Tesla Inc. and its CEO Elon Musk are welcome in India, but the government will not in any way compromise on its policy of Aatmanirbhar Bharat, Union Heavy Industries Minister Mahendra Nath Pandey said Saturday.
The American electric carmaker, which has been seeking reduction in import duty to sell its vehicles in India, will not manufacture its products locally unless it is allowed to first sell and service its cars in the country, Musk had said last month. "Tesla will not put a manufacturing plant in any location where we are not allowed first to sell and service cars," the world's richest person had said in a tweet.
Addressing The Global Summit by TV9 on Saturday, Pandey said, "The government, under the leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, has moved ahead swiftly on the Aatmanirbhar Bharat policy and received a very good response on it and we are not going to compromise on that in any way." "Tesla, Elon Musk are welcome to India but only according to the country's policies."
Musk had in August last year said Tesla may set up a manufacturing unit in India if it first succeeds with imported vehicles in the country.
India, at present, imposes 100% import duty on fully imported cars with CIF (Cost, Insurance and Freight) value more than $40,000 and 60% on those costing less than the amount.
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