The Indian aluminium industry is seeking duty adjustments on imports and input material used in aluminium production to secure domestic market and drive investments in run up to Budget 2025. Leading industry associations, including the Aluminium Association of India (AAI) and the Federation of Indian Mineral Industries (FIMI), have separately submitted their pre-budget recommendations to the Ministry of Finance (Government of India), urging policy changes to strengthen India’s aluminium industry.

As India strives towards becoming a ‘Viksit Bharat’ by 2047, the associations emphasise aluminium's vital role in economic growth, with extensive applications across defence, infrastructure, electric vehicles and renewable energy.

Stating that the surge in primary aluminium and low-grade scrap imports, particularly from countries with excess capacity like China, has disrupted the domestic market and deterred investment in local production, the AAI has suggested raising of import duties on primary aluminium from 7.5 per cent to 10 per cent; from 7.5 per cent to 12.5 per cent in the case of downstream aluminium, and to set aluminium scrap duties at 7.5 percent to curb low-quality scrap inflow and support domestic recycling efforts.

FIMI has called for an increase in primary/downstream aluminium import duties to 12.5 percent along with raising aluminium scrap duties from 2.5 percent to 7.5 percent or higher.

Of the opinion that high duties on essential raw materials have created an inverted duty structure, adding costs for domestic aluminium producers, sources close to the aluminium industry in the country have expressed that a reduction in custom duty on several materials could help to address this.

GIMI has also recommended reduction of customs duty on several materials such as Calcined Petroleum Coke from 7.5 percent to 2.5 percent; to eliminate the duty on Caustic Soda Lye and to lower Aluminium Fluoride duty to 2.5 percent.

By rationalising these input tariffs, the industry could reduce production costs by up to 17 percent, bringing Indian aluminium production closer to global cost standards and enhancing its competitiveness.

The aluminium industry is also impacted by high energy costs due to the GST Compensation Cess of INR 400 per metric tonne on coal.

FIMI has recommended removing this ‘cess’ or allowing it as an offset against green compliance costs, which would reduce operational costs and support the industry’s shift towards sustainable practices.

India holds a strategic advantage with the world’s seventh-largest bauxite reserves and fifth-largest coal reserves. Yet, despite India’s per capita aluminium consumption remaining low at 3 kg per annum, well below the global average of 12 kg. The industry faces significant hurdles in attracting fresh investments despite the domestic demand projected to reach 10 MTPA by 2030. While the industry has already invested over US $20 billion to expand capacity to 4.2 MTPA, an additional US $40 billion will be required over the next six years that will help meet rising demand.

Image for representative purpose only.

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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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