Tesla CEO Musk postpones much-anticipated India visit

Tribune News Service

Sandeep Dikshit

New Delhi, April 20

Tesla CEO Elon Musk has postponed his trip to India where he was scheduled to meet Prime Minister Narendra Modi and announce plans for making electric cars in the country. The owner of Starlink, satellite-based mobile services, was also aiming at the launch of its services in India after being twice denied permission in the past.

Musk, in a post on X which he also owns, said the delay was due to “very heavy Tesla obligations” and hoped to visit later this year. “Unfortunately, very heavy Tesla obligations require that the visit to India be delayed, but I do very much look forward to visiting later this year,” Musk posted on X. Musk reportedly was planning to make a big splash as well by possibly announcing the launch of a $2-3 billion investment to set up a factory for turning out electric cars whose entry-level model would have cost around Rs 25 lakh.

Musk was also planning to meet entrepreneurs connected with space startups in New Delhi. Musk’s Stralink project has twice been asked to roll up plans to launch services in India. In 2021, the company shut down its services after a soft launch. In 2022, the Communications Ministry issued an advisory asking Indians not to subscribe to Starlink’s Internet Services and asked the company to refund 5,000 customers it had enrolled.

In the case of Tesla, Musk appears to have climbed down from his earlier proposal that the company should be allowed to first import electric cars into India before it sets up manufacturing operations. “Tesla will not put up a manufacturing plant in any location where we are not allowed first to sell & service cars,” he had earlier posted on X. Musk had then said Tesla wanted to launch its vehicles in India “but import duties are the highest in the world by far of any large country!” India levies import duty of 60 to 100 per cent depending on the cost of the car.

To come later this year

Unfortunately, very heavy Tesla obligations require that the visit to India be delayed, but I do very much look forward to visiting later this year. — Elon Musk, Tesla CEO

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#Elon Musk #Narendra Modi #Tesla