As per a recent post on X (earlier Twitter) by China’s official newspaper Global Times where it shared a list of world’s top 10 nations in terms of their manufacturing output, India ranked among the top five with a manufacturing value add of USD 456 billion. 

Not forgetting to underscore China as the world’s manufacturing powerhouse, the post is of importance because of the nation where it originates from. China is not only a neighbour of India, it is also the largest trading partner with USD 118.4 billion two-way commerce in FY2023-24, according to the economic think tank GTRI’s data.

China’s per capita GDP USD 12,174 in 2023 as compared to the per capita of India at USD 2,239 USD. Against this economic difference, it is interesting that China’s newspaper has in its post acknowledged India’s rising manufacturing prowess. 

This is certain to change the way India as well as its manufacturing sector is perceived. There are tailwinds and plenty of headwinds the Indian manufacturing sector continues to experience. Its performance is however a reflection of its abilities and grit. 

The manufacturing sector in India is emerging as an integral pillar of the country’s economic growth. The key industries that are contributing to its stellar performance are auto, chemicals, consumer durables and engineering. 

The manufacturing sector’s consistent performance as also indicated by the PMI figures. With government policies and changing world markets – not to exclude geopolitical and regulatory challenges for industries like auto in particular – an important factor is the rise of respective sector, there’s clearly more to be done. 

With that, it wouldn’t take long to move up the ladder. 

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Energy In Motion (EIM Ltd) has inaugurated a heavy-duty battery swapping-cum-charging station at Rewari, Haryana, expanding its energy infrastructure along the NH-48 Delhi-Mumbai freight corridor.

The facility was inaugurated by Dr. Hanif Qureshi, IPS, Additional Secretary, Ministry of Heavy Industries, Government of India. The event was attended by representatives from cement and logistics companies, fleet operators, financial institutions, and transport providers, including Mahendra Singhi, Board Member and Advisor at Dalmia Cement, Arun Kumar Khurana, Joint President and Head of Operations Logistics at UltraTech Cement, Manav Bansal, Co-Founder and CEO at Drivn and Narendra Murkumbi, Managing Director at Energy In Motion.

The Rewari station joins existing EIM facilities at Palwal and Kotputli along the NH-48 corridor. Each station operates with a connected load of 2.5 MW to supply power directly along key transit routes. The infrastructure utilises a battery-swapping model designed to replace depleted heavy-vehicle batteries with charged units, reducing vehicle idle time compared to stationary plug-in charging methods.

Narendra Murkumbi, MD, EIM, said, “The Rewari station is dedicated to support Green logistics more economically. The facility can swap a discharged battery of an Electric Heavy commercial vehicle (e-HCV) typically in 7 minutes, against 55-60 minutes of charging time through a conventional charger, there by yielding a significantly higher fleet availability and better economics for any fleet owner or transporter. The station has the capacity to serve over 150 vehicles a day. EIM’s Battery Swapping, together with its larger capacity battery of 350 kWh, can result into a 10 percent increment in the No. of monthly return trips on any corridor for any Logistics Service Provider (LSP). We plan to set-up 40 such stations across India in the current financial year, of which 8 are already operational and 7 more in various stages of installation. EIM, in its pursuit of creating value for its customers through innovative solutions, has already gained large traction across India through its ‘Maitryi’ model (Battery as a Service or BaaS) where a customer’s upfront capital deployment stands reduced by 40 percent while buying a heavy-duty electric truck, a capital-intensive item.”

EIM offers its infrastructure under a Battery as a Service (BaaS) commercial structure, designated as the 'Maitryi' model. The arrangement separates the vehicle purchase price from the battery unit, lowering initial capital expenditure for logistics providers purchasing heavy-duty electric trucks. The company plans to deploy 40 heavy-duty swapping-cum-charging stations across India during the current financial year, with eight facilities currently in operation and seven in development.

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Japanese tier 1 supplier Toyoda Gosei Co’s regional headquarters in China, Toyoda Gosei (China) Investment Co., has inked a partnership agreement for safety standards and technical innovations with CATARC Component Technology (Tianjin) Co., a group company of the China Automotive Technology & Research Center (CATARC).

The agreement focuses on safety standards and technical developments as China Automotive Technology & Research Center formulates vehicle safety regulations and industry standards in China.

As per the understanding, Toyoda Gosei (China) Investment Co., aims to accelerate product development by increasing the deployment of computer-aided engineering technology and creating safety products tailored to local requirements.

The partnership comes amid market shifts in China driven by the adoption of electric vehicles and the entry of new automotive manufacturers. Toyoda Gosei plans to leverage its engineering resources to supply safety components to carmakers operating within the Chinese automotive sector.

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Mobility engineering and technology company BlueBinaries has signed a definitive agreement to acquire the automotive testing business of Germany-based MicroNova AG.

The carved-out entity will operate as an independent company within the BlueBinaries group under the name NovaBinaries. Following the transaction, BlueBinaries projects annual revenue of USD 50 million and aims to expand revenue to USD 100 million in the coming years.

Founded in 2017 and headquartered in Chennai, BlueBinaries provides vehicle engineering, digital engineering, testing and homologation services to original equipment manufacturers across India, Europe, North America, the Middle East and Asia.

MicroNova, based in Vierkirchen near Munich, develops testing and validation systems for the automotive sector, including hardware-in-the-loop systems, test automation platforms, virtualisation solutions and engineering services. Its test automation platform, EXAM, is used by European automotive manufacturers. NovaBinaries will focus on software test solutions, hardware-in-the-loop systems, test automation, virtual validation, and software test factories by combining MicroNova’s product portfolio with BlueBinaries’ engineering operations.

Srinivas Aravapalli, Founder and CEO, BlueBinaries, said, "The acquisition of MicroNova’s industry-leading HiL Testing and Test Automation business represents a watershed moment in BlueBinaries’ journey towards absolute technological leadership in the global mobility ecosystem. By integrating these world-class validation and test automation technologies into our existing portfolio, we are uniquely positioned to offer an unmatched, end-to-end test offerings to our customers.”

Kishore LM, Founder and COO, BlueBinaries, said, “The acquisition of the Automotive Testing business from MicroNova is a strategic leap that enhances our ability to offer right technology solutions across automotive software testing. MicroNova’s technical depth, customer centricity, and regional strength align perfectly with our strategic vision to be the first partner choice for global customers complimenting our current portfolio. Our intent is to offer these proven technologies and better solutions globally combining precision, engineering excellence, scale, and flexibility while the mobility industry moves into the SDV and AI era.”

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A study conducted by Google and Kantar titled ‘Automobile Purchase Journey in the Age of AI’ shows that 93 percent of automobile shoppers in India utilise artificial intelligence (AI) interfaces during their research process.

The research indicates that the car buying process involves multiple digital platforms, with 87 percent of buyers interacting with Google services including Search, YouTube, Maps and Gemini. Consumers utilising artificial intelligence touchpoints consult an average of 7.8 resources to research and evaluate choices, compared to 6.9 touchpoints for buyers overall. Within Google Search, 90 percent of surveyed users reported encountering AI Overviews, while 89 per cent utilised AI Mode to process technical specifications, vehicle features and financing options. Furthermore, 80 percent of buyers using AI chatbots also turn to Google Search or YouTube for active research.

The findings highlight that initial consideration sets form early, with 80 percent of buyers maintaining a predefined list of brands prior to active research. Approximately six in 10 buyers use YouTube for casual exploration, where 77 percent of users rely on professional automotive reviewers to inform their choices. Daily media consumption habits among car buyers show that 63 percent watch YouTube, 55 percent stream YouTube on television screens, 54 percent read newspapers and 43 percent watch linear television. Decision-making remains a shared process within households, with 64 percent of respondents involving family members and 53 percent consulting spouses. Vehicle safety ratings and styling were identified as primary motivators by 41 percent of buyers.

Siddharth Shekhar, Director, Google India, said, "The car buying journey in India is deliberate, non-linear, and deeply digital-particularly ahead of the festive season, when consideration peaks. Buyers move between discovery on YouTube and conversational validation on Search. Among surveyed Google Search users, 90 percent come across AI Overviews and 89 percent use AI Mode to navigate nuanced, complex queries. As AI helps buyers navigate complex choices, our ad and commerce solutions help automotive brands respond to their intent-connecting initial curiosity directly to the showroom."

Virat Khullar, Head of Marketing, Hyundai Motor India, said, "The automotive purchase journey is increasingly shaped by moments of discovery, research and intent across digital channels. Our partnership with Google helped us harness the scale of YouTube to build awareness and the intelligence of AI-powered Search ad solutions to identify and convert high-intent consumers. By unifying upper- and lower-funnel marketing, we were able to deliver a more relevant and efficient customer experience, turning consideration into action and driving strong sales momentum for Hyundai Verna."

The study was carried out by Kantar in May 2026 across metropolitan and Tier-1 cities in India, surveying 1,022 consumers who had purchased a car within the preceding six months.

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