India's auto sector at crossroads: Adapting to EVs and global competition

The auto-component sector must also be given time to evolve, through the creation of alternative ecosystems

The Bharat Mobility Global Expo, being held in several locations in the National Capital Region, provides an opportune moment to consider the state of the automobile-manufacturing ecosystem in India. It is worth remembering that this was, till recently, one of the few sub-sectors of manufacturing where India had demonstrated competence. In particular, the automotive-component business had managed to reach a level of proficiency that was reflected in healthy export earnings and sustained relationships with global original equipment manufacturers (OEMs). India also had large private-sector companies in the OEM space that were able to incubate research and development and open up