The Karnataka government has extended an invitation to business magnate Elon Musk to set up business in the southern state.
Karnataka’s Trade and Industries Minister, Infrastructure MB Patil, in a Twitter post, wrote that his state Karnataka is the “ideal destination” for Tesla’s expansion into India.
“If Tesla considers establishing a plant in India, Karnataka, with its great potential and capabilities, I must say it is destiny,” he added.
“As a progressive state and a thriving hub of innovation and technology, Karnataka stands ready to support and provide necessary facilities for Tesla and other Elon Musk companies including Starlink,” Patil wrote, tagging Musk’s Twitter handle.
Karnataka, Patil said, is focused on being the hub for technology and manufacturing 5.0, to propel the state forward for decades to come.
Meanwhile, during the ongoing state visit to the US, Prime Minister Narendra Modi met with Tesla and Twitter boss Elon Musk and invited him to explore opportunities in India for investments in electric mobility and the rapidly expanding commercial space sector.
Speaking to reporters after meeting Prime Minister Modi, Musk, who is also CEO of SpaceX, said he was incredibly excited about India’s future, adding that India holds more promise than any other major country in the world.
“I’m tentatively planning to visit India again next year. I’m looking forward to it,” Musk added.
Musk, responding to questions from reporters, said he was confident his car company Tesla would be in India “as soon as humanly possible.” “I would like to thank Prime Minister Modi for his support and hopefully we will be able to announce something in the not too distant future.”
Asked when Tesla will be in India, Musk said: “We don’t want to rush with an announcement, but it’s very likely that there will be significant investment for India in the future.”
In a quick cross-question from reporters who asked him what changed his mind about Tesla’s investments in India, he said with a smile: “I’ve never changed my mind.”
Tesla is reportedly expected to announce the location of its new factory by the end of 2023.
Furthermore, Musk has also shown interest in bringing his Starlink services to India. Starlink is a satellite internet service provider operated by Musk’s SpaceX company.
India intends to harness the potential of the space sector by inviting private players into the field.
