Tesla chief Elon Musk has said he won’t manufacture in India until he gets clearance to sell
New Delhi:
US electric car maker Tesla, which has applied for a tariff reduction to sell its vehicles in India, will not manufacture its products locally unless it is allowed to sell and service its cars in the country first. †
In a tweet in response to a user asking about Tesla setting up a factory in India, he said: “Tesla will not put a factory in a location where we are not allowed to sell and service cars first.”
Last month, Union Road Transport and Highways Minister Nitin Gadkari had said that if Tesla was ready to manufacture its electric vehicles in India, there would be “no problem,” but the company will not be allowed to import cars from China.
In August last year, Mr. Musk had said Tesla could set up a manufacturing facility in India if it first succeeds with imported vehicles in the country.
He had said Tesla wanted to launch its vehicles in India “but the tariffs are by far the highest in the world of all the major countries!”
Currently, India levies 100 percent duty on fully imported cars with a CIF (Cost, Insurance and Freight) value above $40,000 and 60 percent on cars that cost less than the amount.
