Tesla, the prominent electric vehicle manufacturer, has seen a significant shift in its operations in India with the resignation of Prashanth Menon, the country head. This development comes as the company gears up for its long-awaited entrance into the Indian automotive market, as reported by Bloomberg News citing insiders.
Menon, who has dedicated nearly nine years to the company led by Elon Musk, has held the position of chairman of Tesla India Motors and Energy Pvt. for more than four years. His contributions have been critical in establishing local operations, notably the opening of Tesla’s Pune office in 2021 and the securing of leases for the brand’s inaugural showrooms located in Mumbai and Delhi.
According to sources from Bloomberg, who have chosen to remain unnamed due to the sensitive nature of the information, Menon’s decision to leave is attributed to personal reasons. In light of this, Tesla has yet to announce a successor, and the management of Indian operations will temporarily shift to its team based in China.
Despite the leadership change, Tesla remains committed to progressing with its planned launch in India. Recently, the company has obtained retail leases and ramped up local hiring efforts. Key decisions regarding the rollout in India will be made by Tesla’s high-level executives, with Musk playing a central role in crafting international strategies.
A clear indication of Tesla’s intention to refine its plans for India came last month when the local office started issuing refunds to customers who had made early reservations for the Model 3 dating back to 2016.
Tesla has not yet provided an immediate comment in response to a request from Reuters.