Elon Musk’s Tesla To Enter Indian Market This Year; Begins Hiring For Senior Roles In India

Tesla has chosen Karnataka as the place for its first plant, Karnataka's chief minister announced in February.

Elon Musk's company will enter the Indian market most likely in 2021

Bengaluru: Tesla Inc. has begun hiring for leadership and senior-level positions in India. This follows months of hints and reports on how Elon Musk's Tesla is attempting to break into an electric vehicle market that is intended to become one of the most promising in the world.

The California-based electric vehicle manufacturer is looking for a head of sales and marketing as well as a head of human resources, according to a person who asked not to be identified. Last week, a Tesla fan club tweeted that the company had hired a senior legal counsel. 

After months of speculation, Tesla CEO Elon Musk has all but confirmed the company's entry into India. On January 13th, the world's second-richest man tweeted "as promised" in response to a report on a Tesla-focused blog that the automaker was in talks with several Indian states to open an office, showrooms, and R&D centre – and possibly a factory.

Moreover, according to recent reports, Prashanth Menon, who has been with the company for four years, has been promoted to Director of India operations. He is expected to be in charge of Tesla's entry into India.

Before entering India, the company is also expected to closely monitor announcements from the Modi government regarding incentives to EV makers under the production-linked incentive programme.

Even as India pushes for an electric vehicle ecosystem, it has yet to extend a welcome mat. For example, a lack of EV charging infrastructure could be a significant impediment. EV sales in the country currently account for less than 1% of total car sales.

The expensive cost of Tesla vehicles is also seen as a deterrent. Although India has a growing middle class, expensive automobiles remain out of reach for the vast majority of the country's population.

Tesla has chosen Karnataka, a southern state with Bengaluru as its capital, for its first plant, the state's chief minister announced in February. Tesla has not responded. The automaker has been negotiating with local officials for six months and is actively considering car assembly in the outskirts of Bangalore, other people familiar with the matter said at the time.