Tesla begins recruitment for senior management roles in India: Report

As Tesla gears to foray into the Indian market, it has stepped up recruitment process for senior managerial and leadership roles in the country. The California-based electric vehicle giant is recruiting for roles including a head for sales and marketing, and a head for human resources, Bloomberg reported, quoting a source.

The company has also onboarded a senior legal counsel, as per a Tesla fan club tweet. Last month, Tesla had recruited Prashanth R. Menon as the Country Director for Tesla India and has tasked him with overseeing the company’s introduction here. Menon has been with Tesla for around four years now.

The EV maker has been closely monitoring all goods-and-sales tax related announcements made by the central and state governments that are aimed at reducing the cost of owning an electric vehicle, the report stated. It is also waiting for and looking forward to further incentives for EV makers under the production-linked incentive (PLI) program before finally cracking into the country.

Under the PLI scheme, manufacturing incentives in India will rise each year in an ongoing effort to attract the world's biggest brands to make their products in here and export to the world. Last month, the cabinet also approved a 181 billion rupee ($2.5 billion) plan to boost battery storage capacity to 50 gigawatt hours.

Since the beginning of the year, the EV giant has been scouting for locations for its showrooms, R&D centre, office and a possible factory in the country. In January, it registered its Indian arm - Tesla India Motors and Energy Pvt Ltd in Bengaluru, Karnataka. The state's Chief Minister BS Yediyurappa, in February, also confirmed that Tesla will set up its first Indian facility in Bengaluru. As per a latest report, the EV maker has zeroed in on Mumbai's Lower Parel-Worli area for its first office in India.

Tesla is expected to enter the Indian market with its most affordable Model 3 sedans by the end of the year. Though its entry will be a turning point for the country's EV scenario, it could also prove to be challenging for the company. India still lags behind in terms of infrastructure required for smooth EV owning experience. The country's majority population will also see the high price of Tesla models being out of budget. However, it is yet to be seen how Tesla will fare in the country when it cracks in.