An Indian minister from the state of Andhra Pradesh has met with one of Tesla’s top executives at the company’s Gigafactory Texas, following years of attempts to court the U.S. automaker to build a manufacturing facility in the country.
On Monday, Nara Lokesh, the Minister of Human Resources Development for Andhra Pradesh, announced in a post on X that he met with Tesla CFO Vaibhav Taneja to discuss building an electric vehicle (EV) manufacturing facility in the state. Lokesh said he let Taneja know of the Anantapur district as a good option, noting that the state is aiming to reach a target of achieving 72GW of renewable energy production by 2029.
Check out the full post from Lokesh below, as translated into English:
I visited the Tesla headquarters in Austin. I explained to Tesla CFO Vaibhav Taneja the possibilities and advantages of investing in Andhra Pradesh in the field of manufacturing electric vehicles internationally. Under the leadership of visionary leader Chandrababu, we have aimed to achieve 72 gigawatts of renewable energy production in AP by 2029, and we have sought the help and support of top global companies like Tesla to achieve our goal. I informed that Anantapur district of Andhra Pradesh will be a strategic location for setting up of Tesla EV manufacturing and battery product units.
Tesla’s history of rumored EV sales, manufacturing in India
Rumors of Tesla’s entry into India—both regarding the company’s eventual launch of EV sales in the country and whispers of a potential manufacturing facility—have circulated widely for years, but so far it doesn’t seem like there are any concrete plans to follow up on these hopes.
Since at least 2021, Tesla has attempted to garner reduced import duties on its EVs, effectively allowing it to sell its vehicles in the country at the highest profit margin possible. Elon Musk later went on to say that it would be “quite likely” that Tesla could build a factory in India, once the company is able to succeed with imported vehicles.
Rumors of Tesla launching EV sales in India and those of a Gigafactory in the country haven’t slowed down in the many months between then and now, though talks on the subject seem to have largely halted throughout this year.
More recently, Musk was expected to visit India in April, though he later delayed the visit citing heavy obligations with Tesla at the time. Just days later, Musk went on to visit China, eliciting some negative reactions from government officials in the country.
“Such is the lack of faith in the Modi govt’s regulatory policies, that big businesses are turning to China over India repeatedly,” wrote Shama Mohamed, the national spokesperson for Modi’s opposition Congress party.
The visit hasn’t been rescheduled as of yet at this point, and it’s not clear if or when it will be. In June, however, Musk tagged India Prime Minister Narendra Modi in a post, saying that he was “looking forward to [his] companies doing exciting work in India.”
Previous reports from local outlets this year suggested that three other states were frontrunners for a potential facility, though no apparent motion has been made on Tesla’s EVs getting import taxes lowered, allowing it to start sales in the state. Interestingly, the three states did not include Andhra Pradesh.
In any case, it’s unlikely that we’ll see any tangible news on the subject until the two parties can come to an agreement on Tesla imports, as Musk has previously stated, so it’s probably not time for those in the country to get their hopes up just yet.
Tesla keen on three states for India expansion — if it ever happens
What are your thoughts? Let me know at zach@teslarati.com, find me on X at @zacharyvisconti, or send us tips at tips@teslarati.com.
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Tesla adjusts Robotaxi safety monitor strategy in Austin with new service area
The positioning of the driver, as well as the driver’s hands being closer to the steering wheel, is more similar to what Tesla is doing in the Bay Area Robotaxi program than it is to what it has done in Austin.
Tesla has adjusted its Robotaxi safety monitor strategy in Austin after it expanded its service area in the city last week for the third time.
Tesla has been operating its Robotaxi platform in Austin since June 22. The vehicles have been operated without a driver, but Tesla has placed safety monitors in the passenger’s seat as a precaution.
The safety monitors are responsible for performing any necessary interventions and maintaining a safe and comfortable cabin for riders as they experience Tesla’s first venture into the driverless ride-sharing space.
Last week, Tesla expanded its service area in Austin for the third time, expanding it from about 90 square miles to 170 square miles. The expansion included new territory, including the Austin-Bergstrom International Airport, Tesla’s Gigafactory Texas, and several freeways.
Tesla Robotaxi geofence expansion enters Plaid Mode and includes a surprise
The freeway is an area that is uncharted territory for the Tesla Robotaxi program, and this fact alone encouraged Tesla to switch up its safety monitor positioning for the time being.
For now, they will be riding in the driver’s seat when routes require freeway travel:
Sept 1 in Austin and our Robotaxi arrived with Tesla safety driver in the driver seat, similar to the Bay area (no logo on the car). Here’s that first moment when I realized, our autonomous car was heading onto the freeway. pic.twitter.com/1QfyN2Ubzf
— Gail 🇺🇸 (@gailalfaratx) September 2, 2025
The positioning of the driver, as well as the driver’s hands being closer to the steering wheel, is more similar to what Tesla is doing in the Bay Area Robotaxi program than it is to what it has done in Austin.
This is sure to draw criticism from skeptics, but it is simply a step to keep things controlled and safe while the first Robotaxi drives take passengers on the highway with this version of the Full Self-Driving software.
This FSD version differs from the one that customers have in their own vehicles, but CEO Elon Musk has indicated something big is coming soon. FSD v14 is coming to vehicles in the near future, and Musk has said its performance is pretty incredible.
Tesla’s Elon Musk shares optimistic teaser about FSD V14: “Feels sentient”
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Tesla has best month ever in Turkey with drastic spike in sales
Tesla managed to sell 8,730 Model Y vehicles in Turkey, outpacing almost every competitor by a substantial margin. Only one brand sold better than Tesla in August in Turkey, and it was Renault.
Tesla had its best monthly performance ever in Turkey in August, thanks to a drastic spike in sales.
Tesla saw an 86 percent bump in sales of the new Model Y in Turkey in August compared to July, dominating the market.
The performance was one of Tesla’s best in the market, and the company’s sales for the month accounted for half of all EV sales in Turkey for August, as it dominated and led BYD, which was the second-best-selling brand with just 1,639 units sold.
Tesla managed to sell 8,730 Model Y vehicles in Turkey, outpacing almost every competitor by a substantial margin. Only one brand sold better than Tesla in August in Turkey, and it was Renault.
Turkey reported 8,730 Tesla sales and 10.6% market share in August. BEV penetration is 21.3% and Tesla has 49.9% of this segment. 🇹🇷
• Market share is 558 basis points or 111% above the 3-month trailing average of 5.0%
• Tesla second best-selling brand
• Model Y best-selling… pic.twitter.com/qLhX7VQWXp— Roland Pircher (@piloly) September 2, 2025
Electric vehicles are, in some ways, more desirable than their gas counterparts in Turkey for several reasons. Most of the reasoning is financial.
First, EVs are subject to a lower Special Consumption Tax in Turkey. EVs can range from 25 percent to up to 170 percent, but this is less than the 70 to 220 percent rate that gas-powered vehicles can face. The tax is dependent on engine size.
Additionally, EVs are exempt from the annual Motor Vehicle Tax for the first ten years, providing consumers with a long-term ownership advantage. There are also credits that can amount to $30,000 in breaks, which makes them more accessible and brings down the cost of ownership.
Let’s not forget the other advantages that are felt regardless of country: cheaper fuel costs, reduced maintenance, and improved performance.
The base Model Y is the only configuration available in Turkey currently.
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Tesla is upgrading airbag safety through a crazy software update
“This upgrade builds upon your vehicle’s superior crash protection by now using Tesla Vision to help offer some of the most cutting-edge airbag performance in the event of a frontal crash.”
Tesla is upgrading airbag safety through a crazy software update, which will utilize the company’s vision-first approach to enable better protection in the event of an accident.
Over the years, Tesla has gained an incredible reputation for prioritizing safety in its vehicles, with crash test ratings at the forefront of its engineers’ minds.
This has led to Tesla gaining numerous five-star safety ratings and awards related to safety. It is not just a statistical thing, either. In the real world, we’ve seen Teslas demonstrate some impressive examples of crash safety.
Everything from that glass roof not caving in when a tree falls on it to a Model Y surviving a drive off a cliff has been recorded.
However, Tesla is always looking to improve safety, and unlike most companies, it does not need a physical hardware update to do so. It can enhance features such as crash response and airbag performance through Over-the-Air software updates, which download automatically to the vehicle.
In Tesla’s 2025.32 Software Update, the company is rolling out a Frontal Airbag System Enhancement, which aims to use Tesla Vision, the company’s camera-based approach to self-driving, to keep occupants safe.
The release notes state (via NotaTeslaApp):
“This upgrade builds upon your vehicle’s superior crash protection by now using Tesla Vision to help offer some of the most cutting-edge airbag performance in the event of a frontal crash. Building on top of regulatory and industry crash testing, this release enables front airbags to begin to inflate and restrain occupants earlier, in a way that only Tesla’s integrated systems are capable of doing, making your car safer over time.”
The use of cameras to predict a better time to restrain occupants with seatbelts and inflate airbags prior to a collision is a fantastic way to prevent injuries and limit harm done to those in the vehicle.
The feature is currently limited to the Model Y.
Tesla adjusts Robotaxi safety monitor strategy in Austin with new service area
Tesla has best month ever in Turkey with drastic spike in sales
Tesla is upgrading airbag safety through a crazy software update
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