Tesla starts hiring in India; eyes Maharashtra for EV plant

Tesla could be exploring possible partnerships for sourcing components locally.

American EV maker Tesla has restarted hiring in India days after its CEO Elon Musk met with Prime Minister Narendra Modi in Washington DC.

Tesla has posted 13 job openings for multiple domains, including business operations, customer service, delivery and order operations, as well as showroom staff and technicians. The jobs are listed for Mumbai and Delhi.

Tesla is reportedly reaching out to top executives at auto majors like Tata Motors. It is said that the company could be engaging in talks for a possible partnership or for sourcing components locally.

Media reports also suggest that Tesla has started its search for a parcel of land to set up an electric vehicle manufacturing plant in India. The company is said to be eyeing Maharashtra for its first manufacturing unit, as it already has an office in Pune.

As per reports, the state government has even offered sites near Chakan and Chikhali, which is a major manufacturing hub with brands like Mercedes-Benz, Tata Motors, Mahindra, Volkswagen and Bajaj Auto.

Tesla has been eyeing the Indian EV market for a few years now. Despite the company’s best efforts at lobbying the government to reduce import taxes on EVs, India has been insisting on local manufacturing.

With a new administration in Washington DC headed by Donald Trump, it appears that Elon Musk may have finally succeeded at getting some concessions from the Indian government to expand into India.

Source: India Today