Tesla Inc. seems to be making moves in India, with the electric vehicle (EV) giant recently posting 13 job openings in the country. This comes just days after CEO Elon Musk’s meeting with Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, according to a Bloomberg report.
The 13 roles are spread across Mumbai and Delhi, with a few positions listed in the capital. Five of these jobs are for service technicians and advisory roles in both cities. The other eight are customer engagement managers and delivery operations specialists, all based in Mumbai.
Musk and Modi’s meeting on February 13, during Modi’s official visit to the United States, sparked much interest. While details of their discussions weren’t fully disclosed, Modi shared on social media platform X that they talked about topics close to Musk’s heart, such as space, mobility, technology, and innovation.
The Indian Prime Minister also highlighted India’s push for reforms and its commitment to ‘Minimum Government, Maximum Governance.’
Tesla’s relationship with India has been somewhat on-and-off. Over the years, concerns about high import duties have been a major stumbling block.
However, there’s been a recent shift, with India reducing its basic customs duty (BCD) on luxury vehicles priced over $40,000 from 110% to 70%. This move could potentially open the door for companies like Tesla to enter the market more easily.
Despite India’s electric vehicle market still being in its early stages compared to China’s booming EV industry, it presents an opportunity for Tesla to boost its sales.
The company faced its first-ever annual drop in EV sales in over a decade, so expanding into India could be part of its strategy to tap into new growth areas.
Last year, electric car sales in India neared 100,000 units, a far cry from China’s 11 million, but still a notable figure.
While Musk had to cancel his planned trip to India in May 2024 due to “heavy obligations,” his interest in the country is clearly far from over. Whether these job openings signal the beginning of a deeper commitment to India’s EV market remains to be seen, but they certainly suggest that Tesla is taking a renewed interest in the region.
(By arrangement with Livemint.com)