Friday, February 7, 2025

Tesla has begun recruiting for leadership and senior-level roles in India

Tesla has begun recruiting for leadership and senior-level roles in India, according to a person familiar with the matter, as it gears up to break into one of the world’s biggest emerging car markets.

The California-based maker of electric vehicles is recruiting for positions including a head of sales and marketing, and a head of human resources, the person said, asking not to be identified.

Tesla fan club tweeted last week the company had brought on board a senior legal counsel.

Chief Executive Officer Elon Musk all but confirmed Tesla would enter India in January after months of speculation. The world’s second-richest man on Jan. 13 tweeted “as promised” in response to a report on a Tesla-focused blog that the automaker was in talks with several Indian states to open an office, showrooms, a research, and development center — and possibly a factory

Local media reported last month that Prashanth Menon, who has been with Tesla for around four years, was elevated to country CEO.

Tesla didn’t immediately respond to a request for comment.

The EV maker is closely monitoring announcements from Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s government regarding changes to the country’s goods-and-sales tax that may reduce the cost of owning an electric car, the person familiar with the matter said. It’s also waiting for further incentives for EV makers under India’s production-linked incentive program before it makes a real push into the country.

Under the PLI, as it’s called, manufacturing incentives will rise each year in an ongoing effort to entice the world’s biggest brands to make their products in India and export to the world. Last month, India’s cabinet also approved a 181 billion rupee ($2.5 billion) plan to boost battery storage capacity to 50 gigawatt hours.

Tesla’s foray into India may well prove challenging, however, even with sweeteners. Unlike China, India hasn’t rolled out the welcome mat for electric cars. Tesla set up its first factory outside of the U.S. in Shanghai and now dominates sales of premium EVs in China. EVs account for about 6% of China’s annual car sales, according to BloombergNEF, compared to less than 1% in India.

The expensive cost of Tesla cars is viewed as a sticking point too. Although India is home to a budding middle class, pricey automobiles remain well out of reach of the vast majority of the population. The lack of charging infrastructure is another impediment to large-scale EV adoption.

Tesla has picked Karnataka, a southern state whose capital is Bangalore, for its first plant, the state’s chief minister said in February. Tesla hasn’t commented. The automaker has been negotiating with local officials for six months and is actively considering car assembly in the suburbs of Bangalore, other people familiar with the matter said at the time.

Editorial

Deloitte, PWC, EY, KPMG to Hire 1 Lakh People in India in FY25

According to estimates from top company officials and industry...

Higher EPS Pension Application Stuck: A Step-by-Step Guide to Fix

Nearly 97,640 Provident Fund (PF) members and pensioners under...

Deloitte, PwC, EY, KPMG Outpace Global Growth for India Divisions

The Indian divisions of Deloitte, PwC, EY, and KPMG...

EPS-95 Higher Pension Update: Less Than 1% Cases Settled So Far

Supreme Court Ruling and EPFO’s Higher Pension Rollout The Employees’...

Strong Job Growth and Salary Increases Expected in IT Sector

India's IT sector is on track for significant growth,...

Must Read

HCL Tech attrition rate drops; hiring slows down by nearly 60%

A multinational information technology services and consulting company, HCL...

Top 5 Sectors Boosting UAE Blue-Collar Jobs for Indians

This may surprise many but the symbiotic relationship between...

PwC collaborates with UNICEF and YuWaah! to upskill 300 Mn people in India

PwC India announces collaboration with UNICEF and YuWaah! to...

JP Morgan plans to hire 4,000 techies in India this year

JP Morgan plans to hire 4000 techies in India...

upGrad partners with Golden Gate University to continue global expansion

EdTech startup, upGrad has joined hands and collaborated with...

‘Great Resignation’ Reaches White House With Staff Turnover

WASHINGTON (AP) — New White House press secretary Karine...

Cisco earmarks Rs 63.5 crore towards supporting staff in India amid Covid-19 crisis

Cisco earmarks Rs 63.5 crore towards supporting staff in...

Infosys announces Kiran Mazumdar-Shaw’s retirement from Board

Infosys, a global leader in next-generation digital services and...

Related Articles

SightsIn Plus
SightsIn Plushttps://sightsinplus.com/
SightsIn Plus is an India’s leading high-quality people-focused monthly HR Magazine and provides up-to-date HR News, Leadership Announcements, Best HR Practices and Insights by Global CHROs, CEOs, HR Advisors, Business Managers and HR Heads on topics of interest to HR professionals. To subscribe SightsIn Plus, HR Magazine please visit- https://sightsinplus.com/subscribe/