Union Minister Nitin Gadkari meets Tesla India head to convince EV manufacturer: Report

The Tesla tussle with the Indian govt is not going anywhere anytime soon, or so it seems. In a new development, Road and Highways Minister Nitin Gadkari revealed that he had met the India head of Tesla to convince them to open a new plant in India. He also gave his opinion about India importing cars made by Tesla.

In an interview with Network 18, Nitin Gadkari said that India welcomes Tesla in India. However, the idea of manufacturing cars in China and selling them in India is “not a digestible concept”, according to the minister. Over here he doesn’t mean to say that Tesla can’t sell cars in India at all. Instead, the company will have to go through the custom duty like every other car manufacturer who sells completely built units (CBUs) in the country.

Government’s previous comments about Tesla

The statement comes a day after Heavy Industries Minister, Krishan Pal Gurjar responded to a query regarding Tesla’s entry into India. The minister was answering a query during the Question Hour in the parliament.

Congress member K Suresh had raised questions about the steps being taken to promote the production of electric vehicles in the country. He also asked if the govt will invite Tesla to enter the Indian market.

In response to the question, Krishan Pal Gurjar said, “Want to ask the member if they want india’s money to go to China? That company has not applied as per our policy. For that, doors of India are open, they can come apply as per policy, set up company, give jobs to our people, increase government revenue.”

These comments come a few weeks after Tesla CEO, Elon Musk claimed that his company is facing multiple challenges with the govt of India. He was responding to questions asked by Tesla fans on the launch of the brand in the country.

Following the Tweet, numerous Indian states invited Elon Musk to set up a facility in India. Despite these invitations, Tesla cannot skip the central govt’s hold on import duties. Musk believes that India’s import duties are one of the highest in the world and this is the reason the company is delaying its launch.

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