Japanese Pioneer plans to scale up biz with Indian automakers for future

Japanese car audio and entertainment system maker Pioneer on Tuesday said it is eyeing partnerships with automakers in India as part of its future growth strategy.

The company globally works with various automakers as a supplier of automotive items like infotainment systems, speakers etc.

In India, however, the company's focus till date has been primarily on the aftermarket business.

"In India, honestly, so far in the last 16 years, the focus was never on the OEM side, and which I would say, is a major shift.

"So, going forward, one of the main growth agendas is going to be getting established in the OEM (original equipment maker) world," Pioneer India MD Aniket Kulkarni told PTI in an interaction.

The partnerships with automakers is going to be one of the focus areas going forward, because in terms of growth, it has huge potential, Kulkarni stated.

He noted that the company is already in talks with various automakers but declined to share details.

"So, there are very active programme discussions, which are happening, be it on the camera side, on the infotainment of the amplifier solutions. And I think soon, we will see products going live in the market," he stated.

Elaborating on plans to enhance localisation, Kulkarni said it plans to stitch partnerships with local contract manufacturers for production.

"In the first phase, we will try and partner with established players in every product category, say for dash cams, or for infotainment or speakers," he noted.

The company is yet to reach a level where it is feasible to set up a manufacturing plant, he added.

It, currently, imports most of its products sold in the aftermarket from Thailand and Vietnam.

Pioneer India, a unit of Japan's Pioneer Corporation, on Tuesday introduced four models of dash cameras.

"The dashboard camera market in India is expected to grow at an exponential rate of 15-16 per cent from 2024 to 2030. Our new smart dash camera portfolio is aimed at capturing a significant share of this growth," Kulkarni said.