After meeting with Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi in New York on Tuesday, Tesla CEO Elon Musk expressed interest in making a "significant investment" in the world's most populous country, India.
Musk told reporters that he had a "excellent conversation" with Modi and that he planned to move his electric car manufacturing operation to India, but he did not elaborate.
“I’m confident that Tesla will be in India, and we’ll do so as soon as humanly possible,” Musk told reporters after the meeting, according to a video published by Indian news agency ANI on Twitter.
“We do not want to jump the gun on an announcement, but I think it’s quite likely that there will be a significant investment, a relationship with India,” he added. Musk also announced his plan to visit India next year.
According to his office, Modi encouraged Musk to investigate potential in India for investments in electric transportation and expanding the commercial space sector during his four-day visit to the United States.
According to his office, Modi commended Musk's efforts "at making technology accessible and affordable in various sectors."
Musk believes India has the potential for a sustainable energy future, which includes solar power, stationary battery packs, and electric cars. He also wants to deploy Starlink satellite internet service from SpaceX to India.
The electric carmaker's fresh interest in India comes almost a year after it put plans to sell vehicles in the nation on hold due to a failure to achieve reduced import duties, which Musk claims are among the highest in the world.
India has the third-largest vehicle market in the world. Modi's administration has set an ambitious goal of having electric vehicles account for 30% of total automobile sales in India by 2030.
Modi's visit came amid an ongoing competition in the Indo-Pacific between the United States and China. India just overtaken China to become the world's most populous country, signalling a possible shift in their global prominence.
According to National Security Council spokesperson John Kirby, Modi's visit to the US was not designed to oppose China's influence, but rather to strengthen bilateral relations with India.
“It’s not about forcing or coercing or trying to convince Prime Minister Modi or the Indian government to do something different. It’s about focusing on where we are in this relationship and making it more important, more robust, more cooperative going forward,” Kirby said.
U.S. congressional leaders have also invited Modi to address a joint meeting, which they said would allow Modi to share his vision for India’s future and “speak to the global challenges our countries both face.”
This would be Modi's second presentation to a joint session of the United States legislature, following his 2016 address, a remarkable distinction for a leader who was earlier denied entry into the country due to human rights concerns.
"We look forward to paving the way for greater collaboration between our countries in the years to come," House Speaker Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.), Senate Majority Leader Charles Schumer (D-N.Y.), Senate Republican Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.), and House Democratic Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-N.Y.) said in a letter signed by McCarthy, Schumer, McConnell, and Jeffries.
