Tesla is welcome, but Elon Musk has to Make in India: Nitin Gadkari

'Come to India, manufacture from here...' is the message that Union Transport and Highways Minister Nitin Gadkari had to tell Tesla founder-CEO Elon Musk while taking part in a session at the Raisina Dialogue 2022. The remarks come on the day Musk won the deal to acquire social media giant Twitter for $44 billion.

Reiterating that Elon Musk will not receive any "special treatment" in the form of import tax exemptions for selling Tesla vehicles in India, Nitin Gadkari "asked" Elon Musk to manufacture Tesla vehicles in India at a lower cost. "It cannot be a good offer for India if he (Elon Musk) wants to produce in China and sell Tesla cars in India," remarked the Minister of Road Transport and Highways.

"We have asked him to come to India and produce here. We have all of the necessary skills. The vendors are readily available. We have all sorts of technology, and as a result, Musk can cut the cost," Gadkari added.

"India is a massive market. There is export capacity available. Musk may export Tesla vehicles from India and is welcome here," he continued.

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Tesla has a large presence in China and has been manufacturing vehicles there. Gadkari stated that India has a large vehicle turnover, with numerous reputable manufacturers present, including Hyundai, BMW, Honda, and Mercedes.

Tesla is keen to import and sell its electric vehicles in India, having battled New Delhi officials for over a year to reduce tariffs, which the company's billionaire CEO Elon Musk claims are among the highest in the world. However, its efforts have come to a halt since Tesla has yet to unveil a solid plan to invest in India, a move that would be consistent with Prime Minister Narendra Modi's "Make in India" aim of boosting local manufacturing and creating employment.

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