Tesla not interested in manufacturing in India; focussing on showrooms for now: HD Kumaraswamy
MUMBAI: Elon Musk's Tesla is not interested in manufacturing in India, and all they are looking at right now is to showrooms in India, the Minister of Heavy Industries HD Kumaraswamy said here on Monday after announcing the guidelines for Scheme for Promotion of Manufacturing of Electric Passenger Cars in India (SMEC).
Though he said once the application window for SMEC policy opens, the real intent of the companies will be known.
The SMEC policy which meant for attracting investment from global EV manufacturers will allow those players who apply under the scheme to import completely built units (CBUs) at a 15% import duty against the currently applicable rate of 70%.
The government officials told TNIE that Tesla, which had initially shown interest in setting up manufacturing units in India, attended only the first stakeholders' consultation meetings to discuss the details of the scheme. After the first meeting, they skipped the subsequent meetings.
It is to be noted that US president Donald Trump has very close links with Tesla promoter Elon Musk and the latter was part of the Trump administration till recently. When asked about Musk's plans to manufacture in India, Trump had commented it would be very unfair if Musk builds a factory in India.
India and the US are negotiating a trade deal and it is said that India might agree to lower tariffs on imports of cars, which varies from 70-10%. Under the India-UK trade deal, which was concluded recently, India has agreed to reduce the tariff on cars to 10%. However, small EVs have been kept out of the purview of the deal.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Hindustan Times
21 minutes ago
- Hindustan Times
Why did Donald Trump order a ban on travellers from 12 countries?
US President Donald Trump on Wednesday signed an executive order banning travel to the United States for citizens of a dozen countries and put partial restrictions on citizens of seven other nations. The executive order fully restricts and limits the entry of nationals from 12 countries: Afghanistan, Myanmar, Chad, Congo, Equatorial Guinea, Eritrea, Haiti, Iran, Libya, Somalia, Sudan, and Yemen. Citizens of seven countries will have their entry partially restricted. The countries are Burundi, Cuba, Laos, Sierra Leone, Togo, Turkmenistan, and Venezuela. Donald Trump said he had signed the travel ban because of an attack on a Jewish protest in Colorado that authorities blamed on a man they say was in the country illegally. "The recent terror attack in Boulder, Colorado, has underscored the extreme dangers posed to our country by the entry of foreign nationals who are not properly vetted," Trump said in a video message. The White House also justified the restrictions put in place by Trump's executive order. The reasons cited by the administration include Afghanistan's Taliban control, Iran and Cuba's state-sponsored terrorism, and Haiti's influx of illegal migrants during the Joe Biden administration. Countries like Chad and Eritrea were flagged for disregarding US immigration laws. The former has a 49.54 percent B1/B2 visa overstay rate, while the latter's F/M/J visa overstay rate stands at 55.43 percent. Partial restrictions apply to Burundi, Cuba, Laos, Sierra Leone, Togo, Turkmenistan, and Venezuela, limiting immigrant and nonimmigrant visas (B-1, B-2, B-1/B-2, F, M, J) due to high overstay rates or insufficient law enforcement collaboration. This is not the first time that Donald Trump has signed an executive order banning citizens of certain countries from entering the United States. During his first term in office from 2017, the Republican leader had announced a ban on travellers from seven majority-Muslim nations. That policy went through several iterations before it was upheld by the US Supreme Court in 2018. Democrat President Joe Biden, Trump's successor and also his predecessor for his second term, repealed the executive order after taking office in 2021. According to Biden, the ban was "a stain on our national conscience."
The Hindu
25 minutes ago
- The Hindu
Trump announces travel ban affecting dozen countries including Afghanistan and Iran
U.S. President Donald Trump is resurrecting the travel ban policy from his first term, signing a proclamation Wednesday (June 5, 2025) night preventing people from a dozen countries from entering the United States. The countries include Afghanistan, Burma, Chad, the Republic of the Congo, Equatorial Guinea, Eritrea, Haiti, Iran, Libya, Somalia, Sudan and Yemen. In addition to the ban, which takes effect at 12.01 a.m. Monday (June 9, 2025), there will be heightened restrictions on visitors from Burundi, Cuba, Laos, Sierra Leone, Togo, Turkmenistan and Venezuela. 'I must act to protect the national security and national interest of the United States and its people,' Mr. Trump said in his proclamation. The list results from a Jan. 20 executive order Mr. Trump issued requiring the departments of State and Homeland Security and the Director of National Intelligence to compile a report on 'hostile attitudes' toward the U.S. and whether entry from certain countries represented a national security risk. During his first term, Mr. Trump issued an executive order in January 2017 banning travel to the U.S. by citizens of seven predominantly Muslim countries — Iraq, Syria, Iran, Sudan, Libya, Somalia and Yemen. It was one of the most chaotic and confusing moments of his young presidency. Travelers from those nations were either barred from getting on their flights to the U.S. or detained at U.S. airports after they landed. They included students and faculty as well as businesspeople, tourists and people visiting friends and family. The order, often referred to as the 'Muslim ban' or the 'travel ban,' was retooled amid legal challenges, until a version was upheld by the Supreme Court in 2018. The ban affected various categories of travelers and immigrants from Iran, Somalia, Yemen, Syria and Libya, plus North Koreans and some Venezuelan government officials and their families. Trump and others have defended the initial ban on national security grounds, arguing it was aimed at protecting the country and not founded on anti-Muslim bias. However, the president had called for an explicit ban on Muslims during his first campaign for the White House.
&w=3840&q=100)
First Post
37 minutes ago
- First Post
Now Columbia University in Trump's firing line, DoE threatens its accreditation over antisemitism concerns
The Trump administration has warned Columbia University that it may lose its accreditation for failing to protect Jewish students from harassment. A government investigation found the university did not take enough action to stop the harassment, violating federal anti-discrimination laws. read more A New York City police officer looks over the centre of Columbia University in New York. File image/AP The Trump administration on Wednesday said it has alerted Columbia University's accrediting body that the school may have violated federal anti-discrimination laws, putting its accreditation at risk. Officials said the university 'no longer appears to meet the Commission's accreditation standards.' According to the Education Department, Columbia failed to protect Jewish students from harassment, violating Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964. The finding came after a joint investigation by the Education Department's Office for Civil Rights and the Department of Health and Human Services. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD The investigation, which began in February, concluded that Columbia did not take meaningful steps to protect Jewish students from severe and ongoing harassment, denying them equal access to education. The administration said Columbia has been in violation since the start of the Israel-Hamas war on October 7, 2023, when Hamas attacked Israel, killing over 1,200 people. In response, Israel launched strikes on Gaza, resulting in more than 54,000 deaths. In response, Columbia said it is aware of the concerns raised and has addressed them directly with its accreditor. 'Columbia is deeply committed to combating antisemitism on our campus,' the university said, adding that it continues to work with the federal government to resolve the issue. This is a developing story.
