Stellantis has announced that it will invest significant sums of money in India to make it its electric vehicle export hub for Southeast Asia. This announcement comes after the Indian government approved a new policy that favors the production of electric vehicles in the country.
Stellantis will produce electric cars in India for all of Southeast Asia
Aditya Jairaj, CEO of Stellantis India, said the company aims to become the first multinational automaker to export electric vehicles from the Group. Stellantis’ goal is part of the “Make in India” initiative. Aditya also announced that the company plans to export electric vehicles to other markets, including Nepal and Bhutan, and that some of the vehicles produced in India have already been exported to other countries.
These include the Citroen C3 and C3 Aircross, exported to Africa, Malaysia and Indonesia. The automaker has also exported some Jeep vehicles from India to Japan and plans to export more of the American brand’s vehicles to other markets in Southeast Asia and Africa.
Stellantis, led by Carlos Tavares, appears to be ahead of its direct rivals in terms of its presence in India. Tesla, for example, is still trying to enter this market, which is expected to become increasingly important. Elon Musk‘s company is expected to announce the construction of a new Gigafactory in the country soon, but it will take years before production reaches full capacity. So, in this case, it is still behind Stellantis. While Stellantis is continuing with its electrification and electric vehicle strategy, Tavares does not believe that it is a definitive solution. The Portuguese manager has stated that a more immediate solution would be e-fuels.