Elon Musk expressed gratitude to minister Piyush Goyal for visiting Tesla

Earlier in the day, Piyush Goyal posted on social media platform X, sharing details about his visit to Tesla's state-of-the-art manufacturing facility in Fremont, California. During his visit, Goyal interacted with Indian professionals and engineers.

"Visited Tesla's state-of-the-art manufacturing facility at Fremont, California. Extremely delighted to see talented Indian engineers and finance professionals working at senior positions and contributing to Tesla's remarkable journey to transform mobility," he said.

Goyal also said he was proud to see the growing importance of Indian auto component suppliers in Tesla's electric vehicle supply chain. He added that the company is on track to double component imports from India.

The minister, however, was unable to meet with Tesla CEO Elon Musk because he was unwell and unable to travel to California. "I have missed Mr. Elon Musk's magnetic presence and wish him a speedy recovery," Goyal wrote.

Musk, in response to Goyal's post on X (formerly Twitter), said, "It was an honor to have you visit Tesla! My apologies for not being able to travel to California today, but I look forward to meeting at a future date."

Goyal's visit marks a significant development amid reports that India is considering customs duty concessions for the local Tesla plant. In September, Union Commerce Minister Piyush Goyal mentioned Tesla's goal of sourcing around $1.9 billion in components from India this year, up from $1 billion in 2022. It's worth noting that Tesla is actively exploring establishing a factory in India, with plans to manufacture a $24,000 car there.