Tamil Nadu to ‘aggressively pitch’ itself as Elon Musk-led Tesla’s manufacturing site: Report

Ahead of Elon Musk’s visit to India and meeting with Prime Minister Narendra Modi, and an expected announcement of his investment in the country, Tamil Nadu is priming itself up to become the next destination for Tesla. 

According to a report in Bloomberg, Tamil Nadu will aggressively pitch itself as a manufacturing site for the electric vehicle-maker. 

The state’s minister for industries TRB Rajaa said, “Tamil Nadu will be pitching for all opportunities of electric vehicle manufacturing from all global car majors,” when asked about if Tesla is on its radar. The state has the country’s best vehicle policies and ecosystem, he said. 

Rajaa, calling Tamil Nadu the ‘automotive capital’ of the country said that they will now aim to make the state the EV capital too. 

Tamil Nadu is already home to the manufacturing facilities of Nissan Motor, Renault SA, Hyundai Motor, and BMW AG. Tesla’s coveted manufacturing plant would only bolster Tamil Nadu’s reputation as a business-friendly state, and one that supports creation of jobs.

Meanwhile, India has cut the import duty on EVs last month. It offered tax concessions to foreign companies that would invest at least Rs 4,150 crore and start producing EVs in the local plant within a time frame of three years. 
 
Elon Musk, in a social media post on X, said that he is looking forward to meeting PM Modi during his India trip. The Tesla CEO had last met PM Modi during the leader’s visit to the US last year.