Based upon the theme of
‘Building the Nation, Responsibly’, the Society of Indian Automobile
Manufacturers (SIAM) held its 56th Annual Convention. Union Minister of Heavy
Industries and Public Enterprises Anant G Geete was the Chief Guest. Geete,
said: “After the Hon’ble Prime Minister gave the ‘Make in India’ call, the auto
industry has played a key role in this programme. The environment is one of the
biggest concerns for the sector. We have therefore allocated Rs 14,000 crore
for the FAME scheme for promoting hybrid and electric mobility, which will save
Rs 60,000 crore fuel, thereby benefitting the environment.”
Meanwhile, SIAM announced that
Vinod K Dasari, Managing Director, Ashok Leyland has been re-elected as the
President of SIAM. Ravinder Pisharody, Executive Director (Commercial
Vehicles), Tata Motors will continue to serve as Vice President, SIAM and Mr.
Kenichi Ayukawa, Managing Director & Chief Executive Officer, Maruti Suzuki
India, retains his position of treasurer, SIAM.
Reiterating the Government’s
support to the Industry, Geete added: “India is looked upon as the world’s
youngest nation because we have the most people below 35 years. We should use
this youth power by giving them jobs. And the auto industry has the biggest
scope for providing these jobs. If jobs fall in agriculture, only industry can
make good this shortfall.”
Vinod Dasari said: “We
appreciate the support from the Minister and the Ministry of Heavy Industries.
We also welcome the Government’s efforts in passing GST but request that there
be no more than two rates for the automotive industry. The Indian automotive
industry is facing new challenges in providing sustainable mobility for the
masses. We have sought a long-term roadmap on safety, emissions and fuel
efficiency norms. In order to make practical and rational regulations, we seek
a single ministry, single window for the industry. We would also like to thank
the Government for accepting SIAM’s suggestion of the fleet modernisation
scheme. Industry will be happy to offer further incentives to customers to
supplement the government’s incentive for purchase of a new vehicle against a
scrapped vehicle.”
John Moavenzadeh, Head of
Mobility Industries, World Economic Forum on Global Trends in Mobility, USA.
said: “We are witnessing the 4th Industrial Revolution and the shifting
Automotive Game. The 4th Industrial Revolution is not categorised by one single
technology but by diverse technologies. The global auto industry is in the
midst of a more profound transformation not seen in the past 100 years.
Automotive demand is undergoing a seismic shift between developed and emerging
economies. The automotive game is changing from volume to value; from the
customer’s focus on the product to the mobility experience; from
customer-driven vehicles to software-driven ones. By 2026, the Indian
automotive industry will be among the top three in the world in engineering,
manufacture and exports of vehicles and components.”
Session 1
Session 1 on ‘Sustainable
Mobility for Creation of Wealth of Nations’ saw Guenter Butschek, Chief
Executive Officer and MD, Tata Motors stating that, “As a home ground to the
world’s largest youth population, the Indian economy is witnessing an unprecedented
advantage compared to other countries. The Indian automobile industry
contributes to approximately 40% of the nation’s manufacturing GDP and is
surrounded by a cloud of opportunities fostering new generation R&D and
innovation. Taking into account challenges such as safety, pollution,
unemployment and lack of adequate resources, it is imperative for the leading
automobile manufacturers to focus on developing ‘sustainable mobility
solutions’ in addition to nurturing skilled engineers and people managers rather
technocrats and theory masters. The good news is that new horizons like safety
norms, GST and the scrappage policy are unfolding and will give us the
opportunity to counter these challenges. The focus should be on building a
strong partnership between the industry and the Government to ensure we work
together towards a long-term regulatory regime for the industry. We need to
identify technologies based on global mega trends and regulations and deep dive
into the industry to map products in order to be future ready.”
In conclusion, he added, “it
is for the Indian automobile industry to decide whether they want to be
followers or leaders and put India on the global automotive map.”
Dr Wilfried Aulbur, Managing
Partner India, Chairman Middle East & Africa, Head Automotive Asia, Roland
Berger India, said: “The automotive industry is a significant driver for FDI in
India. It also drives process improvements and quality; however, these
opportunities are not fully used. We need to stimulate volumes to boost GDP and
create more job opportunities. While the Government’s support is appreciated, a
holistic, long-term policy is required. We believe GST will contribute in the
growth of India’s automobile sector.”
Session 2
In Session 2 on ‘Technology
Trends’, Chief Guest, Minister of Road Transport, Highways and Shipping, Nitin
Gadkari – speaking via a recorded video message – welcomed the industry’s
support in solving pollution problems and agreeing to move straight to BS-VI
from BS-IV and also sought the industry’s support in improving road safety. He
said, “The automotive sector is on the road towards growth and success with a
turnover of Rs. 4,50,000 crore that is generating many jobs. The Government is
seeking ways to ensure that a large part of the global supply can be exported
from India. While pollution is one of the biggest concerns, the industry has
been very supportive of our efforts to address this issue. We are attempting to
implement a scrapping policy for old vehicles, which will help reduce
pollution.”
The Minister also added: “The
promise of GST will be fulfilled in this Parliament session. Five lakh
accidents occur annually leading to 2.5 lakh deaths. We need the industry’s
support to address the issue of accident spots across the country. In 10 years,
we believe India’s automotive sector will be number one in the world and the
industry’s support is required to realise this goal.”