Tesla hires in India, signalling entry plans after Modi’s US trip

TESLA is hiring in India, a sure sign it plans to enter the market shortly after chief executive officer Elon Musk met Prime Minister Narendra Modi in the US.

The electric vehicle (EV) maker sought candidates for 13 roles, including customer-facing and back-end jobs, according to advertisements on Monday (Feb 17) on its LinkedIn page.

At least five of the positions, including service technician and various advisory roles, were available in both Mumbai and Delhi, while the rest of the openings, such as customer engagement manager and delivery operations specialist, were for Mumbai.

Tesla and India have engaged on and off for years, but the carmaker had stayed away from the South Asian nation over concerns on high import duties. India’s now reduced basic customs duty on high-end cars priced above US$40,000 from 110 to 70 per cent.

While India’s EV market is still nascent compared to China’s, it offers an avenue for Tesla to check slowing sales after it posted its first annual drop in EV sales in over a decade. India’s electric car sales neared 100,000 units last year compared to China’s 11 million.

Tesla’s India intent follows Modi’s meeting with Musk and US President Donald Trump in Washington last week. Trump later said the Indian leader agreed to begin negotiations to address the US trade deficit and boost US military purchases, including steps to ultimately supply F-35 fighter jets.

Although Musk is a key member of Trump’s cabinet, the president did not say if the tech billionaire met Modi as a CEO of private companies or in his role with the DOGE team.

Musk’s role in Trump’s government has blurred the lines between his business and political interests. Last month, Italy confirmed talks with Musk’s SpaceX for a deal to provide secure telecommunications for the nation’s government, a development that followed Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni meeting with then President-elect Trump in Florida. BLOOMBERG