Govt aims to make automobile manufacturing main driver of ‘Make in India’ initiative.

NEW DELHI: Government of India aims to make automobiles manufacturing the main driver of 'Make in India' initiative, as it expects passenger vehicles market to reach 9.4 million units by 2026, as highlighted in the Auto Mission Plan (AMP) 2016-26, said Girish Shankar, Secretary, Ministry of Heavy Industries and Public Enterprises, Government of India.

Addressing a CII International Automotive Design Conclave 2016 here in New Delhi on Friday Girish Shankar said that Government has formulated a Scheme for Faster Adoption and Manufacturing of Electric and Hybrid Vehicles in India, under the National Electric Mobility Mission 2020 to encourage the progressive induction of reliable, affordable and efficient electric and hybrid vehicles in the country.

Amitabh Kant, Chief Executive Officer, NITI Aayog said that India should become the society of Design and innovation to attain and sustain 9-10 % growth rate. Private Sector has a critical role in developing the growth potential of the design industry. Government of India will very soon open 4-5 more design institutes.

He further said that Indian companies need to think large to penetrate global markets by focussing on exports and becoming an integral part of the Global Supply Chain. Make in India is also about Intellectual Property Rights, Innovation and continuous improvement. Digital / IT companies and manufacturing companies need to work together to create a disruptive culture for creating globally competitive designs. He also said that design is all about simplicity.

Arvind Kapur, Chairman, Special Taskforce on Manufacturing & Make in India, CII (Northern Region) & Chairman & Managing Director, RICO Auto Industries said that while India has demonstrated growing capabilities in Auto manufacturing and have successfully designed and built new vehicles, we need to increasingly focus on auto design aspects.

C V Raman, Chairman, International Automotive Design Conclave 2016 & Executive Director (Engineering), Maruti Suzuki India that Indian Auto Industry needs to be original but in sync with global trends. Ola & Uber are changing the market trends. Indian Customer expectations are changing. Besides functional needs, there is a demand for Emotional Quotient as well, thus enhancing the role of design.

Pratap Bose, Head of Design, Tata Motors, United Kingdom mentioned that products are shaped by society, culture, technology, marketing, cost, utility, legislation and environment. We hope automotive design will be integrated in Smart City Planning especially for smart mobility at the conception stage. He also mentioned that India should focus on disruptive technologies and leverage its strength in IT and manufacturing.

S Sandilya, Chairman, Eicher Group said that to compete with the global counterparts, the Indian companies need to focus on the customer needs. The companies need to build capability for continuous improvement to gain the competitive edge.

Source : auto.economictimes.indiatimes.com