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

MUMBAI – Tesla is hiring in India, a sure sign it plans to enter the market shortly after its Chief Executive Officer Elon Musk met India Prime Minister Narendra Modi in the United States.

The electric-vehicle maker sought candidates for 13 roles, including customer-facing and back-end jobs, according to advertisements on 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 has now reduced basic customs duty on high-end cars priced above US$40,000 (S$54,000) from 110 per cent 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 the carmaker posted its first annual drop in EV sales in over a decade. India’s electric car sales neared 100,000 units in 2024 compared to China’s 11 million.

Tesla’s India intent follows

Mr Modi’s meeting with Mr Musk and US President Donald Trump

in Washington last week. Mr 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 Mr Musk is a key member of Mr Trump’s Cabinet, the president didn’t say if the tech billionaire met Mr Modi as a CEO of private companies or in his role with Mr Musk’s Department of Government Efficiency (Doge) team. 

Mr Musk’s role in Mr Trump’s government has blurred the lines between his business and political interests.

In January, Italy confirmed talks with Mr 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