10 lakh cars sold during Navratri, Goyal says India is emerging as a global manufacturing hub

This year's Navratri has proved a big one for the Indian auto industry. A full 10 lakh cars were sold in the country during Navratri, while about 70,000 cars were sold on Dhanteras alone. Union Commerce and Industry Minister Piyush Goyal shared the figures on November 10.

According to Goyal, India's large auto market and competitive prices are a major reason why the country is emerging as a global manufacturing hub. He was speaking at the curtain-raiser event for Bharat Mobility Global Expo 2027 in New Delhi.

He said India's large customer base gives vehicle makers the chance to produce at scale. If exports are emphasised along with domestic demand, companies will be able to keep production costs under control and compete in world markets, he said.

To explain his point, Goyal cited Maruti Suzuki. He said the company is sending electric vehicles (EVs) from India to 50 countries, which shows that vehicles made in India are in demand abroad too. He asked Indian companies not to depend only on domestic sales and to focus on the global export market as well.

On the expo, Goyal said about 10 lakh visitors are expected at Bharat Mobility Global Expo 2027. He set a target of bringing at least 25,000 of them from abroad. He said that with proper global marketing, the expo could become the world's largest in both size and attendance. The theme of this year's expo is 'Beyond Boundaries'.

Goyal also gave an important update on exports. The government aims to take the country's total exports to $1 trillion by the financial year 2028. He expressed confidence that India is moving towards this target.

Goyal added that he recently visited Japan, where companies are interested in partnering with Indian producers for large investments.