In line with the government's push to make India a key automotive manufacturing hub, the automotive components industry in India is confident that it will export more in 2024. 

Focusing on providing more and more opportunities to Indian auto components manufacturers in terms of exports, the Automotive Components Manufacturers’ Association (ACMA) has been helping them to participate in major auto shows the world over. It is also conducting B2B trade fairs such as iAutoConnect which took place in November 2023 in New Delhi, to ensure good international exposure.  

Clocking a 12.6 percent Y-o-Y growth in the first two quarters (H1) of FY2024, the Indian auto components industry, informed an ACMA source, is riding on a robust domestic demand as well as concentrating on exports to ensure stronger and sustainable growth. 

Reporting sales worth USD 36.1 billion in H1 FY2024 as against sales worth USD 33.9 billion during the same period last financial year, the source mentioned that auto component manufacturers are paying attention to significant value addition by adopting new technologies and bettering their agility to respond to the market requirements in the international as well as the home markets. 

Speaking at a press event in Delhi recently, ACMA President Shradha Suri Marwah averred that the auto component industry is mulling over investing around USD 7 billion over the next five years on capacity expansion and technology upgradation mainly because of the robust demand within the indigenous automobile industry, 

"The components industry continues to make investments for purposes of higher value-addition, technology upgradation, and localisation to stay relevant to both domestic and international customers. The industry is aiming to invest USD 6.5-7 billion in capex over the next five years as compared to USD 3.5-4 billion spent in the last five years. With good performance in sales across segments of the vehicle industry in the festive season, I am optimistic that the current fiscal year will witness another good performance from the auto components sector," Marwah noted.

Speaking on the growth, she iterated, “As vehicles sales started reaching pre-pandemic levels and supply-chain issues witnessed during the pandemic such as availability of semi-conductors, high input raw-material costs and non-availability of containers were mitigated, the auto components sector witnessed a steady growth in both domestic and the international markets in the first-half of FY2023-24.”

The findings of the apex body indicated that the auto component sales to OEMs in the domestic market stood at USD 30.8 billion registering a growth by 13.9 percent compared to the first half of the previous year. Consumption of increased value-added components and the shift in market preference towards larger and more powerful vehicles continued to contribute to the increased turnover of the auto-components sector.

Moreover, exports of auto components grew by 2.7 percent to USD 10.4 billion in H1 FY2024 from USD 10.1 billion in H1 FY2023. North America and Europe accounted for 33 percent of exports witnessing an increase of 2 and 12 percent respectively, while Asia accounted for 24 percent, witnessed a decline of 4 percent.

The imports grew by 3.6 percent from USD 10.2 billion in H1 FY202-23 to USD 10.6 billion in H1 FY2023-24. Asia accounted for 63 percent of imports followed by Europe and North America, with 27 percent and 9 percent respectively. Imports from Asia grew by 2 percent, from Europe by 8 percent and from North America by 2.5 percent.

The aftermarket also registered a modest growth in H1 FY2024 witnessing sales go up by 7.5 per cent to USD 5.5 billion from USD 5.4 billion in H1 FY2023.

Commenting on the performance of the auto component industry in India, ACMA Director General, Vinnie Mehta, said, “With vehicle sales and exports displaying steady performance, the auto component industry demonstrated a growth of 12.6 percent scaling a turnover of Rs. USD 36.1 billion in the first half of FY 2023-24. 

Auto Component supplies to all segments of the industry i.e., to OEMs, exports and also the aftermarket remained steadfast. Exports grew by 2.7 percent to USD 10.4 billion while imports grew by 3.6 percent to USD 10.6 billion. The aftermarket, estimated also witnessed a growth of 7.5 percent. Component sales to OEMs in the domestic market grew by 13.9 percent to Rs.2.54 lakh crore”.

Elaborating on the mood of the industry and outlook for the near to mid-term future, Shradha mentioned, “Going forward, considering the festive season has gone well with significant sales across most segments of the vehicle industry, I am optimistic that the current fiscal year will witness another good performance from the auto components sector. The components industry continues to make investments for purposes of higher value-addition, technology upgradation, and localisation to stay relevant to both domestic and international customers.”

*Image for representative purpose only.

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Solid Power, Inc., a U.S.-based developer of solid-state battery (ASSB) technology, has announced a collaboration with Samsung SDI and BMW to pursue the development and validation of a demonstration vehicle powered by ASSB technology.

The collaboration is a key step towards the commercialisation of ASSB technology, leveraging the expertise of the three companies. Under the arrangement, Solid Power will supply its sulphide-based solid electrolyte to Samsung SDI, which will then integrate it into cells. These cells will be evaluated based on performance parameters agreed upon with BMW. The ultimate goal is to develop and supply ASSB cells for integration into a demonstration vehicle.

John Van Scoter, President and CEO, Solid Power, said, “We are excited to partner with Samsung SDI and BMW to progress the development of all-solid-state batteries. Our solid electrolyte technology is designed for stability and conductivity, and by working closely with global leaders in automotive and battery innovation, we strive to bring ASSB technology closer to widespread adoption.”

Martin Schuster, Vice-President Battery Cell and Cell Module, BMW Group, said, “With Samsung SDI joining our partnership with Solid Power, we gain significant momentum on our path advancing the development of new battery cell technologies. This global collaboration is another proof point of our overarching goal: to be always in a position to offer our customers state of the art battery technology.”

Stella Joo-Young Go, Executive Vice-President of ASB Commercialisation Team at Samsung SDI, said, "Technological competitiveness in batteries would ultimately lead to innovation in electric vehicles. Samsung SDI will work closely with strategic partners such as BMW and Solid Power to take the lead in commercialisation of ASSB.”

ASSB cells are said to have the potential to offer improved energy density, battery life and safety performance by replacing liquid electrolytes with solid materials. The collaboration supports Solid Power’s objective to manufacture and sell electrolyte to Tier 1 battery manufacturers and automotive OEMs.

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Ather Energy has begun rolling out multi-language dashboard support for its Rizta scooter, enhancing accessibility for a wider audience in India.

The multi-language interface, first announced for the Rizta, will eventually support eight regional languages: Hindi, Marathi, Gujarati, Bengali, Tamil, Telugu, Malayalam and Kannada. The rollout commenced with Hindi, followed by Kannada, with the remaining languages set for introduction in the coming months.

Swapnil Jain, CTO & Co-founder, Ather Energy, said: “Karnataka has been home for us since the beginning. It’s where much of Ather was built, our teams, and our early community. In a state where culture and language are deeply rooted, adding Kannada to the Rizta Z dashboard felt like a natural step to make the experience more personal and accessible for our riders here. As technology becomes part of daily life, it should also feel familiar and easy to use, that’s exactly what this update aims to do.”

The Rizta, Ather’s first family scooter, is available in two models and four variants: Rizta S and Rizta Z. The variants offer an IDC range of 123 km and 159 km. The scooter features a large seat and a storage space of 56-litre, including a 34-litre under-seat capacity and an optional 22-litre frunk accessory.

Safety features include SkidControl, Fall Safe, Emergency Stop Signal (ESS) and Tow & Theft Alerts. The Rizta has found a strong connection with riders, crossing 100,000 unit sales in June of this year.

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Hindustan Zinc, a global integrated zinc producer, is advancing its mining strategy with a fleet intelligence system powered by Industrial Internet of Things (IIoT). Through monitoring of Heavy Earth Moving Machinery, the company is capturing real-time data on equipment uptime, reliability and energy consumption to optimise operations, enhance machine lifespan and elevate productivity.

The data-driven approach has led to measurable improvements across equipment categories over the last three fiscal years FY2024 to FY2026:

• Jumbo drilling machines achieved a 28 percent improvement in reliability and uptime.
• Load Haul Dumpers recorded a 24 percent rise in uptime.
• Low-Profile Dump Trucks showed an improvement of over 27 percent.
• Efficiency has also improved, seen in the Power Pack to Percussion ratio for Jumbo machines, which decreased from 3.8 to 3.4, indicating better energy use for equivalent output.

This transformation is managed by Hindustan Zinc’s Collaboration Centre, which serves as the central nerve for real-time data integration and decision-making. Data from sensors and IIoT devices, deployed in collaboration with Machine Max (a Vedanta Spark startup partner), is processed and analysed into insights for both frontline teams and strategic leaders.

Arun Misra, CEO, Hindustan Zinc, said, “With stronger data capture, cutting-edge IIoT integration and advanced analytics, we’re moving from reactive to predictive operations. The optimisation of our heavy earth-moving fleet has been a game-changer for our uptime and efficiency. This project is a clear step towards smarter, real-time decision-making and building a high-performance, energy-efficient mining ecosystem.”

The digital initiative is integral to the company’s strategy for automation, smart mining and sustainability. Hindustan Zinc is also deploying other technologies, including an AI-powered camera surveillance system that has resulted in an almost 50 percent reduction in manual intervention for safety and compliance. The company is currently working with over 20 technology startups on more than 50 projects through Vedanta Spark.

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Tier 1 automotive supplier Lumax Auto Technologies (Lumax) has inaugurated its new Technology Centre in Bengaluru, christened the ‘Smart Hub for Innovation and Future Trends’ (SHIFT).

The new facility will focus on accelerating the company’s electronics engineering and digital capabilities amid the global transition toward software-defined vehicles (SDVs).

The inauguration saw participation from Lumax’s key customers and partners, including leaders from Daimler India Commercial Vehicles, Hero MotoCorp, Mahindra & Mahindra, Maruti Suzuki India, Tata Motors and TVS Motor Company.

The new centre aims to serve as a nucleus for advanced research and product development in key areas such as in-cabin experiences, ADAS (Advanced Driver Assistance Systems), connectivity and embedded electronics.

Anmol Jain, Managing Director, Lumax Auto Technologies, said, “This centre marks a major step toward our Tier 0.5 vision, enhancing our strengths in electronics, mechatronics and digital systems. We aim to lead the transformation toward intelligent, connected and sustainable mobility and Bengaluru’s dynamic tech ecosystem provides the ideal environment for this journey.”

The tier 1 supplier stated that the component industry is undergoing a profound transformation, driven by electrification, digitisation and autonomous technologies. As vehicles become increasingly software-centric, Lumax Group is working to integrate intelligent systems and deliver seamless user experiences.

Deepak Jain, Promoter Director, Lumax Auto Technologies, said, “The launch of our Technology Centre reaffirms our long-term commitment to customer-centric innovation and technological leadership. As the industry transitions toward software-defined vehicles (SDV), the future of mobility will increasingly be driven by intelligence, connectivity and digital integration. SHIFT will enable Lumax Group to accelerate innovation, strengthen collaboration and shape intelligent mobility solutions of the future.”

The SHIFT Technology Centre is equipped with advanced electronics labs for hardware-in-the-loop (HIL) testing, rapid prototyping and product validation, enabling end-to-end innovation from concept to commercialisation.

Satish Sunderesan, CTO, Lumax Auto Technologies, said, “With SHIFT, we aim to converge talent, technology and transformation to engineer software-defined and digitally driven vehicles and evolve from smart systems to autonomous intelligence.”

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