- According to Bloomberg, Tesla has not been in talks with the Indian government since Elon Musk canceled a visit to India in April.
- Tesla had initially planned to build a new factory in India, but appears to have shifted its focus.
- Musk urged investors to view Tesla as an AI and robotics company, rather than a carmaker.
India may no longer be a priority for Tesla and its CEO Elon Musk.
The mercurial billionaire’s team has not been in contact with Indian officials since he canceled a visit to India in April, Bloomberg reported Thursday, citing people familiar with the matter.
“Unfortunately, due to Tesla’s very heavy obligations my visit to India must be postponed, but I am very much looking forward to visiting later this year,” Musk said in an April 20 post on X.
Bloomberg’s sources also said the Indian government doesn’t expect Tesla to invest in the company anytime soon because of its capital problems.
Tesla and India’s ministries of heavy industry, finance and commerce did not respond to requests for comment.
The report comes as a surprise given that Tesla has long been eyeing India as a potential region for expansion.
Reuters reported in April that the EV giant was planning to build a new factory in India as part of a $2 billion to $3 billion investment in the country, and Musk is expected to announce the expansion plans during his planned visit to India.
But Musk ended up visiting another Asian country in April, after the Tesla CEO made a surprise visit to China just a week after cancelling his India trip, where he met with China’s second-ranking politician, Li Qiang.
The visit was a fruitful one for Musk, who has made no secret of his ambitions to make Tesla a leading AI and robotics company. In April, Bloomberg reported that Chinese authorities had given in-principle approval for Tesla to deploy its fully self-driving technology in China.
That said, India is probably not completely out of Musk’s sights.
Musk congratulated Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi on his government’s victory in the country’s general election. The two last met in New York in June 2023.
“Congratulations to Narendra Modi on your victory in the world’s largest democratic election! I look forward to doing exciting work for my company in India,” Musk said in a June 7 post on X.
Representatives for Tesla and India’s Ministry of Commerce did not immediately respond to BI’s requests for comment sent outside regular business hours.
