Athira Sethu
Kochi, 18 February 2025
Elon Musk’s Tesla has initiated hiring before its proposed entry into India. This has come not long after PM Narendra Modi’s US visit where he met Elon Musk.
Tesla posted 13 job openings on LinkedIn for positions such as customer service and backend operations. Service techs and advisor roles are up for grabs in New Delhi & Mumbai, while the customer engagement manager and delivery operations specialist are Mumbai-bound.
Being averse to import duties was the reason why Tesla was not keen on getting into the Indian market. On the contrary, in the current situation, India has reduced the basic duty on cars that are above $40,000 in price from 110% to 70%. This amendment is said to be the factor that will open the door for Tesla’s entry to the market.
The Indian electric vehicle sector is growing as close to 100,000 electric cars were sold last year against a whopping 11 million in China. For Tesla, India represents an opportunity to counterbalance the weakening global EV sales as it sees a year with sales down for the first time in ten years.
Simultaneous to Musk’s discussion with Modi, talks were on with the former US President Donald Trump for a possible agreement. It is reported that India will start the trade talks to solve the US trade imbalances and military decisions, especially potential F-35 fighter jets purchase.
