Prime Minister Narendra Modi met Tesla CEO and Twitter owner Elon Musk today as he began his landmark three-day state visit to the US. "I'm a fan of Modi," Musk told reporters after the meeting.
"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," Musk said. "I am incredibly excited about the future of India. I think India has more promise than any large country in the world."
The Prime Minister earlier met Musk in 2015 during a visit to Tesla Motors factory in California.
On being asked about a timeline on Tesla coming to India, Musk said, "I am confident Tesla will be in India and will do so as soon as humanly possible."
"PM Modi really cares about India because he is pushing us to make significant investment in India, which is something that we tend to do. We just have to figure out the right timing," the Twitter chief added. "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."
During an interview by The Wall Street Journal, Musk was asked if the automaker was interested in the Indian market. "Absolutely," he replied. He added that Tesla is likely to finalise a location to set up its India factory by the end of this year.
The Prime Minister is meeting nearly two dozen thought-leaders from various fields after landing in New York on Tuesday night. These leaders comprise Nobel laureates, economists, artists, scientists, scholars, entrepreneurs, academics and experts from the health sector.
Besides Musk, the Prime Minister also met author Robert Thurman and statistician Nicholas Nassim Taleb.
Also on the list are Indian-American singer Falu Shah, author and researcher Jeff Smith, former US trade representative Michael Froman, diplomat Daniel Russel and defence expert Elbridge Colby.
The Prime Minister left for the US on Tuesday morning for a prestigious State Visit, an honour reserved by Washington DC for the closest of allies. The highlights of the Prime Minister's itinerary include an address to a joint session of the US Congress, meetings with business leaders and Indian expats, and a state dinner at the White House with US President Joe Biden.
Trade and defence ties are high on the agenda of this landmark trip.