There were indeed high hopes that Tesla would establish a manufacturing plant in India.
However, after Donald Trump assumed office again in the U.S.A, he appears to be strongly opposed to American companies setting up factories in India.
Recently, Trump even mentioned Apple CEO Tim Cook in this context, though Cook clarified that he has no plans to change Apple's expansion strategy in India.
Elon Musk, Tesla’s CEO, is known to be a close associate of Trump, and may not be in a position to go against him.
In fact, Musk had reportedly planned a visit to India but canceled it at the last moment — possibly a signal of Trump’s disapproval.
As it stands, Tesla vehicles may enter the Indian market, but only as imports — which means high prices, with no local manufacturing on the horizon.
Yes, Minister Kumaraswamy said today, "Don't expect Tesla to manufacture in India; it's only looking at selling here."
