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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N.A.N. GreenMet, the critical minerals and advanced manufacturing platform founded by Navin Agarwal (Vice Chairman, Vedanta), has launched N.A.N. MagneTech to establish a Neodymium-Iron-Boron (NdFeB) magnet manufacturing facility at the Naidupeta Industrial Park in Andhra Pradesh.

The company has earmarked an investment of INR 12.5 billion in Phase I to build an initial capacity of 1,200 tonnes per annum, with a long-term target of 10,000 tonnes per annum.

It expects commercial production to begin in Q1 2028, generating annual revenues of INR 12 to INR 15 billion. The facility will integrate oxide processing, metal and alloy production, sintered magnet manufacturing and closed-loop recycling.

The project has secured feedstock supply arrangements with an Australian rare earth producer and executed off-take agreements with domestic automotive original equipment manufacturers. Technical development is led by Dr. John Ormerod, Dr. Masato Sagawa and Dr. Gaurav Shukla.

Navin Agarwal, Founder & Chairman, N.A.N. GreenMet, said, “The industries shaping the future will be defined by those who control advanced materials and manufacturing technologies. At N.A.N. GreenMet, we are building a globally competitive industrial enterprise that strengthens India’s manufacturing capabilities in strategically important sectors. N.A.N. MagneTech is an important milestone in that endeavour, bringing world-class technology to establish a domestic rare earth magnet ecosystem that supports the country’s long-term industrial growth”.

Dr. John Ormerod, Chairman of the Technology Board, N.A.N. MagneTech, added, "We are bringing the most advanced Japanese process technology to India, covering the complete oxide-to-magnet ecosystem. Backed by a secured feedstock strategy and closed-loop recycling, this platform is engineered to deliver consistent, world-class quality."

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European technology company N-Dream has brought its AirConsole gaming platform to India through a collaboration with Tata Motors Passenger Vehicles and KPIT Technologies, with the marked debut on the Sierra.ev SUV.

AirConsole is integrated into the vehicle's connected services pack and the Arcade App, utilising the vehicle's display setup. Passengers connect smartphones as controllers by scanning a QR code on the screen. The initial launch brings approximately 15 games, including Kaun Banega Crorepati. The in-vehicle gaming technology will be exclusively available on the Sierra.ev for a period of four months, before it can be made available on other models and brands.

Anthony Cliquot, CEO, N-Dream / AirConsole, said, "India is one of the fastest-growing automotive markets in the world. Experiencing the Sierra.ev's launch event in Mumbai where AirConsole was so prominently featured, made our team proud. To see our gaming platform in the vehicle alongside other premium offerings, was a clear testament of how entertainment and passenger experiences are becoming paramount for consumer choice. TMPV is moving at a pace that few in this market can match right now, and this partnership with AirConsole will enable gaming to be part of that momentum."

Vivek Srivatsa, Chief Commercial Officer, Tata Passenger Electric Mobility, said, "The Sierra has always been an icon, and with the Sierra.ev, we have elevated that legacy for an electric era. Bringing AirConsole's in-car gaming experience to the Sierra.ev redefines what connected, immersive technology can add to the ownership experience. As the first vehicle in India to offer this capability, we are delighted to partner with AirConsole to deliver an entirely new dimension of entertainment and engagement for our customers."

Pushpahas Joshi, EVP at KPIT Technologies & Board Member at N-Dream, said, “KPIT is very excited to bring AirConsole to India. This is going to be the first among several launches that will enhance consumer experience in the Cockpit of the future. AirConsole is a category creating product loved by more than 4 million car owners worldwide. As part of its strategy towards futuristic Products & Solutions, AirConsole became part of KPIT family in November 2023. Since then, KPIT has enabled AirConsole to expand outside Europe -into Asia and USA. I am very sure, that, owners of Tata cars & their families will enjoy the cool In-car gaming experience with AirConsole”

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The Applied AI Research Centre (INAI) at IIIT-Hyderabad has developed an artificial intelligence traffic violation detection system named VIOLA. The project uses dashcams installed in police patrol vehicles to detect traffic infractions and integrate with the Telangana Police e-Challan workflow.

Govind Krishnan, who leads translational AI initiatives for mobility at INAI, said that the question is not why accidents happen. “We already know the answers. The real question is: How can we help solve this problem? Or more importantly, how can artificial intelligence help solve this?”

The system builds upon prior research from Prof. Ravi Kiran S at the Centre for Visual Information Technology (CVIT) regarding helmet detection. By mounting cameras on police vehicles, the setup monitors infractions such as helmet violations, triple riding and wrong-side driving across routes.

Prithvi Jonnada, Operations Manager at INAI, explained, “We let the cameras record their daily rounds, fed the footage into an AI system capable of detecting traffic violations, recognising licence plates and automatically forwarded verified cases to Telangana Police’s e-Challan system. This is a mandate from the police department to have a human in the loop thus ensuring the AI acts as an assistant, not a replacement, for human judgment.”

With four dashcams deployed, the system reports an accuracy rate for submissions. The INAI team is expanding the algorithm to include speed detection and road condition monitoring.

Dr. Ganesh Yalla, CEO, iHub-Data, added, “People don’t expect an academic institution to build a complete industrial-grade product that is deployed and generating real impact. We want to change that.”

Discussions are underway with police departments outside Telangana for broader implementation.

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Cars24, a leading online vehicle selling and buying marketplace, has reported that it has processed 1.1 trillion AI (artificial intelligence) tokens during Q1 of FY2026, marking a shift in its business model.

The company stated that AI expenditure now represents 8.88 percent of the company's salary run-rate, with 95 percent of its employees use AI weekly and 89 percent of production code is AI-assisted, contributing to a reported 3x increase in engineer productivity.

Furthermore, for customer operations, AI platforms analysed 9.81 million conversations. Voicebots handled 2.58 million minutes and chatbots processed 550,000 requests.

In terms of inspections, 80 percent of vehicle inspections – totalling 288,000 – were conducted via AI-led systems, reducing the average inspection time from 45 minutes to 26 minutes.

AI-led loan disbursals accounted for 65 percent of the total, amounting to 4,158 disbursals. The company’s Document AI processed 850,000 documents, while its Agentic AI platform executed 5.71 million workflows.

At present, Cars24 operates six in-house platforms supporting 25 use cases, including computer vision, lending and workflow automation. Its imaging platform processes 50,000 vehicle images per month.

Vikram Chopra, Founder & CEO, Cars24, said: "AI is no longer improving isolated workflows, it is becoming the operating system of Cars24. Processing over one trillion AI tokens in a single quarter reflects the scale at which intelligence now powers every part of our business. From customer conversations and vehicle inspections to engineering and operations, we are building one AI that understands context, learns continuously and simplifies every stage of vehicle ownership."

Looking forward, Cars24 plans to develop a unified AI layer that integrates buying, selling, financing and ownership services by utilising its data from the past 11 years.

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