‘Built for Bharat’ approach key to India’s global EV ambitions, says JBM Group’s Nishant Arya

Nishant Arya, Vice Chairman of JBM Group

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India’s ambition to emerge as a global electric vehicle manufacturing hub will succeed only if products are engineered first for domestic operating conditions and customer economics, said Nishant Arya, Vice Chairman of JBM Group.

Speaking at the ETAuto EV Conclave 2025 during a panel discussion on ‘Built for Bharat, ready for the world: Rethinking EV design and manufacturing’, Arya underlined that reliability, asset utilisation, and total cost of ownership, rather than upfront pricing, will determine long-term success in India’s value-conscious EV market.

“It is not just about the product at the point of sale. Customers want to clearly see how the vehicle performs as an asset over its entire lifecycle in utilisation, uptime and end-customer experience,” Arya said.

Technology-led localisation
He highlighted the growing role of technology in simplifying operations for fleet owners and operators, particularly through remote diagnostics and predictive maintenance. According to Arya, resolving 90–95 per cent of issues remotely is critical to making EVs viable at scale in India.

“If problems require constant on-ground intervention, it becomes expensive and inefficient. User-friendly technology that removes complexity gives companies a clear competitive edge today,” he said.Arya also stressed that high levels of domestic value addition and localisation are no longer optional, calling them essential for faster time-to-market and cost competitiveness.“Localisation with modern engineering capabilities is what really redefines how quickly you can introduce new products,” he added, noting it as a key strategic focus area for the JBM Group.

Touching global borders
On global opportunities, Arya said India’s manufacturing mindset has undergone a structural shift since the rollout of BS VI emission norms. The alignment with global regulatory standards, he said, helped Indian suppliers integrate into international supply chains, initially through imports and subsequently via localisation as volumes increased.

“BS VI brought India much closer to developed markets. That experience has shown that when scale builds up, technologies get localised and India becomes an export hub,” he said, adding that markets across Europe, the Middle East, Africa and Australia are increasingly open to products engineered and manufactured in India.

Arya noted that global customers are also rethinking sourcing strategies in the post-Covid environment, prioritising supply-chain diversification and resilience. This shift presents a significant opportunity for Indian manufacturers to build vehicles on common architectures that serve both domestic and export markets.