India readies ‘special steps’ to fast-track Tesla’s entry, key meeting scheduled: Report

Tesla’s decision to start hiring in India marks a critical shift in the country’s EV landscape.

India is planning some “special steps” to speed up Tesla’s entry into the country with the commerce secretary Sunil Barthwal calling for a meeting specially for the automotive sector on Wednesday evening, a Hindu Businessline report said.

The report said the meeting has been called specifically for the automotive sector to get ready for the Bilateral Trade Agreement talks.

The development comes after Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s US visit last week, where he met US President Donald Trump and billionaire Elon Musk.

The move is also seen as a part of US and India’s plan to increase bilateral trade to $500 billion by 2030 and to crack a multi-sector trade deal.

Meanwhile, CNBC-TV18 on February 19 reported that the electric vehicle maker is planning to start its retail operations from April this year. The firm will initially import cars from Berlin and has identified Mumbai’s BKC and Aerocity in Delhi as its first two showroom locations.

The global EV giant is also scouting for land parcels in the country to set up its manufacturing plant shortly with Maharashtra emerging as the frontrunner, The Economic Times reported.

Billionaire Elon Musk-led company has zeroed in on Maharashtra as Tesla already has an office in Pune and has a lot of suppliers in the state, the newspaper said citing sources.

Tesla’s plans for India received a boost after Prime Minister Narendra Modi met Musk during a US trip to meet President Donald Trump.

The ET report also claimed that the EV firm has called several senior executives at Tata Motors to fill the new positions.

Earlier, Bloomberg reported that Tesla is shoring up its base in India with hiring plans, signalling it wants to enter the market soon.

The electric vehicle maker sought candidates for 13 roles, including customer-facing and back-end jobs, according to advertisements on Monday on its LinkedIn page.