Nitin Gadkari proposes to Tesla to make India their Asia manufacturing hub

Union Minister of Road Transport, Highways & Shipping, Nitin Gadkari visited the Tesla factory near San Francisco in USA on Saturday, 16-July, 2016 and offered to promote joint ventures between the electric car manufacturing company and the Indian automobile companies, especially in the commercial vehicle sector.

Also read: Tesla Model 3 unveiled, starts from $35,000 (INR 23 Lakhs); bookings open for India

He proposed to the Tesla senior executives to make India their Asia manufacturing hub and offered land near major Indian ports to facilitate export of their vehicles to South and South East Asian countries. Tesla replied in appreciation for the Indian offer of cooperation, and promised to consider it at an appropriate time in future. They admitted that a manufacturing hub outside the US is being planned, adding that India will definitely be a market for their upcoming Model 3 sedan (below).

Regarding manufacturing of electric trucks, buses and two wheelers, Tesla replied that they have future plans for electric trucks and pick up vans, but not buses and two wheelers. Furthermore, Gadkari talked about how the Indian Government encourages alternate pollution free transport in the country by providing incentives to bio-fuel, CNG, Ethanol and electric vehicles, after Tesla evinced interest in knowing whether there was any subsidy on electric vehicles in India.

Also read: Road Transport and Highways Minister Nitin Gadkari pushes for alternative fuels

Gadkari was informed that 400,000 advance bookings have been received for the Tesla Model 3 of which some bookings are from India as well. Tesla also confirmed that they are inviting suggestions for locations in India for demonstrations.