India-West News Desk

NEW YORK, NY – Tesla Inc. is making its first significant steps toward entering the Indian market, Bloomberg reported, with the company hiring for 13 roles in the country following CEO Elon Musk’s meeting with Prime Minister Narendra Modi in the U.S.

Tesla’s LinkedIn page shows openings for customer-facing and back-end positions, including service technicians, customer engagement managers, and delivery operations specialists. At least five of these positions, such as advisory roles, are located in Mumbai and Delhi.

India has long been a potential market for Tesla, but high import duties had previously kept the company at bay. In a positive sign for Tesla, India recently lowered the basic customs duty on cars priced over $40,000 from 110% to 70%, a move that could pave the way for Tesla’s entry. This reduction comes after President Donald Trump’s tariff policies, which led to reciprocal tariffs being discussed.

Although India’s electric vehicle (EV) market is still small compared to China’s, Tesla sees potential growth. While EV sales in India were below 100,000 units last year, compared to China’s 11 million, the market is expanding rapidly. Tesla’s plans for India have been in the works for years, with the company first making efforts to establish sales infrastructure and hiring a lobbyist in 2021 to push for lower import tariffs. However, those plans were shelved a year later.

After a meeting with Modi during the Indian leader’s U.S. trip, Musk reiterated Tesla’s interest in India, saying the company would like to invest there “as soon as humanly possible,” Bloomberg reported. In March 2023, India introduced an initiative offering lower tariffs for electric cars, contingent on manufacturers investing in local production. Despite the positive signs, it remains unclear whether Tesla will invest in India in the near future.