Union Minister for Road Transport & Highways Nitin Gadkari said that Tesla has been in talks with the government and that they have been asked to make their cars in India. He also said that a Tesla car will be ‘sasti’ and cost Rs 35 lakh. 

Tesla Prices In India To Start From Rs 35 Lakh, Says Nitin Gadkari

At the India Today Conclave 2021, Minister for Road Transport & Highways Nitin Gadkari said Elon Musk owned Tesla should most definitely set up operations in India, and price its vehicles at Rs 35 lakh. Speaking on electric vehicles and their penetration in the country in the coming years, Gadkari emphasized that India’s “Aatmanirbhar” program is progressing rapidly and that local production of electric batteries would soon be a reality, and that India would export electric batteries in the near future. This would help the American electric carmaker a major boost in setting up its business in the country, and also facilitate to the price of its vehicles aggressively in the fifth-largest auto market in the world.

 

Tesla is not that expensive anymore, said Gadkari, while speaking at the Game Changers: Climate Action session at the India Today Conclave 2021 on Friday. He added that, in fact, Indian manufacturers can compete well with Tesla. Okinawa Autotech founder and MD Jeetender Sharma and Hop Electric Mobility Founder & CEO Ketan Mehta also participated in the session. 
 
“I asked Tesla officials not to make the car in China and sell it in India. It is something I had in my mind and I told them. Come to India, make it here, sell it here, and export from here. The government will provide you all the help and support you need,” he said. 

Earlier this year, Elon Musk confirmed Tesla’s India entry via a tweet, with a positive movement on the ground since then, as the company registered its office in Bengaluru. The company is also reportedly looking for spaces in Delhi, Mumbai, and Bengaluru for its showrooms in the upscale areas of the respective cities. Adding more to the speculation is the recent meeting of Tesla India officials with the Secretary, Road Transport & Highways Ministry, Giridhar Aramane in Delhi, as a few officials spent a considerable amount of time experiencing a Tesla Model 3 in the national capital.

According to reports, Tesla has asked the Indian government to reduce the import duty from the current 60-100 percent to 40 percent for the electric carmaker to enter India with its electric vehicles. Moreover, the company also requested GOI to waive the 10 percent social welfare surcharge.