Elon Musk, a tech entrepreneur and close friend of US President Donald Trump, has revealed his intention to travel to India. He expressed excitement about his upcoming trip to India later this year when discussing his phone conversation with Prime Minister Narendra Modi yesterday.
“Talking with Prime Minister Modi was an honor. A day after meeting with the Prime Minister to discuss India-US cooperation, Musk said on X, “I am excited to travel to India later this year.”
PM Modi stated yesterday that during their phone conversation, the two discussed a number of topics. These included subjects like space, mobility, and technology that were discussed during PM Modi’s visit to Washington 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,” PM Modi had said.
Elon Musk, who calls himself a “fan” of PM Modi, had been planning to visit India. One such plan last year had to be postponed due to “very heavy Tesla obligations”. Delaying his trip, the world’s richest man had said he would visit India later in 2024. But that plan didn’t work out either.
The Elon Musk-PM Modi phone call assumes significance since it comes at a time the US and China are engaged in a fierce trade war, with the leaders on both sides, Trump and Xi Jinping, being defiant and unrelenting.
Besides the US economy, Musk has specific business interests in India. This includes the foray of his electric car brand Tesla into Indian markets and the operations of satellite-based Starlink internet. India and the US are now working towards a mutually beneficial trade deal that Tesla hopes to ride on. Better tariffing could also make the electric cars get a better deal in a competitive market like India’s.
Tesla has already started expanding into India, scouting for locations and employees. It has reportedly rented a 4,000 sq ft space in Mumbai’s Bandra Kurla Complex that comes with some parking slots. Reports suggest Tesla has also selected some additional space in Delhi and Mumbai.
India leads the world in internet consumption and is a booming market for social media and fintech sectors. This makes India a potential market for Starlink. The company is now trying to overcome the regulatory challenges and security concerns to make their India plans come true.
Union Minister Piyush Goyal held a meeting with top Starlink executives in Delhi this week to discuss their investment plans for India.
