Tesla gears up for India, opens job listings in Mumbai & Delhi after PM Modi-Elon Musk meeting

Tesla Inc. has begun hiring in India, indicating a potential market entry days after its chief executive officer Elon Musk, the world’s richest person, met Prime Minister Narendra Modi in the United States.

The electric vehicle maker has advertised 13 job openings, covering both customer-facing and backend roles, on its LinkedIn page. Positions such as service technician and advisory roles are available in both Mumbai and Delhi, while roles including customer engagement manager and delivery operations specialist are listed for Mumbai.

Tesla’s engagement with India has been on and off for years, primarily due to concerns over high import duties. However, India recently reduced the basic customs duty on high-end cars priced above $40,000 from 110% to 70%, a move that could facilitate Tesla’s entry.

India’s electric vehicle market offers Tesla, which recently posted its first annual drop in EV sales in over a decade, an opportunity to counter slowing sales.

The latest hiring drive follows Musk’s meeting with Prime Minister Modi in Washington last week. During the meeting, Musk and Modi discussed strengthening India-US collaboration in innovation, space exploration, artificial intelligence, and sustainable development, according to the Ministry of External Affairs.

Following the meeting, Modi posted on X: "Had a very good meeting with @elonmusk in Washington DC. We discussed various issues, including those he is passionate about such as space, mobility, technology, and innovation."

Musk, a known ally of Trump, has shown a growing interest in expanding his business in India. However, his role in Trump’s administration has at times blurred the lines between his business and political engagements.

When asked whether Musk met Modi as a government official or a tech entrepreneur, Trump said, “India is a very hard place to do business because of the tariffs. They have the highest tariffs, just about in the world, and it’s a hard place to do business. No, I would imagine he met possibly because, you know, he’s running a company.”

Musk has previously expressed interest in bringing both Tesla and Starlink to India. In April 2024, he abruptly cancelled a planned visit to India, which was expected to include a meeting with Modi and the announcement of a Tesla manufacturing unit. His latest engagements and the EV company’s hiring drive suggest Tesla is now moving forward with its India plans.