Taiwan Expo India 2022 kicks off in Mumbai, India

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The sixth edition of the Taiwan Expo India kicked-off on Wednesday. The three-day long event will be held till tomorrow at the World Trade Centre, Cuff Parade in Mumbai.

The event was virtually inaugurated by James Huang, Chairman of Taiwan External Trade Development Council (TAITRA), while he was present in Taiwan. Themed around the concept of “Together Towards Tomorrow”, TAITRA’s flagship event features 26 brands showcasing 52 latest products spread across four themed pavilions at the physical exhibition, and around 100 exhibitors in the virtual pavilion. The event will also host a series of seminars and webinars on industry relevant topics. Plus, it will conduct over 1000 meetings curated to strengthen business prospects between India and Taiwan.

The expo has garnered the attention of more than 500 Indian businesses with over 500 registrations for B2B online meetings so far this year. At the expo, visitors can experience the technologies and products made by Taiwanese brands in various sectors. One can also visit exhibitors and experience technologies under transportation and auto-components while at the expo. Some of the interesting displays include Yee Jee Technology's tire sealant and Advanced-Connectek’s automobile electronics.

Sharing his views, Dr Guann-Jyh Lee, Deputy Director General, Bureau of Foreign Trade, Ministry of Economic Affairs, said, “Since the launch of the Taiwan Expo in India, we have made important progress among industry corporations, from auto-components to machinery. There has been great contribution by these businesses towards the link between India and Taiwan. The two countries can also experience greater co-operation in the future through digital technologies.”

Adding to this, Gouranglal Das, Director General, India-Taipei Association, asserted, “Today, we are talking about demonstrating opportunities in the smart sector. In the first eight months of this calendar year, we saw the trade figure between India and Taiwan go up 20 percent, on top of the 60 percent growth from last year. This goes to show that businesses and economies are recognising the potential of cooperation. There is still a lot of potential for us to discover each other’s advantages, and we need more B2B engagements. I would encourage more businesses to come to India and see the colourful India I represent today.”

Focusing on India’s potential, Bau-Shuan Ger, Representative, Taipei Economic and Cultural Center in India, cited, “With a young population and strong domestic market, India has been seeking partners to turn its ‘Make-in-India’ policy programme into the number one global semiconductor maker. It is similarly working on other sectors. Taiwan is an ideal candidate to work with India to accelerate cooperation in these fields. Moreover, Taiwanese enterprises have further seen the potential of the Indian market, especially when it comes to investment programmes and incentive schemes, including the promotion of semiconductors.”

Throwing further light on the scheme for semiconductors in India, Anurag Jain, Secretary, Department for Promotion of Industry and Internal Trade (DPIIT), Ministry of Commerce and Industry, Government of India, said, “India’s ‘Make-in-India’ policy is very much steered towards ‘Make-for-the-world’. The latest incentive scheme in India is announced for the semiconductor industry. The global chip shortage has shown the need for a differentiated and diversified chip ecosystem. Taiwan is an unmatched leader in the semiconductor industry. In fact, Vedanta and Foxconn have formed a joint venture to invest $19.5 billion to set up a semiconductor project in Gujarat, India. This is an example of how India and Taiwan can work together in partnership to achieve global high-end technology programmes and supply chains.”

Turning to electric vehicles and auto-components, Deepak Bagla, Managing Director and CEO, Invest India, averred, “We have a special team called Taiwan Plus with our partners at TAITRA. This special team is dedicated to work with each and every investor from Taiwan to handhold through the entire investment journey in India. Today, the special team has been handling over 93 business requests. Most interestingly, these requests are across 17 sectors. One such sector is the electric vehicle sector, which remains one of the primarily fastest growing segments. Besides, we are seeing more traction in terms of auto-components. This shows the increasing depth of the special relationship between Taiwan and India.”

Towards the end of the opening ceremony, Huang addressed the audience saying that India is a keynote between Europe and Asia. “India is a country full of possibilities, where we have seen a continuous trend of companies moving to India to ‘Make-in-India’”, he said and added, “The government has also increased support for smart technology industries, including semiconductors.”

Hindustan Zinc To Invest INR 120 billion Towards Doubling Production Capacity

Hindustan Zinc To Invest INR 120 billion Towards Doubling Production Capacity

Hindustan Zinc Limited, India's sole and the world's biggest integrated zinc producer, said today that its Board of Directors has authorised the first phase of investments to double production capacity.

This development is in line with the robust rise in the demand for steel both domestically and internationally. Over the next five years, the company intends to increase its capacity for producing metal and silver, increasing its overall production capacity to over 2,000 KTPA and 1500 tonnes, respectively. In addition to expanding related mines and mills throughout its operations, the Board has authorised the proposal to establish a new 250 KTPA integrated smelter at Debari in the Udaipur area of Rajasthan. The company’s current metal production capacity is 1.1 million tonnes. At a total cost of over INR 120 billion, the project is expected to be finished in 36 months.

This is an important development since it coincides with the ongoing global zinc market shortage. Silver output has increased more than 20 times, while zinc production has increased four times since the government sold up its share in 2002 and the Vedanta Group bought it. Holding the second-highest zinc reserves and resources in the world with more than 25 years of mine life, the firm is one of the lowest cost zinc producers in the world.

Arun Misra, CEO, Hindustan Zinc Limited, said, “We are excited to announce this 2x growth project towards doubling our capacity across zinc, lead and silver, which is strategically aligned with the country’s expanding economic landscape, increasing demand opportunities and keeping country self-reliant for Zinc. By closely matching the pace of national growth, we are confident that this will create significant value for our stakeholders and drive long-term success.”

ICRA Warns of Rare Earth Magnet Shortages Impacting Indian Auto Sector by July 2025

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India’s automotive industry could face fresh supply chain disruptions by mid-July 2025 due to declining inventories of rare earth magnets, following tightened export restrictions and shipment delays from China, according to rating agency ICRA.

Jitin Makkar, Senior Vice President and Group Head – Corporate Ratings at ICRA, cautioned that the situation echoes the semiconductor shortage of 2021–22, which led to the loss of nearly 100,000 passenger vehicles. “Rare earth magnet inventories are projected to last only until mid-July 2025 for several passenger vehicle and two-wheeler applications,” he said.

Neodymium-iron-boron (NdFeB) magnets, critical for high-performance uses like EV traction motors and power steering systems, are heavily imported – around 85 percent of India’s USD 200 million imports in FY2025 came from China. These magnets make up nearly 30 percent of an electric two-wheeler motor’s cost, with motors priced between INR 8,000 and INR 15,000 depending on specifications.

To counter the supply challenge, Indian OEMs and auto component manufacturers are exploring several alternatives: importing fully assembled motors from China, sending rotors to China for magnet assembly, using substitute materials with similar properties, or switching to rare earth-free motors using electromagnets. However, each option faces significant logistical, regulatory, and engineering hurdles.

While the immediate impact could disrupt production planning, ICRA believes the crisis may also drive innovation and diversification in both materials and supply chains for the Indian auto sector.

Hyundai Mobis Develops New Tech To Prevent Rear-end Collisions

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Hyundai Mobis, a part of Hyundai Group specialising in manufacturing of auto components, modules & systems, has developed a new rear safety control technology that can reduce rear-end collisions.

The company states its new active control technology uses sensors to detect approaching vehicles from behind and manoeuvre the vehicle out of danger, is expected to hit the market soon. It integrates sensors such as rear-side radars and front cameras with driving control technology.

The solution works when the driver engages the Smart Cruise Control (SCC) function on the highway. When the sensors detect any other vehicle at a proximity of 10 metres or less, it first emits an audio alarm or a visual warning on the cluster. When the situation keeps persisting after a certain amount of time, the vehicle automatically accelerates to maintain a safe distance. In addition, the rear side radars also detect the movement of the vehicle behind, while the front camera recognises the lane and vehicle ahead on the driving path to assist in safe acceleration.

Hyundai Mobis acknowledges that while some global OEMs have already integrated such technology, the functions are not yet advanced enough for the vehicle to control itself autonomously. On the other hand, its technology is able to independently adjust the distance between the front and rear vehicles and avoid dangerous situations.
The Korean company plans to further expand the scope of autonomous control for defensive driving against rear vehicles. Currently, the company is developing a lane-changing function to escape dangerous situations, in addition to an acceleration control function that allows the vehicle to speed up on its own.

Jung Soo-kyung, Executive Vice-President and Head of Automotive Electronics Business Units, Hyundai Mobis, said, “We will actively protect the safety of mobility users by providing solutions that can intelligently handle not only front-end safety, but also dangerous situations caused by rear vehicles while driving.”

HARMAN Debuts World’s First In-Vehicle Display Powered By Samsung Neo QLED

HARMAN Debuts World’s First In-Vehicle Display Powered By Samsung Neo QLED

HARMAN, a leading automotive technology company and subsidiary of Samsung Electronics, has unveiled an advanced in-vehicle display that elevates the driving experience with consumer-tech-level visuals. This cutting-edge display, set to debut in the all-new Tata Harrier.ev, represents the first automotive integration of Samsung’s proprietary Neo QLED technology, exclusively licensed and optimised by HARMAN for vehicle applications.

The new 14.53-inch floating Neo QLED display delivers stunning home-theatre-quality visuals with vibrant colours, deep contrast and enhanced brightness, all powered by intelligent algorithms and a sleek, modern design. Engineered to perform flawlessly in all lighting conditions, the display incorporates HARMAN’s proprietary real-time visual control technology, which dynamically adjusts image output to optimize power efficiency. Among its key innovations are the industry’s first cadmium-free Quantum Dot display with intelligent Blue Mini-LED control, 1200-nit peak brightness, true black levels and an expansive 95 percent NTSC colour gamut. The ultra-slim design, featuring bezels under five mm, ensures a seamless and sophisticated aesthetic.

This breakthrough builds on HARMAN’s longstanding partnership with Tata Motors, which began with the integration of JBL audio systems in Tata vehicles across India. With the Harrier.ev, the collaboration now extends to premium branded displays, reinforcing both companies’ commitment to innovation and superior in-car experiences.

Shilpa Dely, Vice President – Displays, HARMAN, said, “We’ve brought together Samsung’s cutting-edge consumer display innovation and HARMAN’s deep automotive expertise to create something truly unique: a first-of-its-kind, in-vehicle visual experience that brings living room TV-level brilliance to the road. We have finally closed the gap between consumer and automotive display technology – and we’re proud to debut this global breakthrough with our trusted partners at Tata Motors.”

Anand Kulkarni, Chief Products Officer, Tata Passenger Electric Mobility Limited, said, “We’re committed to delivering world-class technology to Indian consumers. Together with HARMAN, we're bringing the best of consumer display innovation in India’s most capable SUV, the recently launched Harrier.ev, transforming it into a true third living space after home and office. This collaboration sets a new standard for in-cabin experiences – not just in India, but around the world.”

Sanjeev Kulkarni, Vice President – Sales, HARMAN, said, “Our partnership with Tata Motors spans more than a decade and is built on a like-minded approach to innovation, along with a joint promise to deliver the very best in-cabin experiences to our customers,”. “From JBL premium audio to advanced intelligent cockpit solutions, HARMAN is a defining part of the Tata driving experience. With the introduction of our new display product, we’re proud to take that collaboration even further.”