Tesla kick-starts senior level hires in India: Report

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

It was 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 the Centre regarding changes to the GST 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.

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 US in Shanghai and now dominates sales of premium EVs in China. EVs account for about 6% of China’s annual car sales, as per BloombergNEF, compared to less than 1% in India.