Autocar Professional - 15th July 2025

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Strap: The latest edition of Autocar Professional takes a closer look at a silent but mounting crisis threatening India’s EV trajectory—its acute dependence on China for rare earth magnets. This issue explores India's dangerous dependency on China as the sole supplier of essential rare earth magnets crucial for EV motor manufacturing. As export restrictions tighten across the border, over 100 Indian applications for export licences remain stuck, disrupting supply chains and putting festive-season production plans at risk for major players like Ather, Bajaj, and TVS. With the possibility of 5-8% price hikes and launch delays looming, OEMs are scrambling for stopgap solutions, including importing fully assembled motors, an approach that compromises the localisation goals of PLI and PM E-Drive schemes. Although Indian authorities have outlined a 10-step clearance framework, the real bottleneck lies in Beijing, where licenses are not being cleared for India. This edition also explores the structural side of the issue: despite having sizeable rare earth reserves, India refines less than 1% of global output. While the government has launched the National Critical Mineral Mission and is considering a Rare Earth PLI scheme, meaningful capacity will take time to develop. The edition highlights how geopolitical shifts, trade policies, and mineral access are increasingly shaping the EV industry, offering an in-depth look at the risks and realities influencing India’s auto industry.