After a meeting with the Prime Minister of India on Tuesday, Tesla CEO Elon Musk says the company wants to invest in India and bring the Tesla there “as soon as humanly possible.”
Musk stated that he had a “very good” conversation with Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Tuesday and hopes to “announce something in the not-too-distant future.”
The conversation takes place at a time when Tesla and New Delhi have reopened discussions on incentives to entice the manufacturer to the South Asian market. According to a person familiar with the situation, SpaceX representatives have recently resumed discussions with India’s telecom ministry about establishing the satellite broadband service Starlink in the nation.
Musk has been working for several years to bring Tesla to India. He earlier expressed his intention to bring the company to the country as early as 2021, but he has hesitated to make substantial commitments unless New Delhi delivers significant incentives.
Musk stated last year that Tesla will not set up a manufacturing factory in India until it is first authorized to sell and repair imported cars in the South Asian country, more than a year after an Indian state announced the electric carmaker was intending to set up a plant in the country’s southern part.
Musk stated on Tuesday that he is a “big fan” of Modi.
“India has more promise than any large country in the world. He really cares about India because he’s pushing us to make significant investments in India, which is something we intend to do. We are just trying to figure out the right timing,” he said.
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Musk stated on Tuesday that he is also looking forward to bringing Starlink to the country, but he did not provide a time. Starlink, a subsidiary of SpaceX, registered its operations in India in late 2021 and engaged a top executive to head the local operations.
Sanjay Bhargava, the CEO appointed for Starlink India, resigned a few weeks later after the Indian government ordered the SpaceX division to cease accepting orders for the devices because it lacked the necessary licenses to operate in the South Asian market.
Musk’s meeting with Modi comes after Twitter co-founder Jack Dorsey revealed earlier this month that India often demanded that the social media giant remove some specific postings and accounts, often accompanied by threats of legal ramifications in situations of noncompliance.
