Tesla will have a plant in India, Modi and Elon will work it out: Errol Musk | WATCH
New Delhi: Errol Musk, father of Tesla and SpaceX CEO Elon Musk, said on Monday that he believes that there will be a Tesla manufacturing plant in India, with Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Elon Musk likely to reach an understanding beneficial to both sides.
Errol Musk, who is currently visiting India, said Prime Minister Modi has to look at the interests of India when it comes to bringing Tesla to the country.
"Prime Minister Modi has to look after the interests of India when it comes to Tesla, and Elon has to look after the interests of Tesla. So, between them, they will work something out that is in the best interest of both Tesla and India. I'm speaking as a private individual because Tesla is a public company. I have no doubt that there will be a Tesla manufacturing plant in India. There has to be. India is one of the most important places in the world", the 79-year-old South African businessman emphasised.
While speaking about India's growing global influence, Errol Musk said, "Well, I think it's already a world power. India is a world power. When you have the fourth largest GDP in the world, you're a world power, whether you like it or not. India has a very humble approach to these things, which is rather nice—nicer than other places that push themselves. I would say India has a great deal to contribute to the world”.
When asked about India’s newly announced electric vehicle policy—which reduces customs duty to 15 percent for EVs priced over $35,000—being good news for Tesla's entry into India, Tesla CEO Elon Musk's father, Errol Musk, says, "It's a very good idea, a very good idea. That's the way to go—not make things harder, but make things easier for people who are already working in fields to improve the world. And it's very hard for them as well. So it's not easy to come up with these new vehicles and new equipment and new cars, and so on. So one should give them every chance possible to do it".
The India visit of Errol Musk, Global Advisor to homegrown Servotech Renewable Power System Ltd, underscores the growing interest in the country’s rapid strides towards sustainable development and its ambition to be a leader in the green and electric technology.
India has set ambitious targets for EV adoption. It aims to achieve 30 per cent EV penetration in the passenger vehicle segment, 80 per cent in the combined two-wheeler and three-wheeler segment, and 70 per cent in the commercial vehicle segment by 2030.
Meanwhile, Union Heavy Industries Minister H D Kumaraswamy said on Monday that Mercedes Benz, Skoda-Volkswagen (VW), Hyundai, and Kia have shown keen interest in manufacturing their electric vehicles (EVs) in India.
On Elon Musk-run Tesla, the Union Minister said: "We are not actually expecting (manufacturing) from them as they are only to start showrooms. They are currently not interested in manufacturing in India."
IANS