I'm a fan of Modi, plan to visit India next year: Elon Musk

New York, June 21

Tesla and SpaceX CEO Elon Musk met Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who is in the US on a three-day state visit, and said that he is a fan of Modi and plans to visit the country next year.

Musk, who is yet to bring his electric car-maker Tesla to India, said the country is great for solar energy investment.

"I am a fan of Modi. India is great for solar energy investment. We are also hoping to bring Starlink internet to India," the outgoing Twitter CEO told reporters here late on Tuesday.

"I am incredibly excited about the future of India. I think India has more promise than any large country in the world," he added.

Asked if Tesla will enter the Indian market, Musk said, "I am confident that Tesla will be in India and will do so as soon as humanly possible."

"I would like to thank the Prime Minister for his support and hopefully we will be able to announce something in the not so distant future," Musk noted.

In April this year, Musk started following on Twitter.

Musk and India have been in talks for years, but disagreements over a local factory and the country's import duties of as much as 100 per cent have led to an impasse.

The government has asked the EV maker to ramp up local procurement and share detailed manufacturing plans while Musk has demanded lower taxes so that Tesla can start-off by selling imported vehicles at a cheaper price in a budget-conscious market.

Musk further said that Modi really cares about India because he is pushing us to make significant investments in India, which is something that we tend to do.

"We just have to figure out the right timing. It was a fantastic meeting with the Prime Minister and I like him quite a lot. He visited our factory a few years ago. So, we have known each other for a while," he told reporters.

"He really wants to do the right thing for India. He wants to be open, he wants to be supportive to the companies. And obviously, at the same time, make sure that it accrues to India's advantage," Musk added.