Tesla is not expected to invest in India anytime soon, as a new report suggests that Elon Musk's team is keeping Indian officials in the dark about the project.
Tesla has been trying to enter the Indian car market for years but has been unable to find a way around the country's protectionist efforts, which include high import duties on imported vehicles.
The Indian government wanted Tesla to build a factory in the country, but the automaker preferred to create a market in the country first through imported vehicles before investing in a manufacturing facility in the country.
Earlier this year, we reported that India had finally reached a compromise on import duties on cars to open the door for a company Tesla, And other electric car manufacturers to launch them in the country.
The deal includes a significant reduction in import duties on a limited number of electric vehicles as long as the automaker makes a significant investment and commitment to build an electric vehicle plant in India in the coming years.
It appears that Tesla had a hand in making this deal happen given that the automaker has been working closely with the government, and there were indications that Tesla would approve the deal.
CEO Elon Musk planned to go to India shortly after the deal was announced, signaling a deal to launch Tesla into the market and build a factory there.
However, the CEO canceled his trip to India at the last minute.
Now, it is useful.BloombergIndian officials do not expect Tesla to take them on board with the new program and invest in the country anytime soon, as Musk's team has reportedly stopped communicating with Indian officials.
Musk's team was said to have made no further inquiries with officials in New Delhi after the billionaire postponed a visit to India in late April, and they requested anonymity because they were not authorized to speak publicly.