Tesla India Motor & Energy, which is the American company’s Indian subsidiary, has leased office space in Pune’s Viman Nagar area, according to India Times, adding fuel to the fiery rumor that says the maker of the Model 3 all-electric sedan will set up shop in India.
As per the source, the Elon Musk-led automaker has over 5,850 square feet of available space in a coworking center on the first floor of one of the towers in Panchshil Business Park in Pune, which is considered one of the biggest IT hubs in the country.
This latest development is another piece of the puzzle that indicates Tesla is preparing to enter the Indian market soon, after the EV brand reportedly submitted a new factory proposal to the government back in May and after the country’s commerce minister was reportedly expected to meet with representatives from Tesla last month to discuss plans to build the aforementioned factory.
According to Reuters, the rumored Indian factory would produce a new low-cost electric model for the local market and for export, with an estimated starting price that’s the equivalent of $24,600 (2 million Indian rupees).
The discussions for a potential new Gigafactory come after Tesla lobbied the Indian government last year to lower import taxes on EVs shipped to the country, but that led nowhere, with officials calling on the company to commit to making cars locally.
After negotiations reportedly broke down late last year, the meeting between Elon Musk and India’s Prime Minister Narendra Modi in June signaled a restart in the talks, with Tesla’s CEO saying that he intended to make a significant investment in the country.
Furthermore, speaking with the Wall Street Journal back in May, Musk said that the EV marque has already announced plans for its upcoming Gigafactory in Mexico, but that there will be another facility in the works, the location of which will probably be revealed by the end of this year.
“Well, we did make an announcement that Mexico would be our next location outside the US, we picked a site and everything, so there’s that,” said Tesla’s CEO. “And then, we’ll probably pick another location towards the end of this year.”
The host followed up by asking if India is interesting, to which Musk responded, “Absolutely!”
As always, we’d like to know what you think about this, so head over to the comments section below to give us your thoughts.
