NEW DELHI,22.07.21-“Government is working on creating an enabling environment for the auto industry for strong & wider ecosystem,” said Mr Sudhendu J Sinha, Advisor - (Infrastructure Connectivity – Transport and Electric Mobility, NITI Aayog, Govt of India at CII NextGen Auto Summit held today. He mentioned that technology, collaboration, resilience, start-ups can help in building sustainable automobile sector. He said that Government stands by automobile sector and always look forward to listen to industry, seek industry suggestion and identifying policy gaps. State Govt’s are inspirational these days as they have realized that automobile mobility is an opportunity to attract investment, providing employment and increasing the prosperity of the state highlighted by Mr Sinha.

Mr Deepak Jain, Chairman - Regional Committee on Advanced Manufacturing, CII (NR) and CMD, Lumax Industries Ltd in his address said that Invest in R&D, Technology and Quality upgradation which are the foremost factors as we march towards Self Reliant Auto Sector. He added that low investment in research and development, and technology by the private sector are the factor as a disabler of becoming self-reliant. We should give priority and encourage ourselves to make self-reliant on R&D. Our aim should be to develop India as a global manufacturing centre and a Research and Development (R&D) hub. He further added. A robust national-level ecosystem needs to be created to engage with big global customers said Mr Jain. He opined that in addition to reducing inefficiencies, automakers should under­take a thorough review of their product portfolios to make them more customer-centric and this strategy will help companies build the robustness and resilience needed to respond to unpredictable external challenges.

In his Keynote Address, Mr Rajeev Chaba, President & Managing Director, MG Motor India said that increasing urbanization and the growth of cities are key to growth in mobility. He also said that Global trends – environmentalist, activitist and regulators are pushing certain agenda for the humankind which is leading to sustainable supply chain & sustainability mobility solutions. It’s time to bet on young talent and enabling the youth to upskill, reskill or to learn a new skill. The current changes have already fuelled collaborations and partnerships to develop robust ecosystem added by Mr Chaba.

Speaking at the Conclave, Mr Ajoy Behari Lall, Vice President – Manufacturing, Commercial Vehicle Business Unit, Tata Motors Ltd said that our OEMs are comparable to anywhere in the world, 21st century would require the auto-components industry to also embrace professional practices and set up world class size, scale to produce to the exacting quality standards. He apprised that Govt of India has always identified and supported the industry given its vast influence on the economy - its potential for creating jobs, for earning vital foreign exchange and for building Brand India across the globe through quality products and components. Auto components is the backbone of the industry on which the entire supply chain efficiency is hinged and need to innovate and support the growth of the industry opined by Mr Lall.

Mrs Anjali Singh, Co-Chairperson - Regional Committee on Advanced Manufacturing and Executive Chairperson, ANAND Group stated, to make the Indian auto industry more competitive globally, improve export and make the production better in economies of scale. She added that indian automobile sector is deeply embedded in the economy, generating revenue and employing millions across. As a part of the industry evolution, emerging technologies such as Artificial Intelligence (AI), Internet of Things (IoT) and Machine Learning (ML) are being leveraged by players in the industry to enhance product development, manufacturing, and delivery capabilities highlighted by Mrs Anand.

In her remarks, Ms Shradha Suri Marwah, Co-Chairperson - Regional Committee on Advanced Manufacturing and Chairperson and Managing Director, Subros Ltd said that to succeed in this new world of mobility and smart manufacturing, incumbents will have to make transformative changes at unprecedented speed. She stated, new business models will require new cultures and practices: companies must think like a start-up, tap into new talent and engage the digital consumer. Evolving customer needs, disruption, regulation and global interconnectedness are the megatrends Indian automotive industry witnessing said by Ms Suri.

The virtual summit aimed to provide a platform for galaxy of Automotive sector experts to converge, embed their views and to cover the entire domain discussions on making auto sector reliant and developing world class ecosystem for enabling e-mobility in India. The conclave also marked the presence of speakers from Maruti Suzuki India, Bosch, Honda Cars, JBM, Siemens and others.The summit was attended by over 175 participants.