Elon Musk has postponed his visit to India, CNBC-TV18 reported on April 20 citing sources familiar with the development. The immediate reasons for the postponement are not known as yet, the report said, adding that there is buzz that Musk's visit coincides with his presence required for a crucial conference call on April 23 in the US to answer questions about Tesla's first quarter performance.
Musk was scheduled to visit India during April 21 and 22, and was expected to meet Prime Minister Narendra Modi and announce plans to enter the India market.
HIs visit garnered a lot of attention with the Union government notifying a new electric vehicle manufacturing policy just a few weeks ago. The new policy allows the government to give duty concessions to electric car companies committing to make in India.
According to the earlier proposed plan, the Tesla CEO was supposed to be in India for 48 hours, during which he would meet the PM, space startups and business leaders.
While there's buzz about initiating Tesla sales in the country this year, Musk is anticipated to engage in discussions with startups at Bharat Mandapam. However, it's uncertain whether the Starlink agreement will be finalized during this trip as sources said final nod from Ministry of Home Affairs is still awaited. There are elections in the country and the model code of conduct is in place so a formal announcement on Starlink may not happen.
On April 10, Musk confirmed his visit to India and his planned meeting with PM Modi. In a post on X (formally twitter), he wrote: “Looking forward to meeting with Prime Minister @NarendraModi in India."
In June last year, Musk had met Modi during the prime minister’s US visit. The Tesla CEO had then said he planned to visit India in 2024, while expressing confidence that the company will enter the Indian market soon.