Indian Steel, Global Sparks

Global automobile firms are investing heavily in India - creating jobs, reshaping manufacturing and overhauling the nation's role in the future of world mobility

- RAJEEV NARAYAN

The smokestacks are silent, but the engines of a new kind of revolution are humming in Tamil Nadu. In Thoothukudi, acres of gleaming factory floor, robotics arms and assembly lines tell a story we are not accustomed to - global auto firms are no longer content with exporting vehicles to India, they want to make them here.

This shift is not about metal and machines. It is about jobs, local economies, global market strategy and national identity.

Vietnamese electric-vehicle maker VinFast broke ground on a sprawling EV manufacturing complex in Tamil Nadu, indicating how India is transitioning from car-buyer to car-building powerhouse. For decades, the narrative was written by the likes of Maruti Suzuki, Tata Motors and M&M, alongside global partners that chose India because of cost advantages. But now, global firms are making India the anchor of their strategy, recognising that it offers more than cheap assembly. It opens up a door to scale, talent, logistics and a gateway to the whole world.

The air is different. It is a heady mix of expectation, steel and the hum of megaprojects. In Tamil Nadu, Gujarat, Maharashtra and Haryana, plants and logistics corridors are no longer conduits for making cars. They are proving grounds for a bold new vision: India as a global auto production juggernaut.

INDIA'S CHANGING RELEVANCE

For decades, India has been a striking outlier: world-class auto design and usage, with much of the manufacturing relevance being quiet and under-leveraged. That is changing. Start with the buzz around new EV facilities and scale up to the steady expansion of legacy giants.

The story is less about creating vehicles for India. It is more about creating them in India for the world.