WIKIFX REPORT: India Is requesting Tesla To Produce Vehicles Locally

India has once again called upon billionaire Elon Musk to manufacture Tesla Inc. cars locally instead of selling China-made electric vehicles in the worlds fourth-largest autos market as demand for clean transport surges.

Under the administration of the current prime minister, The country said this week that the electric vehicle manufacturer is “welcome in India” and is encouraged to produce vehicles in the country, according to comments made by Transport Minister Nitin Gadkari. India has conveyed to Tesla that “manufacture in China and sell in India is not a good proposition,” according to a Bloomberg wrap up of the story this week.

Gadkari reportedly made the comments at the Raisina Dialogue, “a geopolitical conference organized by the Observer Research Foundation”.

The minister further continued again to say that Elon Musk “will have to manufacture his Tesla cars in India, and not China, if he wants to come and sell the vehicles in the country,” according to The Economic Times. He said that Musk would “not get any special treatment when it comes to customs duties”, referring to importing vehicles from China.

Gadkari also defended several recent incidents of EVs catching fire in India, stating that the high temperature in battery cells was to blame. Gadkari said that India needs a system for testing battery cells to help avoid such incidents in the future. Meanwhile, Tesla finally got its factory in Berlin open earlier this month after years of delays and red tape.