Tesla Signals India Entry After PM Modi's Meeting With Elon Musk As EV Maker Begins Hiring In Mumbai And Delhi

Tesla Inc. is expanding its workforce in India, indicating its imminent entry into the market. This development follows a meeting between the company's CEO, Elon Musk, and Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi in the United States.

The manufacturer of electric vehicles was on the hunt for individuals to fill 13 different positions, encompassing both customer service and back-end roles, as per the job postings on its LinkedIn page on Monday (17 February), NDTV reported.

A minimum of five job roles, encompassing service technician and multiple advisory positions, were open in both Mumbai and Delhi. However, the remaining vacancies, including the customer engagement manager and delivery operations specialist, were specifically for Mumbai.

Tesla has had an intermittent relationship with India for several years, primarily due to concerns about the country's high import duties. However, India has recently decreased its basic customs duty on luxury cars priced over $40,000, from 110 per cent to 70 per cent, which could potentially change Tesla's stance.

Tesla's plans for India come on the heels of a meeting between Prime Minister Modi, Elon Musk, and President Donald Trump in Washington last week. Following the meeting, Trump announced that Modi had agreed to initiate talks aimed at addressing the US trade deficit and increasing US military purchases, including considerations for eventually supplying F-35 fighter jets.

Despite Musk being a crucial part of Trump's cabinet, it was not specified by the president whether the tech mogul interacted with Modi in his capacity as the CEO of private firms or in his position within the DOGE team.

The involvement of Musk in the Trump administration has made it difficult to distinguish between his commercial and political pursuits. Recently, Italy verified discussions with Musk's SpaceX regarding a contract to supply secure telecommunications for the country's government. This development came after Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni had a meeting with the then President-elect Trump in Florida.