Tesla is Hiring – signalling India entry, after Musk-Modi meeting

NEW DELHI, INDIA: Tesla Inc. is actively recruiting in India, signalling its imminent market entry, following a recent meeting between CEO Elon Musk and Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi in the United States. The electric vehicle manufacturer is advertising for 13 different positions, encompassing customer-facing and back-end roles, as per postings on its LinkedIn page released on Monday, according to a Bloomberg report.

Specifically, at least five of these roles, including service technicians and various advisory positions, are open in both Mumbai and Delhi. The remaining positions, which include customer engagement manager and delivery operations specialist, are exclusively located in Mumbai.

Tesla’s interest in the Indian market has been intermittent over several years, previously deterred by concerns regarding high import duties. However, India recently reduced its basic customs duty on cars valued above $40,000 from 100% to 70% earlier this month. This change may be seen as a positive gesture towards the United States, particularly in anticipation of potential reciprocal tariffs planned by the U.S. under President Donald Trump.

While India’s electric vehicle (EV) market is still in its early stages compared to China’s, it presents a potential avenue for Tesla to address a slowdown in its sales, after experiencing its first annual decrease in EV sales in over a decade. Despite the fact that India’s electric car sales barely reached 100,000 units last year, significantly less than China’s 11 million, the Indian market is expanding quickly. This growth is attracting both domestic and global automakers, leading them to increase their efforts to launch battery-powered vehicles.

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Although these job openings provide the strongest indication yet of Tesla’s plans to sell cars in India, this isn’t the first time the company has taken such steps. In 2021, Tesla initiated a flurry of activity by establishing sales infrastructure in India and assembling a team of more than a dozen executives. They even hired a lobbyist to manage discussions with the Indian government about reducing import tariffs, which Musk has often cited as a barrier to their plans in India. However, a year later, Tesla’s plans were paused, and all of its local executives transitioned to roles in other markets or different positions within Tesla.

Lobbying efforts were restarted sometime in 2023 after Musk’s meeting with Modi in the US. At this time, Musk stated that Tesla was eager to invest in India “as soon as humanly possible.”

Last March, the Indian government introduced a new initiative offering a reduced tariff of 15% on electric car imports valued above $40,000, contingent on automakers investing $500 million in India and commencing local manufacturing within three years. In April, Musk canceled a planned visit to India, citing “very heavy Tesla obligations,” and instead traveled to China.

The current developments follow a recent meeting between Musk and Modi during the Indian leader’s visit to the US last week. Modi mentioned in a post on X (formerly Twitter) that he discussed “space, mobility, technology, and innovation” with Musk, though without providing specifics about Tesla’s interest in selling cars or investing in India.

These India plans come at a crucial time for Tesla, as the global adoption rate of electric cars faces pressure and competitors like BYD Co. are increasing their competitive efforts. However, it’s uncertain if Tesla is prepared to invest in India at this time.