Automobile OEMs are no longer fearful of EV transition

The auto component industry of India has overcome the fear and the initial scepticism to align with the EV transition, Vinnie Mehta, Director General of ACMA, said. 

Citing Mehta, Autocar professional, “Five to six years ago, there was a lot of apprehension, Nobody says anything anymore. It's an interesting transition that we are doing.”

This might be related to the fact that several of the formerly reluctant manufacturers are now adjusting and have become top suppliers of EV components to major automakers worldwide.

In contrast, past discussions within the Automotive Component Manufacturers Association of India (ACMA) were dominated by worries about decreased business opportunities and job losses.

EV sales in India are still small in comparison to the conventional vehicle market, despite the change in attitude. India produced about 100,000 electric cars and 900,000 electric two-wheelers last year, but these were far less than the 20 million two-wheelers and 5 million internal combustion engine (ICE)-powered vehicles.

ICE vehicles will continue to dominate the industry, holding 70% of the market, as the government aims for a 30% EV adoption rate by 2030. Mehta claims that the auto parts industry will be "much bigger than what it is today" and highlights that there is plenty of room for both EVs and conventional vehicles in the growing automotive market.

Mehta, however, cited a "chicken and egg" scenario in which low manufacturing volumes make indigenisation efforts more expensive and did not commit to precise targets for the localisation of EV components. He contends that while the market expands, localisation initiatives are still getting established.

The larger localisation effort by ACMA has been going on for a number of years. The Society of Indian Automobile Manufacturers (SIAM) and ACMA set targets a few years ago to localise 3% of auto component imports in the next two to three years and another 10-15% over the next five. 

By 2022, ACMA had already exceeded the original goal, saving Rs 7,000 crore in foreign cash by localising 6% of the imported components valued at Rs 120,000 crore. Mehta contends that localisation is essential for protecting against the rupee's depreciation, which causes it to lose 5–7% of its value every year.

Currently, component manufacturers export about 30% of their manufacturing, while the average localisation percentage in India's automobile industry is around 70%. The next phase of India's automotive industry will be defined by striking a balance between domestic and international market demands as the industry continues to shift towards EVs.