The Aluminium Association of India (AAI), the apex body representing aluminium producers in India, has submitted its pre-budget representation to the Department for Promotion of Industry and Internal Trade (DPIIT) under Ministry of Commerce, Government of India.

It emphasises aluminium’s crucial role in India’s continued growth, especially as the nation envisions becoming a ‘Viksit Bharat’ by 2047. High aluminium usage is an established marker of advanced economies, given the metal’s extensive use in both present and futuristic applications. This has led several nations like USA, Malaysia and Indonesia to designate aluminium as a ‘strategic sector’.

As per industry estimates, India’s per capita consumption of aluminium is still around 3kg per annum, compared to the global average of 12kg. However, the sector is facing major challenges in attracting fresh investments, despite domestic demand for aluminium set to reach 10 MTPA by 2030. So far, the Indian aluminium industry has invested over USD 20 billion, to expand production capacity to 4.2 MTPA to meet the growing demand. However, a further investment of about USD 40 billion over the next 6 years will be needed to meet the expected demand of 10 MTPA, while also creating more jobs within India.

AAI states that given that aluminium is a strategic metal with extensive usage in defence, aerospace and sunrise sectors of renewables, electric vehicles, power transmission and sustainable infrastructure, it is paramount for India to be self-sufficient in aluminium production. Towards encouraging fresh investments, aluminium producers have requested the Central Government to safeguard the industry from surging imports.

The industry body states that over the past couple of years, imports of primary aluminium have doubled while there has also been a significant surge in low-quality scrap and downstream products, especially from China.

Industry members have highlighted that the influx of imports in the domestic market is a deterrent to making new investments in the sector, even when India has all the necessary ingredients to emerge as a global aluminium hub. According to them, the primary reason for the surge in imports is the low import duties on primary/downstream products and a prevalent duty difference between primary goods and scrap in aluminium. This is unlike other key non-ferrous metals, where the duty for scrap and primary is at par.

AAI states it is therefore requesting the Central Government to help ensure the nation’s self-sufficiency and attract new investments by increasing the import duty on primary/downstream products to 10 percent from the existing 7.5 percent. Additionally, to control cheap imports, the duty on aluminium scrap also needs to be set at 7.5 percent, at par with other aluminium products. This measure would encourage the recycling of domestic scrap and limit the influx of low-quality foreign scrap, helping strengthen the circular economy.

To ensure global competitiveness, it is essential that policies nurture a sustainable environment, fostering growth for the domestic industry while positioning India as a leader in the global market. This will provide some relief to the industry, already burdened by high tax and regulatory charges.

At present, the industry incurs around 17 percent of its cost of production in taxes, levies, and regulatory compliance charges. To ease this burden, the AAI has proposed an urgent rationalising of duties on crucial raw materials.

The domestic aluminium industry’s existing investments in capacity have led to the creation of over 800,000 direct and indirect jobs and spurred the development of more than 4,000 small and medium enterprises (SMEs) in remote regions, particularly in the downstream sector. According to the AAI, the additional investment of USD 40 billion to meet domestic demand would align with the Prime Minister's vision for an ‘Atmanirbhar Bharat’, while also creating 2 million livelihood opportunities across the country. With government support in the form of duty rationalisation and enhanced import restrictions, the domestic producers are confident of contributing to India's journey toward self-reliance.

Representational image courses: Victor Kovshevny/Flickr

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European auto major Stellantis has installed a blanking press at its Warren Stamping Plant in Michigan to increase in-house production capacity. This development supports the manufacturing of components for Chrysler, Dodge, Jeep and Ram vehicles in North America.

The Warren Stamping Plant and the Sterling Stamping Plant supply components – including hoods, doors and liftgates – to assembly plants in the U.S., Canada and Mexico. These operations contribute to the volume growth targets established in the FaSTLAne 2030 strategy.

Ed Daniels Jr., Vice-President of North America injection and stamping operations, Stellantis, said, “When people think about vehicle manufacturing, they usually picture the assembly line. But stamping is where that work begins. Sterling and Warren give our North America operations the scale, speed and flexibility needed to deliver precision parts on time, support key vehicle programs and help drive sustainable, profitable growth. As Stellantis executes its USD 13 billion U.S. investment plans, these plants and the people behind them are critical to strengthening our manufacturing foundation and keeping assembly operations moving.”

The new press at the Warren facility is expected to produce between 4.5 million and 6 million parts annually for the Ram 1500, Wrangler, Gladiator and Grand Cherokee.

Curtis Booth, Vice-President and Plant Manager, Warren Stamping Plant, Stellantis, added, “The new press has the capacity to produce between 4.5 million and 6 million parts annually for vehicles, including the Ram 1500 and three Jeep models – the Wrangler, Gladiator and Grand Cherokee. Together, the Hellcat line and the new blanking press give WSP the ability to both prepare and form critical vehicle components within a highly integrated manufacturing operation.”

Quality control is maintained using the Automated Body Inspection System, which validates geometry and precision during production.

Greg ‘Butch’ Bauer, Vice-President and plant manager, Sterling Stamping Plant, Stellantis, said, “Our workforce is what makes an operation like this possible. There’s a level of ownership and pride across every shift that ensures we’re delivering the same quality and performance at all times.”

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Chennai-headquartered two-wheeler and three-wheeler major TVS Motor Company has reached a new production milestone with the rollout of the one-millionth TVS iQube electric scooter from its manufacturing facility in Hosur.

This achievement, reached six years after the model's 2020 launch, highlights the adoption of electric two-wheelers in the Indian market.

The company said that the iQube community has achieved significant metrics since the model’s introduction, including covering 14.94 billion kilometres, 522,969 tonnes of CO2 saved, which translates to nearly plantation of 20.9 million trees.

The iQube portfolio has expanded since 2020 to include various battery capacities, range options and connectivity features. TVS Motor Co has supported this growth through a service and sales network consisting of more than 3,300 touchpoints across 3,000 cities.

Sudarshan Venu, Chairman, TVS Motor Company, said, “The rollout of one million TVS iQubes reflects the scale at which electric mobility is becoming part of everyday life in India. The milestone is built on years of investment in engineering, innovation and manufacturing capabilities that have enabled us to build world-class electric mobility solutions designed and manufactured in India for the world.”

The company credits this milestone to its focus on in-house R&D and manufacturing, noting that the iQube serves as a central element of its strategy to support India's transition to sustainable, self-reliant mobility.

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Solaris, a leading European bus manufacturer, has opened a production hall in Sroda Wielkopolska, which further supplements the company’s manufacturing operations, including a welding plant established in the area in 1998.

The 7,000-square-metre facility is dedicated to the assembly of city buses. Previously, this stage occurred only in Bolechowo, but production will now take place at both sites. This development increases production capacity by 500 vehicles per year, bringing the firm closer to a target of 2,000 vehicles annually. The project has created 300 jobs, with additional roles generated in the supply chain.

In 2025, Solaris delivered 1,631 vehicles, of which 86 percent were battery-electric, hydrogen or trolleybus models.

The company is supplying the buses to its customers in the United States and Canada and plans to further expand its intercity bus range in Europe.

Agata Standa, CEO, Solaris, said, “We are investing in expanding our production capacity and product portfolio to meet the growing demand for sustainable transport in Europe and in new markets.”

Solaris has secured 47 hectares of land in Sroda Wielkopolska for a second facility dedicated to intercity buses, which is scheduled to reach operational status in 2029.

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Chinese new energy vehicle company NIO has announced that on 22 June 2026, the World Economic Forum (WEF) officially designated NIO Factory Two (NIO F2) as a member of its Global Lighthouse Network (GLN). This recognition highlights NIO’s success in deploying Fourth Industrial Revolution technologies at scale.

The WEF selection process, conducted in partnership with McKinsey & Company, evaluated NIO F2 on its ability to integrate advanced digital and AI-driven systems. NIO was specifically recognised for:

• Integrated Ecosystem: Developing a real-time, closed-loop system that connects in-vehicle AI, battery swap networks and a digital twin platform.
• Operational Efficiency: The factory manages over 3.6 million vehicle configurations, which has successfully accelerated speed-to-market by 44 percent.
• R&D Automation: The implementation of advanced systems has allowed for the automation of 90 percent of R&D workflows.
• AI-Driven Decision Making: Approximately 80 percent of manufacturing scenarios at the facility are now supported by AI-driven decision-making, leveraging a mix of industrial AI algorithms and in-house developed foundation models.

NIO F2 is a fully digitalised smart factory located in the Xinqiao Industrial Park. Prior to this international recognition, the site earned several domestic accolades, including the National Green Factory awarded by China’s Ministry of Industry and Information Technology (MIIT) and the Super Automotive Factory designated by the China Automotive Technology and Research Center (CATARC).

Beyond its technical achievements, the factory maintains an open-engagement policy. Since 2018, NIO’s assembly plants have hosted nearly 300,000 global visitors, aiming to showcase the advancements in China’s intelligent manufacturing ecosystem.

NIO intends to use the GLN standards as a benchmark for its future manufacturing systems, continuing the integration of AI to set new standards in intelligent EV production.

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