Hyundai Motor India chief Garg says exports should go beyond finished vehicles to platforms and software

【New Delhi, India=Reporter Pragya Awasthi】India should move beyond finished-vehicle production and exports to become a hub for high-value automotive technology exports, including platforms, software, and engineering expertise, it was argued.
On the 31st, Tarun Garg, head of Hyundai Motor India Limited (HMIL), stressed that India's auto industry should export not only finished vehicles but also vehicle platforms, software, parts, and mobility systems overseas.
Hyundai Motor Company exported 191,250 vehicles from India in fiscal 2025-2026, up 16.4% from a year earlier. In July 2026, it also posted a record monthly export total of 21,150 units, a 31.4% increase from the same month a year earlier.
What Garg is focusing on is the 'technology' embedded in finished vehicles. Cars have now evolved beyond engines and bodywork into integrated technology products that combine electronic systems, batteries, power electronics, software, and connected services. Garg explained that vehicle platforms, software, and electronic technologies can also become export products separate from finished vehicles.
Hyundai Motor Company's connected-car system, Hyundai Bluelink, is a prime example. According to Hyundai Motor Company, Bluelink runs on about 1.2 million lines of code and has been applied to more than 800,000 vehicles in India. The share of vehicles equipped with connected technology has also risen from 4% in 2019 to about 20% today. It supports more than 70 functions, five languages, and over 450 voice commands, and it now also offers over-the-air, or OTA, updates for maps and vehicle control software.
India's export potential in electric vehicles is also growing. Hyundai Motor Company is building a battery sub-assembly production facility in Tamil Nadu and is pushing to localize key components such as power electronics. Hyundai Motor Group is also expanding research into battery and electrification technologies through local R&D networks and partnerships with academia. It sees export opportunities extending beyond battery cells to battery management systems (BMS), thermal management, inverter and motor control, charging, and vehicle integration technologies. The analysis is that competitiveness can improve if companies secure engineering capabilities to design and integrate related systems, even if they do not produce every battery cell and semiconductor themselves. Expanding R&D investment by parts suppliers is also seen as an important task.
Garg emphasized that local parts suppliers should strengthen their own R&D capabilities rather than relying too heavily on finished-vehicle makers or overseas technology partners. If parts or software modules developed locally are supplied to multiple automakers or exported overseas separately from finished vehicles, India's auto industry could become far more competitive in exports.
Hyundai Motor Company's production base is also supporting this strategy. Centered on its plants in Chennai and Pune, the company plans to expand its combined annual production capacity to more than 1.07 million vehicles by 2028. From fiscal 2026 to 2030, it is pursuing an investment roadmap worth 450 billion rupees for production facilities, electrification, and future mobility. Expanding engineering technology exports will not immediately lead to lower consumer prices. However, strengthening local software, battery, and electronic technologies could reduce import dependence and accelerate the development of vehicles tailored to local needs. Parts suppliers could also spread R&D costs by expanding overseas supply.
[email protected] Reporter Pragya Awasthi Reporter