Tesla is receiving support from Indian Union Road Transport Minister Nitin Gadkari, who stated that the automaker should have a reduced import duty rate to test demand for its vehicles.
Following news that the company started lining up supplier deals that will give the company the ability to manufacture and sell its cars in India for the first time in the automaker’s eighteen-year history, Tesla is moving closer to having the authorization to import cars into the country. Tesla is reportedly already in talks with several companies that would supply various car parts In India domestically. Tesla is looking to lock up electrical and mechanical components and various car parts, such as windshields, differential brakes, gears, power seats, and instrument panels.
Indian media outlet Economic Times listed Sona Comstar Ltd., Sandhar Technologies Ltd., and Bharat Forge Ltd. as suppliers already in talks with Tesla to sell automotive parts.
Now, Tesla is receiving support from Nitin Gadkari. Gadkari is pushing for reduced import duties so that Tesla can test the demand for its vehicles, an idea the company proposed within the last few months.
“If they have to manufacture here, they need the numbers, and no one can test the market when you impose such high import duty on the vehicles,” Gadkari said to India’s Economic Times.
The company has yet to make an official statement regarding its potential as a domestic automaker in India, but CEO Elon Musk has suggested the possibility for several years. Most recently, Musk hinted that Tesla would be willing to establish a permanent base in India if it could test demand through imports. Indian government officials were not keen on the idea as they favored local manufacturers for economic reasons. However, talks are beginning to move forward, and Tesla looks to be just months away from testing its sales power if all goes according to plan.
Initially, Tesla lobbied to have Indian officials lower import taxes, which apply to every vehicle not produced in the country. Cars below $40,000 are subject to a 40% tax, while any vehicle more expensive than that has a 100% tax applied to it. This makes a significant number of vehicles widely unaffordable for citizens.
Musk, who was unwilling to commit to building a Gigafactory in India until sales figures proved that demand was sustainable, said the only way Tesla would build a manufacturing site in the country was to test sales through imports. Politicians rebutted with the argument that it could not provide “company-specific” incentives to avoid import taxes, although Tesla lobbied for all EV makers to qualify for the reductions. Indian government officials then stated that the only way Tesla could have reduced imports was if it committed to building a Gigafactory in the region, which ultimately put the situation at a brief standstill.
Government officials then backtracked just a week later, considering the advantages that could come from allowing imports with reduced duties for EVs only. Other automakers, like Volkswagen, supported the idea, but no official statement has been issued by any Indian official or by Tesla regarding the progress of the negotiations.
Tesla India: Gov’t officials ponder sizable import duty reductions for EVs
With suppliers evidently in talks with Tesla, along with several vehicles being spotted testing in the country and now support from Transport Minister Gadkari, the automaker may be just months away from importing vehicles for sales.
What do you think? Let us know in the comments below, or be sure to email me at joey@teslarati.com or on Twitter @KlenderJoey.
Elon Musk
Elon Musk’s Boring Company selected for Universal Orlando tunnel project
The underground transport tunnel is designed to address the persistent gridlock surrounding International Drive.
Elon Musk’s The Boring Company has been selected for a proposed underground transit system connecting Universal Orlando Resort and the newly opened Universal Epic Universe.
The underground transport tunnel is designed to address the persistent gridlock surrounding International Drive.
As noted in a blooloop report, Universal’s Shingle Creek Transit and Utility Community Development District approved a resolution showing its intent to designate The Boring Company as the contractor for the project.
The agreement covers the full scope of the project, from the tunnel’s design, construction, and maintenance. The project has also been described in public documents as a “point-to-point innovative transportation” initiative with a 25-year agreement.
The proposed Boring Company tunnels would directly link Universal’s existing parks with Epic Universe, which sits roughly three miles away from Universal Orlando Resort. Today, buses are the only direct connection between the two destinations.
Project requirements were quite stringent. Bidders were required to demonstrate at least $75 million in bonding capacity, have a minimum of seven years of operational experience, and show prior delivery of a comparable project valued at $25 million or more within the past 15 years. The Boring Company, thanks in no small part to the Vegas Loop, meets these requirements.
The Orlando selection adds to The Boring Company’s growing portfolio of Loop-style systems. In Las Vegas, the Las Vegas Convention Center Loop has transported more than two million passengers in Tesla vehicles through underground tunnels since 2021. The greater Vegas Loop system is also under construction.
For now, residents in the area seem enthusiastic about the upcoming project. In a comment to Fox35, residents noted that the tunnels could improve traffic in the area.
“We are very congested at certain times and certain hours and that would certainly help with people not having to budget their time,” Mary Walters-Clark, a resident, stated. Another resident, Scott Heinz, echoed similar sentiments. “I think it would be a new opportunity to lessen traffic load and good for visitors as well,” he said.
The tunneling startup has started bringing its Loop projects to international locations. It recently signed a memorandum of understanding with Dubai’s Roads and Transport Authority to explore the development of a 17-kilometer underground Loop network beneath Dubai.
Elon Musk
Elon Musk tops Forbes’ list of America’s 250 greatest innovators
The ranking places Musk at the top of modern American innovation.
Elon Musk has been ranked No. 1 on Forbes’ inaugural list of America’s 250 Greatest Innovators. The ranking places Musk at the top of modern American innovation as the publication kicks off a series celebrating the nation’s 250th anniversary.
Forbes described innovation as “the grease in the economic engine” and the force that transforms industries and creates new ones. The publication highlighted that its honorees are not just inventors, but business leaders who successfully bring breakthroughs to market.
Musk, 54, was ranked No. 1 in this year’s list. Forbes noted that he is “the only person in history to have founded (or grown from nearly nothing) five companies, each with multibillion-dollar valuations, each in a different industry.” Those companies include Tesla, SpaceX, Neuralink, xAI, and The Boring Company.
Forbes’ methodology began with nearly 1,000 nominees submitted by its reporters. A panel of judges, including venture capitalist Jim Breyer, journalist Kara Swisher, and strategy expert Rita McGrath, ranked candidates based on creativity, breadth, engagement, disruption, and commercial impact. Artificial intelligence tools, including ChatGPT and Gemini, were also used to assess candidates before editors finalized the rankings.
The publication noted that more than one-third of the list consists of women and people of color, reflecting shifts in innovation and entrepreneurship over time. All individuals listed are also American citizens, though many were born abroad, including Musk himself. Musk was born in Pretoria, South Africa.
Ranked No. 2 is Jeff Bezos, 61, who Forbes credited with upending America’s $7.4 trillion retail industry through Amazon before pioneering cloud computing with Amazon Web Services. The publication highlighted that Bezos now focuses on space exploration through Blue Origin and artificial intelligence manufacturing systems at Prometheus.
At No. 3 is Bill Gates, 70, who helped launch the personal computing revolution and built Microsoft into the dominant force in workplace software. Forbes also highlighted Gates’ reinvention at age 50 as a data-driven philanthropist, including his role in helping eradicate polio from India.
Elon Musk
Tesla Model Y tops California vehicle sales despite Elon Musk backlash
Data from the California New Car Dealers Association (CNCDA) showed the Model Y outsold its nearest competitor by more than 50,000 units.
The Tesla Model Y was California’s best-selling new vehicle in 2025 for the fourth straight year, despite protests against CEO Elon Musk and a changeover to the Model Y’s updated variant that caused a pause in production and deliveries early in the year.
Data from the California New Car Dealers Association (CNCDA) showed the Model Y outsold its nearest competitor by more than 50,000 units, according to KRON4.
The Model Y recorded 110,120 registrations in California in 2025. The second-best-selling vehicle, the Toyota RAV4, posted 65,604 units, followed by the Toyota Camry at 62,324. The Tesla Model 3 ranked fourth with 53,989 sales, ahead of the Honda Civic at 53,085 units.
Despite leading the state, Model Y sales have trended downward year-over-year. Registrations fell from 132,636 in 2023 to 128,923 in 2024, and then to 110,120 in 2025. Overall Tesla sales in California also declined, dropping from 238,589 in 2023 to 202,865 in 2024 and 179,656 in 2025.
The slowdown comes as the federal $7,500 EV tax credit ended, removing a key incentive that had supported electric vehicle demand for years.
“Tesla has a few advantages. Tesla, as a brand, has a status, cache, so I think folks in certain parts of the Bay. Owning a Tesla is a thing. I think that’s breaking down over time, especially given the political controversies surrounding Mr. Musk,” CNCDA President Brian Maas said.
California saw multiple anti-Musk protests in 2025, along with notable reports of consumer-owned Teslas being vandalized and attacked by protesters and activists. The fact that the Model Y and Model 3 remained strong performers in California is then a testament to the quality and value of the two vehicles.
Tesla’s sales of the Model Y and Model 3 might see an increase this year, as the company has announced that it is sunsetting its two more expensive cars, the Model S and Model X. With the Model S and Model X retired, more consumers will likely go for the Model Y and Model 3.
“Maybe the Model S has outlived its usefulness in terms of attracting customers. It’s no surprise the ones they kept are the Model Y and Model 3,” Maas noted.
Elon Musk’s Boring Company selected for Universal Orlando tunnel project
Elon Musk tops Forbes’ list of America’s 250 greatest innovators
