Elon Musk in talks to set up Tesla factory in India; car prices may start at Rs. 20 lakh

Tesla cars could be running on Indian roads soon as reports reveal that Elon Musk is in talks with the Indian government to set up a Tesla Gigafactory in the country.

Tesla has several electric cars in its portfolio, ranging from the affordable Model 3 to the top-end Tesla Model X Plaid. (Bloomberg)

Tesla is in talks with the Indian government to set up a Gigafactory in India with the capacity for manufacturing 500,000 electric vehicles annually. For years, Tesla has been thinking about whether to set up a plant in India, but the plans seem to have moved forward with Elon Musk-led company in talks about making India the export base for the Indo-Pacific region, as per a report by the Times of India.

Tesla's India plans

At present, Tesla's biggest plant remains in China with a reported annual manufacturing capacity of nearly 750,000 units. However, tech companies like Apple and Samsung have been looking to establish plants in alternative countries in a bid to boost sales in other regions as well as to minimize production losses caused by the country's tight restrictions. It seems like Tesla may be willing to follow suit.

These discussions come after Prime Minister Narendra Modi's meeting with the Tesla CEO in the US last month. India's Tesla Gigafactory, if it comes to fruition, would enable the company to price its cars as low as Rs. 20 lacks, as per the TOI report.

Supply chain demands

While Musk-owned Tesla wants to establish its own supply chain for automotive parts in India, the government of India has requested Musk to look at the existing ecosystem. ET reported that Musk held talks with executives of Tesla US and Tesla India and enquired about possible incentives to establish a plant in India for the carmaker and its partners. Moreover, the company has also been talking with industry leaders, as per ET. In a recent Society of Indian Automobile Manufacturers (SIAM) meeting, Tesla expressed its desire to bring its own automotive parts suppliers to the country.