Our Bureau
Washington, DC
Tesla and SpaceX CEO Elon Musk on Saturday said that he is looking forward to visiting India later this year.
Elon Musk, the CEO of SpaceX and Tesla, announced he will be making his eagerly anticipated trip to India later this year as Tesla prepares to launch its fleet of electric vehicles in the Indian market, a day after speaking with Prime Minister Narendra Modi over the phone. The call reflects a continued dialogue between the two leaders on advancing cooperation in technology and innovation.
“It was an honour to speak with PM Modi. I am looking forward to visiting India later this year!” Musk posted on social media platform X following the call.
In the midst of reports that Tesla is getting ready to join the Indian market by shipping a few thousand cars to a port close to Mumbai in the upcoming months, the PM spoke with Elon Musk over the phone. By the third quarter of this year, the US electric vehicle manufacturer intends to start selling in Bangalore, Delhi, and Mumbai, according to a Bloomberg story that cited people with knowledge of the situation.
The planned launch of Tesla in India coincides with continuing talks between Washington and New Delhi on import taxes, which will probably influence the automaker’s long-term approach in the nation.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi also took to X to share details of their conversation.
“Spoke to Elon Musk and talked about various issues, including the topics we covered during our meeting in Washington DC earlier this year. We discussed the immense potential for collaboration in the areas of technology and innovation. India remains committed to advancing our partnerships with the US in these domains,” Prime Minister Modi posted.
The Prime Minister’s conversation with Elon Musk comes at a crucial juncture for both nations, as New Delhi and Washington are trying to erase differences on tariffs and work on convergences towards a trade deal.
The conversation builds upon their earlier in-person meeting at Blair House in Washington DC in February this year. During that meeting, Modi and Musk explored strengthening collaboration between Indian and US entities across key sectors including space exploration, artificial intelligence, innovation, and sustainable development.
