Musk says Tesla to come to India 'as soon as possible

Tesla CEO Elon Musk has said the electric carmaker will be in India "as soon as humanly possible".

His comments followed a meeting with Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who is on a state visit to the US.

The Indian government said it had invited Musk to explore investment opportunities in electric mobility and the commercial space sector.

Musk said he was "trying to figure out the right timing" to make that happen.

Mr Musk also called himself a "fan of Mr Modi" and said that India had "more promise than any large country in the world".

"He [Mr Modi] really cares about India because he's pushing us to make significant investments in India, which is something we intend to do. We are just trying to figure out the right timing," he told reporters. "I am confident that Tesla will be in India and will do so as soon as humanly possible."

The company's original plans to open base in India were shelved last year after the Indian government insisted Tesla to make cars locally, while the carmaker said it wanted to export to India first so that it could test demand.

Musk said that he also hoped also bring Starlink satellite internet service, operated by his company SpaceX, to India.

"We do not want to jump the gun on an announcement but I think it is quite likely that it will be a significant investment in our relationship with India," he told reporters.