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Tesla reportedly in touch with five more states to set up operations in India

Karnataka Chief Minister BS Yediyurappa tweeted to inform that Tesla is setting up its R&D centre in Bengaluru to commence its India operations soon.

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Ending years of wait and speculation, Tesla CEO Elon Musk has finally entered India by registering Tesla as a company in Bengaluru. Tesla is also in touch with five Indian state governments to start its India operations, reported news agency IANS.

According to reports, Tesla is also in the process of conducting a location search for setting up their operations and has hired a global consulting firm for the same. The governments of Maharashtra, Gujarat, Karnataka, Andhra Pradesh, and Tamil Nadu have had talks with the company who are considering local partnerships for sourcing, reported CNBC-TV 18.

Tesla Motors India and Energy Private Limited was incorporated on January 8 with its registered office in the southern city of Bengaluru, a hub for several global technology companies. The move will open India to select as one of the countries where Tesla cars can be purchased.

Karnataka Chief Minister BS Yediyurappa tweeted on Tuesday to inform that Tesla is setting up its research and development (R&D) centre in Bengaluru to commence its India operations soon. The Karnataka government had made a strong pitch to invite Tesla to the state.

"Karnataka will lead India's journey towards Green Mobility. Electric Vehicle Manufacturer Tesla will soon start its operations in India with an R&D unit in Bengaluru. I welcome @elonmusk to India & Karnataka and wish him all the very best," tweeted Yediyurappa.

Tesla officials had held talks with the Karnataka government in September last year for opening its research facility in this tech hub. The R&D unit in India is Tesla's second outside the US. Its first such overseas centre is in Shanghai where it has a Gigafactory to make electric cars.

The tech-savvy Karnataka is the first state in the country to have an electric vehicle policy to woo investments in the sunrise sector. A slew of startups like Ola Electric, Sub Mobility and Ather have set up their operations in the city.

Union Road Transport and Highways Minister Nitin Gadkari had said last month that Tesla will begin operations with sales in early 2021 and then "maybe" look at assembling and manufacturing vehicles in the country.

In October last year, Musk had said that the electric car maker is finally ready to enter the Indian market next year. Reacting to a tweet by Tesla Club India, Musk said, "Will release order configurator probably in Jan."

Tesla sales teams are currently working on building custom sales and production orders for the Indian market, ensuring orders are complete and validated once the configuration is finished.

On several occasions earlier, Musk had revealed that he would like to bring Tesla to India.

In July last year, he had hinted at allowing Tesla's Indian fans to drive an electric Model 3 "hopefully soon".

(With agency inputs)

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