Tesla India head Prashanth Menon steps down ahead of India entry: Report

Prashanth Menon, Tesla’s country head for India, has stepped down just as the electric vehicle giant moves forward with its long-anticipated entry into the Indian market, according to a report by Bloomberg News, citing people familiar with the matter.

Menon, a nearly nine-year veteran at the Elon Musk-led company, has served as the chairman of Tesla India Motors and Energy Pvt. for over four years. During that time, he played a pivotal role in establishing the company’s local operations, including setting up its Pune office in 2021 and helping secure leases for Tesla’s first showrooms in Mumbai and Delhi.

As per Bloomberg’s sources, who requested anonymity due to the private nature of the information, Menon is leaving for personal reasons. Tesla has not named an immediate successor, and operations in India will now fall under the purview of its China-based team.

Despite Menon’s departure, Tesla is continuing to lay the groundwork for its India launch. In recent months, the company has secured retail leases and increased local hiring. Final decisions about the India rollout are expected to come from Tesla’s top leadership, with Musk closely involved in setting international strategy.

In a sign of resetting its India plans, Tesla’s local office began offering refunds last month to customers who had placed early reservations for the Model 3 as far back as 2016.

Tesla did not immediately respond to a Reuters request for comment.