Piyush Goyal tours Tesla factory in US; Elon Musk says sorry for his absence

Piyush Goyal visited Tesla's factory in California, however, the expected meeting with CEO Elon Musk did not take place.

Updated on: Nov 14, 2023, 11:04:19 IST

By HT News Desk

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Union commerce minister Piyush Goyal visited Tesla’s California manufacturing factory on Tuesday. However, the much anticipated meet between Goyal and electric vehicle maker’s chief Elon Musk didn’t happen.

Piyush Goyal at US Tesla factory. (X/Piyush Goyal)

“Extremely delighted to see talented Indian engineers & finance professionals working at Senior positions and contributing to Tesla’s remarkable journey to transform mobility,” Goyal wrote on X after visiting the Tesla’s manufacturing facility at Fremont, California.

The minister lauded “growing importance of Auto component suppliers from India in the Tesla EV supply chain”.

“It is on its way to double its components imports from India,” he wrote.

Piyush Goyal is in San Francisco to attend the ministerial engagements of Indo-Pacific Economic Framework and the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation.

Tesla’s Chief Executive Officer Musk was likely to meet Goyal to discuss the company’s plans to set up a factory in India. .

“Missed Elon Musk’s magnetic presence and I wish him a speedy recovery,” Goyal wrote.

“It was an honor to have you visit Tesla! My apologies for not being able to travel to California today, but I look forward to meeting at a future date,” Billionaire Musk replied to the post.

The government is planning to offer tax cuts on the imports of completely-built units of EVs, for a period of up to five years. It is seen as an attempt to woo likes of Tesla Inc. to sell and eventually make its cars in the country, where EV market is still in nascent stage.

Also read: Govt weighs five-year tax cuts on EV imports to woo Elon Musk’s Tesla

Of the total passenger vehicles sales done last year, EVs accounted for less than 1.5 per cent, according to BloombergNEF. The high cost of cars, a lack of options and need for development of charging stations pose as hindrances for world’s most populated country’s shift to cleaner energy.

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HT News Desk
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