Elon Musk’s long courtship of Indian officialdom may have finally paid off. Prime Minister Narendra Modi wanted him to open one of his Tesla “gigafactories” in the country, as part of its efforts to expand its long-moribund manufacturing sector; Musk, meanwhile, wanted India to address tariffs on electric vehicle imports that rendered foreign-made Teslas uncompetitive.

On March 15, the government announced a new scheme to promote investment in EVs. Any company willing to invest $500 million in a new manufacturing facility that begins production in three years (and with at least a quarter of its components added locally, to begin with) will also be allowed to import 8,000 high-end vehicles a year at a lower tariff of 15%. It’s generally assumed that this quid pro quo will be enough to get Musk — and, hopefully, one or two other companies, like Vietnam’s Vinfast Auto Ltd. — to bite. Certainly, the EV producers that currently dominate the Indian market are already bracing for competition.

QOSHE - Modi’s Big Bet on Musk in India Might Just Work - Mihir Sharma
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Modi’s Big Bet on Musk in India Might Just Work

10 1
25.03.2024

Elon Musk’s long courtship of Indian officialdom may have finally paid off. Prime Minister Narendra Modi wanted him to open one of his Tesla “gigafactories” in the country, as part of its efforts to expand its long-moribund manufacturing sector; Musk,........

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