The government of India doesn’t want China-manufactured models, they want Tesla to manufacture in the country.
U.S. electric car maker Tesla wanted to enter the Indian market. They are welcomed to do so but the Indian government doesn’t want Tesla cars that are manufactured in its China facility.
Tesla doesn’t want to commit to opening a factory in India, unless they test the market with vehicles imported from China, in which the government stated firmly that they wanted the vehicles to be manufactured locally – according to Inside EVs.
Nitin Gadkari, Minister for Road Transport and Highways in India said during a government conference: “Making in China and selling here is not a good proposition”
In another report by Reuters last January, Tesla appealed to the Government of India to reduce import duties on electric vehicles, which the government has rejected, unless Tesla commits to build a manufacturing plant in India. Tesla CEO Elon Musk said that India has very high import tariffs- as high as 100%. The talk between Tesla and India has reached a “weird stalemate situation”
With the high tariffs and the government doesn’t want China manufactured cars, Tesla might not be selling any models in the country anytime soon.
