Tesla is rumored to make its India debut very soon. The confirmation came from CEO Elon Musk and Indian transport minister Nitin Gadkari earlier last year. We have also learned that Tesla registered its India entity in Bengaluru last month. And apart from the fans, it appears like the Kerela government is really excited about the EV maker’s India launch.
Tesla Manufacturing Plant in Karnataka…What?
Well, over the weekend, the Internet was flooded with reports of Tesla’s plan to set up an electric vehicle manufacturing plant in the state of Karnataka. Yeah, the Karnataka government released a budget highlights document on Sunday. It carried a statement from Chief Minister BS Yediyurappa, which said that the American company “will be opening an electric car manufacturing unit” in the state.
This was puzzling for many as neither the official budget announcement included any mentions of Tesla nor did the company announce anything of this sort. Well, it seems like the government jumped the gun for political reasons. It wanted to highlight how Tesla’s manufacturing unit would be the crown jewel of this administration. But, the statement is false, as revealed by sources close to the CM.
The Karnataka government and Tesla might have held talks about manufacturing or assembly plans. But, as per reports, nothing has been written in ink yet.
Karnataka Trying to Woo Tesla
And if you have been keeping tabs on the Tesla-India launch updates, then you know this is a second strike for the Karnataka government. CM BS Yediyurappa previously claimed on Twitter that the EV maker will set up an R&D facility in Bengaluru. You can see the screenshot of the tweet below. But, the tweet was quickly deleted as it was said to be a misunderstanding. The same is the case with the Tesla manufacturing plant statement in the official budget highlights document.
So yeah, Tesla electric cars are coming to India sometime in 2021. There is no official announcement just yet. Just a tweet from Elon Musk in reply to a native fan club. The company is yet to decide whether it wants to set up a manufacturing (or an assembly) plant in the country. Karnataka and Maharashtra are the forerunners in this race. But, nothing has been set in stone yet. So stay tuned for more information.
