Automotive industry deepens Indo-German partnership
German manufacturers gain market shares in India
New Delhi/Frankfurt am Main, 10 February 2009. Despite the global economic crisis, the German automotive manufacturers have increased their sales on the Indian vehicle market. "Last year sales of German brands of passenger cars in India rose by 38 per cent, while the market as a whole expanded by only 1.5 per cent," said Dr. Thomas Schlick, Managing Director of the German Association of the Automotive Industry (VDA), as German Federal Minister of Transport Wolfgang Tiefensee was visiting the Indian capital, New Delhi. He added that India offered the German automotive industry huge opportunities in the medium and long term, and that German technologies were highly regarded in India in particular. This was especially true of products from suppliers, who have pushed up their exports to India by 18 per cent.
The Indian suppliers, in their turn, increased their quota of exports to Germany by 7 per cent in 2008. "In the coming years cooperation between the German and Indian automotive industries will become even more intensive," Dr. Schlick stressed. This will be enhanced by the Joint Working Group on the automotive sector recently founded by the two countries. The cooperation was given its "starter's orders" in a Letter of Intent signed in the presence of the Indian Minister of Heavy Industries Sontosh Mohan Dev and Minister Tiefensee in New Delhi.
The Joint Working Group brings together representatives of Government and industry from the two countries. The German Ministry of Transport and the Indian Ministry of Heavy Industries are the co-chairs. The members represent the VDA and its Indian partner associations - ACMA for the suppliers and SIAM for the vehicle manufacturers - in addition to various other institutions in the automotive industry. Their common tasks focus on researching and developing technologies for sustainable mobility and issues concerning international trade policy and market access. The new working group is also intended to enhance cooperation between German and Indian institutions.
With its committed activity within the Joint Working Group on the automotive sector, the German automotive industry is stepping up its activities on the growth market in India. The VDA, ACMA and SIAM have been cooperating closely for many years. Members of the three associations meet regularly during visits by delegations, Indo-German business meetings and other information events. In addition, the associations have stands at the international trade fairs that they organize - the Auto Expo in New Delhi and the IAA Cars in Frankfurt. The next meeting of the Indo-German Joint Working Group on the automotive sector will take place at the IAA Cars in Frankfurt on 22 September 2009.