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20-04-2025
WASHINGTON: World’s richest man Elon Musk said he will be visiting India later this year and said it was an honour to speak with Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
Musk’s announcement comes after he held a teleconference with Modi on Friday. The prime minister said they discussed matters of shared interests in technology, innovation, space and mobility domains.
Speaking about his call with Musk, Modi wrote on X, “Spoke to @elonmusk and talked about various issues, including the topics we covered during our meeting in Washington DC earlier this year. We discussed the immense potential for collaboration in the areas of technology and innovation. India remains committed to advancing our partnerships with the US in these domains.”
Modi met Musk during his official visit to the United States earlier this year in February. The SpaceX CEO was accompanied by his three children during the visit. According to the MEA, the two leaders had discussed about strengthening collaboration between Indian and US entities in innovation, space exploration, artificial intelligence, and sustainable development.
Musk is considered one of the most influential individuals in US president Donald Trump administration. He is spearheading the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), which is pursuing a legally contested move to slash government expenditure and reduce federal workforce.
The announcement of Musk’s visit comes as his SpaceX-owned Starlink awaits regulatory approvals in India after partnering with private telecom companies, Jio and Airtel, to launch its satellite internet services. Earlier this week, the company’s senior executives met commerce and industry minister Piyush Goyal to discuss necessary approvals for the company’s domestic operations.
“Met a delegation from @Starlink, comprising of vice president Chad Gibbs & senior director, Ryan Goodnight. Discussions covered Starlink’s cutting-edge technology platform, their existing partnerships & future investment plans in India,” Goyal posted on X after Wednesday’s meeting.
Tesla has been losing market share to rivals, due in part to aggressive pricing by the likes of Chinese EV powerhouse BYD Co. and Musk’s closeness to US President Donald Trump, which has alienated certain customer segments and made Tesla a more polarizing brand.
The US Company has also taken a hit from an escalating tariff war, which has prompted it to stop taking orders in China for Model S sedans and Model X sport utility vehicles both of which are imported from the US.
As the EV landscape becomes more competitive, Tesla is in urgent need of new markets, and India with its burgeoning middle class and a government pushing clean mobility is an obvious target. Tesla has long wanted to enter India, but disagreements over import duties and local manufacturing commitments have stalled progress.
Meanwhile, Musk is advancing his other ventures in India. Starlink, Musk’s satellite internet business, recently announced partnerships with Bharti Airtel and Reliance Jio. The partnerships could help bring satellite-based broadband to underserved rural areas, aligning with the Indian government’s broader digital inclusion agenda.
Still, Musk’s relationship with Indian authorities remains complicated. X, formerly known as Twitter, is locked in a dispute with the Indian government over content moderation.
Tesla Inc. stopped taking orders in China for Model S sedans and Model X sport utility vehicles both of which are imported from the US after the countries raised tariffs on one another in an escalating trade war. (Int’l Monitoring Desk)
