As India watches Tesla's incoming plans, the father of its CEO Elon Musk has offered a personal view, suggesting the electric vehicle giant’s absence from the Indian market is puzzling given the country’s scale and energy.
“That is something that I have to be careful not to say too much about. Tesla is a public company. It's not ours,” Errol Musk said when asked about the company's India plans. “When you look at India and the population, the kind of people you've got here, the energy and everything... and when I hear that, with great respect, BYD and various others are coming in, and Tatas and Mahindra are making great cars, I'm very inclined to say, wait, why aren't we having Teslas here. But I can't say too much. That's just a personal point of view,” he added.
Tesla’s India plans
His remarks come amid renewed speculation over Tesla’s India entry — or lack thereof.
Union Heavy Industries Minister H. D. Kumaraswamy said Monday that Tesla has shown no interest in setting up manufacturing operations in India and is instead exploring the possibility of launching showrooms. “They are more interested only to start showrooms. They are not interested to manufacture in India,” the minister said while unveiling guidelines for the government’s new scheme to promote electric car manufacturing.
While a Tesla representative attended the first stakeholder discussion for the scheme, government officials told PTI that the company skipped subsequent rounds. “So far, they have not shown interest,” an official said.
The government had been courting Tesla to set up a local factory under its broader push to localize EV production and reduce import dependency. But according to Kumaraswamy, Tesla has remained largely non-committal.
Adding to the complexity, former U.S. President Donald Trump recently said it would be “unfair” to America if Tesla built a plant in India to bypass U.S. tariffs.
Elon Musk himself had cited "heavy obligations" last year for delaying his planned India visit, and the company has since remained tight-lipped about its India strategy — even as rivals like BYD, Tata Motors, and Mahindra accelerate their domestic EV plans.
With rising EV demand, favourable policy support, and growing competition, industry watchers say the world’s largest electric carmaker risks falling behind in one of the world’s fastest-growing auto markets.
“That is something that I have to be careful not to say too much about. Tesla is a public company. It's not ours,” Errol Musk said when asked about the company's India plans. “When you look at India and the population, the kind of people you've got here, the energy and everything... and when I hear that, with great respect, BYD and various others are coming in, and Tatas and Mahindra are making great cars, I'm very inclined to say, wait, why aren't we having Teslas here. But I can't say too much. That's just a personal point of view,” he added.
#WATCH | Delhi: On being asked when we can expect Tesla in India, father of Tesla CEO Elon Musk and Servotec's Errol Musk says, "That is something that I have to be careful not to say too much about. Tesla is a public company. It's not ours...When you look at India and the… pic.twitter.com/2tBvPTHYnp
— ANI (@ANI) June 2, 2025
Tesla’s India plans
His remarks come amid renewed speculation over Tesla’s India entry — or lack thereof.
Union Heavy Industries Minister H. D. Kumaraswamy said Monday that Tesla has shown no interest in setting up manufacturing operations in India and is instead exploring the possibility of launching showrooms. “They are more interested only to start showrooms. They are not interested to manufacture in India,” the minister said while unveiling guidelines for the government’s new scheme to promote electric car manufacturing.
While a Tesla representative attended the first stakeholder discussion for the scheme, government officials told PTI that the company skipped subsequent rounds. “So far, they have not shown interest,” an official said.
The government had been courting Tesla to set up a local factory under its broader push to localize EV production and reduce import dependency. But according to Kumaraswamy, Tesla has remained largely non-committal.
Adding to the complexity, former U.S. President Donald Trump recently said it would be “unfair” to America if Tesla built a plant in India to bypass U.S. tariffs.
Elon Musk himself had cited "heavy obligations" last year for delaying his planned India visit, and the company has since remained tight-lipped about its India strategy — even as rivals like BYD, Tata Motors, and Mahindra accelerate their domestic EV plans.
With rising EV demand, favourable policy support, and growing competition, industry watchers say the world’s largest electric carmaker risks falling behind in one of the world’s fastest-growing auto markets.
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