Tata Sons president N. Chandrasekaran has reportedly clarified that Tata is not in talks with Tesla and will ride solo EV Plunge. In the clarification by Chandrasekaran, it was held that Tata is not in negotiation with the US-based electric car manufacturer Tesla for a partnership in the passenger vehicle (PV) business in India. Clarification was pressed upon Tata doing it on their own.
Earlier, Tata Motors’ electric mobility Twitter handle caused a stir when it dropped the Indian auto firm’s possible tie-up with car company Tesla, owned by billionaire entrepreneur Elon Musk’s, who happens to be the world’s most valuable automaker.
So no Tata-Tesla happening in India… Tata Sons Chairman N Chandrasekaran tells me there is “no dialogue” between the cos and adds, “We will do it on our own” @TataCompanies @tesla #auto #electric @tatamotors @elonmusk @timesofindia https://t.co/0vvTvKD1wM pic.twitter.com/nvPX7bGUFA
— Pankaj Doval (@pankajdoval) March 5, 2021
"There is no dialogue with Tesla. With us, there is nothing," "We will do it on our own." – Tata Sons chairman N Chandrasekaran.$tsla
Hehe, told you all earlier.
— Tesla Club India® (@TeslaClubIN) March 5, 2021
While in conversation with TOI referring to the aggressive plans of Tata Motors and its British luxury unit Jaguar and Land Rover in the electric vehicle (EV) segment, Chandrasekaran told that they don’t have any communication with Tesla and there is nothing between us. He further added that under Tata Motors and JLR “good performance” has been done to connect those products, and no partnership is currently required.
It is notable to state here that Tata Motors said last year that it was looking for a tie-up in the PV space after setting up a new subsidiary in its segment.
Last month, there was a hush that American EV makers Tesla could choose Tata Motors to set up the growing domestic stock on their much-awaited exchanges in India. With that news floating Tata Motors’ shares also saw a rise due to the strong performance of the automaker’s car business in India.
On 15 January, Tata Motors Electric Mobility sparked speculation by discussing on social media over a Tesla tie-up through the lyrics of an old Hindi film song – Aaj kal tere mere pyar ke charche har zuban par, sab ko maalum hai aur sab ko khabar ho gayi!’. However, the tweet was immediately deleted as it began to go viral.
In October, Tesla chief executive Musk said that the EV manufacturer would enter the Indian market this year. “To be sure next year,” he said on Twitter while answering a question on Tesla’s coming to India plans.
Tesla has registered a company in Bangalore, showing a seriousness of them entering the Indian market possibly by mid-2021. According to regulatory filings, Vaibhav Taneja, Venkatarangam Shriram and David John Fenstein have been named as directors of Tesla’s India subsidiary.
Meanwhile, the market has given a good go ahead signal to Tata Motors’ electric version of the Nexon mini SUV and the automaker is planning more versions, including the Altrose hatchback. More importantly, talking about electrification of cars, the JLR will be fully electric by 2025. Chandrasekaran further mentioned that all electric vehicles of JLR will also be in India.