Autonomous Driving Less Relevant to India, But Its Technology can Improve Safety: Piyush Goyal

Commerce and Industry Minister Piyush Goyal said fully autonomous driving may have limited relevance in India, but technologies being developed for such vehicles can still be used to improve road and vehicle safety.

Speaking at the 66th annual session of the Automotive Component Manufacturers Association of India (ACMA), Goyal urged automakers and component suppliers to make greater use of technology to improve safety rather than wait for government regulation.

“In India, we do not really need autonomous driving because of number of people we have, we have enough chauffeurs and I don't imagine myself getting into an autonomous car on the road here,” Goyal said.

However, he said technologies such as cameras used in advanced vehicles could have useful safety applications even without moving towards fully autonomous driving. “We need to take safety to the next level,” Goyal added.

Goyal's broader message to the automotive industry was that manufacturers should identify and address vehicle safety risks themselves rather than leave the government to step in with regulations.

As an example, Goyal flagged the potential risk posed by electronically operated vehicle door locks during floods or other emergencies. “Why do you leave it to the government to worry that if there's a flood or if there's an unfortunate event, the electronic auto locks in the car can actually be very, very dangerous,” he said. Goyal made clear that electronic locks were only one example and that the industry should look more broadly for areas where safety could be improved proactively.

AI and Technology

The minister also called for wider deployment of technology across the automotive sector, including artificial intelligence.

Goyal cited AI as a tool that could be deployed for better quality control and to understand customer requirements more effectively. He also pointed to customised vehicles and improved safety features as areas where technology could play a larger role.

His comments come as electronics, cameras, sensors and software are taking on a larger role in new vehicles, even where the objective is not full autonomous driving.

He also urged Indian component companies to deepen indigenisation, expand internationally and develop higher-value integrated solutions rather than remain focused only on component manufacturing.

“Move up the value chain,” Goyal said, calling on Indian suppliers to design, build and supply high-quality products globally.

He also asked the automotive industry to help make the scrappage of older vehicles financially attractive to customers and called for greater participation of women on auto-component shop floors.