At the Spain-India Business Summit in Mumbai, Union Minister for Road Transport and Highways, Nitin Gadkari, presented an ambitious plan to position India as the world’s top automobile hub within the next decade. Emphasizing India’s competitive edge in production costs and skilled labor, Gadkari expressed optimism about the country’s ability to surpass major players like China and the United States in the global automotive Industry.
“The size of our automobile industry is 22 lakh crores. The size of China’s automobile industry is 44 lakh crores and the US is 78 lakh crores. Now, our aim is to make India’s automobile industry within 10 years number one in the world,” Gadkari stated. He acknowledged India’s current logistical challenges, with transport costs of 14-16%, higher than the 12% average in the US and Europe, but pointed to improvements in infrastructure that are steadily reducing these costs. “We now have a lot of express highways, 36 green access control express highways. Our NHI is triple-A rating,” he added.
Discussing India’s commitment to sustainability, Gadkari highlighted initiatives in water and waste management. “We have implemented the water sewage, there is a 90 ml dislodge of Mathura converting into clean water and giving that water to the Indian oil refinery in Mathura. First time when I was water resource minister, we planned it for a hybrid annuity. 40% from the government and 60% from the investor,” he shared.
Gadkari also underscored the importance of energy independence, noting that India spends $22 lakh crore annually on imported fossil fuels. To reduce this reliance, he outlined efforts to expand alternative fuel options and the electric vehicle market. We have got electric cars, electric buses, electric scooters, electric now auto rickshaw and now electric trucks also are ready and electric tractors are ready,” Gadkari said, mentioning recent advancements in ethanol production from sources like corn, sugarcane juice, and molasses.
He expressed confidence in India’s path to achieving sustainable fuel cost reductions and enhanced economic viability through infrastructure improvements. He further stated that, India’s goal to lower logistics costs to a single-digit percentage within two years,” linking the initiative to India’s broader vision for self-reliance under Prime Minister Modi’s Atmanirbhar Bharat mission.
Gadkari’s vision aligns with India’s growing presence in sustainable technology and its role in the G20’s global alliance, positioning the country to lead in the automotive industry while fostering economic resilience and energy independence.
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