Elon Musk postpones India trip due to ‘very heavy obligations’ at Tesla

The planned visit would have included a meeting with Prime Minister Modi and the announcement of plans for Tesla to enter the Indian market

Musk said he is very much looking forward to travelling to the country later this year

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Tesla CEO Elon Musk and his son visit the company’s gigafactory in Germany on March 13. Photo: Reuters

Published: 2:48pm, 20 Apr 2024Updated: 2:54pm, 20 Apr 2024

Elon Musk postponed a planned trip to India where he was to meet Prime Minister Narendra Modi, citing obligations at his Tesla carmaker and saying he aimed to reschedule the visit for later this year.

“Unfortunately, very heavy Tesla obligations require that the visit to India be delayed, but I do very much look forward to visiting later this year,” Musk posted on his X social media platform.

Reuters reported the postponement on Saturday, citing four people familiar with the matter. The trip was to have included the announcement of plans for the electric vehicle (EV) maker to enter the South Asian market.

The CEO and the prime minister are both at critical junctures.

Tesla could have used the India announcement to try to reassure investors after months of share-price declines and the news on April 15 that it would lay off more than 10 per cent of its global workforce.

Musk is expected to face tough questions from analysts when Tesla announces quarterly results on Tuesday about falling sales, rising competition from Chinese EV makers and the fate of key future Tesla products.