The moto industry is ready for transformation, avers Vinnie Mehta
By Nilanjan Datta
NEW DELHI: Aiming for a significant improvement of the environment, reducing pollution and going further green, the Government of Bharat has stressed on the tagline – ’30 by 30,’ aiming to convert 30% of vehicles into electric vehicles by 2030. In a candid chat with Bharat Moto Hub, Mr. Vinnie Mehta, Director General, ACMA echoes his confidence on the prowess of the industry, realistic perception of ’30 by 30,’ the transformation in the Bharat moto ecosystem, the market dynamics, and much more. EXCERPTS:
How’s the market dynamics of the Bharatn moto sector looking at the current moment with context to the post-covid scenario where the entire world struggled, and some are still battling it out to come back to terms.
I think the market is rocking. I would say that Bharat is a sweet spot, and everybody sort of recognizes that today especially on the back of very sound macroeconomic fundamentals which we have. The auto industry is doing very, very, very well.
Can you elaborate?
The car industry had one of their best performances, and it continues. Not just the car industry, the two-wheeler industry has done tremendously well. The commercial vehicle industry has done well too, and so has the tractor industry. And on the back of all this, the auto component industry continues to perform quite well. We take extreme satisfaction in all of that, and we hope that these good tidings continue.
30 by 30 is the new tagline – thirty percent conversion of all automobiles into electric vehicles. Realistically, is that feasible?
I would say that Bharat is a glass half full. It’s your point of perspective. If you’re confident, you see it as full. If you’re doubting Thomas, you see it as half full. (smiles). But we in the industry would like to believe that it is half full, and that half empty part is still an opportunity for us to fill. At this juncture you can sense the kind of confidence that we have in the industry that we will definitely achieve it. The industry is transforming, and I have no doubt in the prowess of the industry and in the confidence of our people. The entire industry is ready for transformation.
Looking back, what was the significance of the Bharat Mobility Global Expo 2024 which recently concluded in the Capital.
Earlier on we used to have the Auto Expo, and the Auto Component Industry and the Vehicle Industry – they had two very large shows happening at two different venues. But this time round, the Bharat Mobility Global Expo was envisaged as a coming together of all the elements of the ecosystem, to represent the entire transformation that the automotive industry is going through to become a mobility industry.
What was special?
In the Expo, we had component displays, vehicle displays, the battery manufacturers, the steel manufacturers, software guys, and everyone on the same platform. So, it was like an end-to-end journey from raw materials to vehicles, (1:00) riding on the new age technology. Besides the excitement, there were experience zones as well. It was a lot of fun, but built with a lot of seriousness. On top of it the entire show in some sense was built on the ACMA AutoMechanika New Delhi. And that was an aftermarket event. It was not just about the transformation to the new age – but more about once the vehicles move out to the consumers, how do they take care of it? It was the convergence of all elements of the ecosystem. And we pulled it off in just two months.