Anand Mahindra issues statement on how he will compete with Elon Musk's Tesla in India: 'We have been asked similar...'

Indian business leader Anand Mahindra has shared his views on how Mahindra & Mahindra Ltd. plans to handle competition if Elon Musk’s Tesla enters the Indian market. Tesla, the global electric vehicle (EV) giant, recently posted 13 job openings in India on LinkedIn. This move hints at the company’s plans to establish a presence in the country. The announcement came shortly after Prime Minister Narendra Modi met Musk in the US last week.

Following this news, a social media user, Girish Arora, asked Mahindra how he would compete with Tesla. Mahindra, whose company recently launched two new EVs—BE 6 and XEV 9e—responded confidently.

“We have been asked similar questions ever since the opening up of the Indian economy in 1991,” Mahindra wrote on X. He referred to past doubts about Mahindra’s ability to compete with companies like Tata, Maruti, and multinational corporations.

We have been asked similar questions ever since the opening up of the Indian economy in 1991.

How will you compete against:
Tata
Maruti
All MNCs ?

But we’re still around.

And working like maniacs to still be around & relevant even a century from now.

With you cheering us… https://t.co/6F5xx7tnDC

— anand mahindra (@anandmahindra) February 18, 2025

“But we’re still around,” he added. “And working like maniacs to still be around & relevant even a century from now.” He ended on an optimistic note, saying, “With you cheering us on, we will make that happen…”

Meanwhile, Tesla is looking for candidates for roles like ‘Tesla Advisor,’ ‘Inside Sales Advisor,’ ‘Service Manager,’ and more. Many of these positions are based in Mumbai and Delhi.

Tesla recently reported its first decline in annual sales in a decade in 2023. Entering the Indian EV market, which is still growing, could help the company regain momentum. However, with strong local players like Mahindra already in the race, competition in India’s EV sector is set to heat up.