June 20 (Reuters) – Tesla (TSLA.O) Chief Executive Elon Musk will report directly to Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi on plans to set up a manufacturing base there, a source with direct knowledge said.
The meeting, the first at a high level to discuss the expansion, will take place on Tuesday during Modi’s state visit to the United States, said the source, who declined to be named because the discussions will be private.
Executives from the US automaker visited India and held talks with Indian bureaucrats and ministers last month on establishing a manufacturing base for cars, and also to make batteries In India.
Musk will discuss investment plans and prospects with Modi, the source said, describing the planned discussion as a “high-level meeting on India’s economic potential.”
“Tesla has very strong plans for India, including manufacturing,” the person added.
Tesla did not respond to inquiries from Reuters. An Indian government spokesman did not respond to a request made outside business hours.
Musk said last month that Tesla would likely choose a location for a new factory later this year, adding that India was an interesting location for a new plant.
American companies like Tesla and Apple are facing challenges in reducing reliance on China as a manufacturing base amid tensions between Washington and Beijing.
Tesla shelved its plans to enter India last year due to high import tax structures, but has renewed talks in recent weeks by sharing plans with Indian officials about a manufacturing base there, which India has sought for years. a long time.
Modi’s meeting with Musk, the owner of Twitter, will loom larger as it comes days after Twitter co-founder Jack Dorsey. accused india of threatening to shut down the platform for failing to comply with takedown orders during a 2020-2021 protest. India called the allegation an “absolute lie”.
Musk has not commented on the episode, which has sparked a political firestorm in India.
Musk said at an event on Friday: “In general, I’m a supporter that we should have as much freedom of expression as possible, as much as the laws of any country allow.”
Meanwhile, Tesla shares rose 4% after Reuters first reported on Rivian. (RIVN.O) would adopt Tesla’s electric vehicle charging standard.
Reporting by Shivangi Acharya; Additional reporting by Aftab Ahmed, Aditya Kalra, Aditi Shah, and Hyunjoo Jin; Edited by Conor Humphries, Angus MacSwan, and Mark Heinrich
Our standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.
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