welcomed the Indian invitation and have said that the offer would be considered at the right time in the future. Tesla is indeed looking to set up a manufacturing hub in Asia, in order to enhance its footprint in the market. Reportedly, the company is also in talks with China to put up a plant near Shanghai.

Source: Autocar Professional