India poised to become global auto hub

New Delhi India is poised to emerge as a global automobile manufacturing hub as international carmakers increasingly expand production in the country, Union Commerce and Industry Minister Piyush Goyal said on Monday. Addressing the ‘Dilli Dialogue: Policies for a Future-Ready India’, Goyal said rising domestic demand, an expanding manufacturing ecosystem and the country's economic ambitions under the Viksit Bharat 2047 vision would strengthen India's position as a key global production base for the automobile industry. The minister said India was pursuing a twin-track strategy of adopting advanced global technologies while identifying sectors capable of generating employment, encouraging entrepreneurship and supporting business growth. “We want to be a part of the global marketplace. Providing opportunities for people, providing opportunities for jobs, for our startups, for our youth to come up with newer ideas,” Goyal said. Highlighting India's trade policy, he said the country was expanding access to international markets through free trade agreements (FTAs). These agreements, he added, could create opportunities for Indian businesses in textiles, footwear, agriculture and food processing, while improving access to advanced technologies and high-quality products from developed economies. Goyal said India was not isolating itself from global markets but opening its doors wider to international partnerships and investments. He expressed confidence that the country could achieve its trillion-dollar export target while working towards becoming a developed nation by 2047. The minister said a detailed roadmap had been prepared to identify sectors that could drive economic growth over the coming decades. With a population of 1.4 billion, India offers substantial opportunities for domestic manufacturers and international investors. Rising demand for electronics and white goods could encourage further investments in manufacturing and semiconductor facilities. In the automobile sector, Goyal said global manufacturers would increasingly consider India as a production base as domestic demand reaches the scale required to support expanded manufacturing.