A day after Tesla Chief Executive Officer (CEO) Elon Musk spoke about challenges when asked about the electric car's entry into the Indian market, Telangana Minister for Industry and Commerce KT Rama Rao, on Saturday, 15 January, invited Musk to "set shop" in Telangana.
Rao said Telangana is a champion in sustainability initiatives and his government would be happy to partner with Tesla in working through the challenges.
"Hey Elon, I am the Industry and Commerce Minister of Telangana state in India. Will be happy to partner Tesla in working through the challenges to set shop in India/Telangana," Rao said in a reply to Musk's tweet.
Musk’s comments had come in response to a tweet on Tesla’s plans to launch in India. He had tweeted, “Still working through a lot of challenges with the government.”
Currently, India levies 100 percent tax on the imported cars of price more than $40,000 (Rs 30 lakh) inclusive of insurance and shipping expenses, and cars less than $40,000 are subject to 60 percent import tax.
With a $39,990 global price tag, Tesla Model 3 is a popular electric vehicle choice in the United States (US). The price tag in India is expected to be around Rs 60 lakh.
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