The American electric vehicle manufacturer will start with sales operations, then could analyze assembly and production activities, depending on the evolution of deliveries, the Indian official explained.
Representatives of Tesla and the Indian Ministry of Transport could not be contacted by Reuters for comments.
On Sunday, the Indian publication Economic Times announced that the first model launched in the Asian state will be Model 3, the cheapest of Tesla vehicles, with prices starting at over $ 74,739. Bookings will begin in January, the Economic Times said.
Tesla CEO Elon Musk also said in October that the American electric vehicle maker could enter the Indian market next year.
“Definitely next year,” Musk wrote on Twitter, in response to a post with a photo of a T-shirt with the message, “India wants Tesla.”
“Thank you for waiting for us,” the Tesla chief said.
Tesla’s entry could come at a time when Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi is promoting the use and production of electric vehicles.
India’s auto sector, already hit by a slowdown in demand last year, has also been hit by the effects of the coronavirus pandemic (Covid-19), and carmakers are seeking government support to boost sales.
SpaceX has successfully launched a Falcon 9 rocket, with a spy satellite destined for the US National Reconnaissance Office at Cape Canaveral (Florida), in its last mission in 2020, reports EFE.
The so-called NROL-108 mission was suspended on Thursday due to a technical failure.
The launch of the mysterious satellite finally took place on Saturday, from the 93A launch pad at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center.
Eight minutes later, the first floor of the Falcon 9 rocket returned to the earth’s surface and landed smoothly in Zone 1 of the space complex, while the second floor continued its mission. The company of the tycoon Elon Musk stated on this occasion that “all systems worked well“.
The first attempt to launch the satellite took place on Thursday morning. However, the launch was automatically interrupted when the sensors detected a high pressure inside the liquid oxygen tanks at the top of the rocket. The original plan was to try to launch on Friday, but it was postponed again.
The National Reconnaissance Office (NRO) is an agency of the Department of Defense, and their projects are kept secret by the United States. The spy satellite is now known by the codename “Gorilla”. However, it is not known what role the satellite aboard the rocket plays.
The US government did not provide any clues as to its purpose. According to a post on Twitter, it was found that the code name of the mission is “NROL-108” and is conducted under the slogan Peace Through Strength.
With less than two weeks left until 2020, the event marks the 26th launch for SpaceX, in a challenging year. It is also the last launch in 2020 for Elon Musk’s company.
