India’s richest state Maharashtra has invited U.S. electric-car maker Tesla Inc, weeks after its Chief Executive Officer Elon Musk suggested entering the country next year. In a tweet on Thursday, state tourism and environment minister Aaditya Thackeray said he and industries minister Subhash Desai held a video call with Tesla executives earlier in the day to invite them to the state.
This evening I had the opportunity to participate in a video call by Industries Minister @Subhash_Desai ji with @Tesla team to invite them to Maharashtra. I was present not because of just the investment but my firm belief in electric mobility & sustainability @elonmusk
— Aaditya Thackeray (@AUThackeray) October 22, 2020
We are firmly committed to policy building and changes for sustainable development and I personally believe that electric mobility, supported by renewable energy is the way ahead. Let’s hope we can help this thought become mainstream soon
— Aaditya Thackeray (@AUThackeray) October 22, 2020
Earlier this month, Musk said “Next year for sure” on Twitter in reply to a post with a photograph of a T-shirt with the message: “India wants Tesla”.
Also Read: ‘Tesla to Enter India Next Year,’ says CEO Elon Musk for Third Year in a Row
Tesla’s entry into Asia’s third-largest economy could come at a time when Prime Minister Narendra Modi is increasingly focusing to promote the use of electric vehicles.
Recently, Tesla had announced the price cut for its Model S “Long Range” sedan by 4% in the United States, days after the electric-car maker reported record quarterly deliveries.
The company cut the price to $71,990 from $74,990 in the United States. It also trimmed the starting price of Model S by 3% in China. Earlier this month, the carmaker cut the starting price of its Chinese-made Model 3 sedans by about 8% to 249,900 yuan ($36,805).
Tesla said it delivered 139,300 vehicles in the third quarter, a record for the company, yet shares fell as some analysts doubted if Tesla could hit its ambitious year-end target. Shares of the automaker, which have surged this year, were up nearly 1% at $445.25 in premarket trading.
Tesla CEO Elon Musk has also revealed that the company will launch its next-gen Full Self Driving (FSD) set of features to a limited number of expert and careful drivers on October 20. “Limited FSD beta releasing on Tuesday next week, as promised. This will, at first, be limited to a small number of people who are expert and careful drivers,” Musk said in a tweet on Monday.
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The FSD add-on currently costs $8,000 but Musk has indicated that the price will rise further as new features are enabled. Musk has been talking about FSD a lot in the past couple of years, calling it an investment in the future that will become far more valuable once fully autonomous cars get regulatory approval.
Tesla also rolled out the 2019.40.2 version of its software to some electric vehicle owners and this update includes features like Adjacent Lane Speed Adjustments and Stop Sign Detection that are required for FSD.
Sourse: www.news18.com
