In August 2021, Elon Musk had said Tesla might set up a manufacturing unit in India if it first succeeded with imported vehicles in the country. He had said Tesla wanted to launch its vehicles in India "but import duties are the highest in the world by far of any large country".
While Elon Musk was unable to meet in person due to health reasons, he expressed his honour in having the minister visit and said that he looked forward to a future meeting.
Union Commerce Minister Piyush Goyal visited Tesla s manufacturing facility in California and praised the company s journey. He highlighted India s role in supplying auto components to Tesla s EV supply chain.