Rapid changes in powertrain technologies, emission norms and fuel specifications are making workforce and spare-parts planning increasingly complex for automobile dealers, according to Shailender Luthra, Director of Brite Group and a representative of the Federation of Automobile Dealers Associations (FADA).
Dealership workshops today have to service several generations of vehicles at the same time, ranging from older petrol and diesel models to BS6 vehicles, electric vehicles and newer models compatible with higher ethanol blends.
“There are so many changes happening,” Luthra said during a panel discussion at the Automotive Skills Development Council’s Annual Conclave 2026.
Dealers Juggle BS4 to BS6.2, EVs and E20/E85 Vehicles on the Same Floor
“We jumped to BS6 and 6.2 from 4. We see so many changes happening. So many announcements happening that not only as a dealer but even as an OEM it will become very difficult to keep pace with the changes and to keep stock of small items called spares,” he said.
The challenge is particularly important for dealerships because vehicles from different technology generations continue to remain on the road together for several years.
“You have BS4, you have got BS6, you have got BS6.1, 6.2. You have got EVs, you have got historic petrol vehicles that are non-E20 compliant. You have got E20 compliant vehicles. We are talking about E85 also,” Luthra said.
“We need to have a clear path defined,” he added.
Why Dealerships Need Specialised Technician Teams
Luthra said dealerships will increasingly need specialised technicians as different powertrains and vehicle technologies require different repair and diagnostic capabilities.
“Yes, we need to have a specialised team for specialised divisions, considering the changes that have been brought upon us and also considering the changes which we immediately see in the foreseeable future,” he said.
The shift comes as electric vehicles introduce new service requirements around batteries and other high-voltage systems, while conventional internal-combustion vehicles will continue to form a significant part of India’s vehicle parc.
Hybrid vehicles further widen the skills required because technicians need to understand both combustion-engine and electrified systems.
Luthra said the coming three-five years will therefore require dealerships to maintain a mix of capabilities rather than make a complete shift from one technology to another.
“Going forward, we need to have a blend. And a blend which is clearly specified and defined — how the transition is happening,” he said.
Reskilling the Existing Technician Workforce for EVs and Hybrids
The bigger challenge is not limited to training people entering the automotive workforce, according to Luthra. Dealers will also have to upgrade the skills of technicians who are already working in their workshops.
“We also have the responsibility to ensure that the current workforce transitions to that tomorrow. We have a huge workforce today which is already trained, right from a technician to a master technician,” he said.
“In EV, the skill sets would change, whether a battery is to be repaired or a cell is to be repaired, or even in a hybrid. Technology is always changing,” he added.
Luthra said managing this transition and creating teams capable of working across different vehicle technologies will be important over the next three-five years.
FADA-ASDC Partnership to Address the Skills Gap
FADA expects to work more closely with ASDC as dealerships prepare their workforce for the transition.
Luthra said the two organisations have complementary roles, with FADA representing the dealer network while ASDC develops training and skills for both new and existing technicians.
“FADA and ASDC will have to play a very pivotal role, and in close association with each other,” he said.
“ASDC is in a position to provide that skill set to the newer coming generation. Not only that, but also to ensure that the current workforce is also skilled to reach or to be able to adapt to that transition.”
Luthra also cited estimates showing the scale of the challenge. He said India has around 7 million trained workers in the broader ecosystem, of which workshop infrastructure absorbs about 2.8 million. He estimated that around 85,000 workshop workers are employed in Delhi-NCR.
Dealerships occupy a critical position in this transition because they are the point at which vehicle manufacturers’ changing technologies meet customers through sales and after-sales service.
Luthra described dealerships as the “last mile connectivity in terms of absorption” of trained automotive workers, while being the “first mile” when it comes to understanding customer sentiment.
With ICE vehicles, EVs, hybrids and different fuel specifications expected to coexist for several years, dealers will need to continuously update technician capabilities rather than prepare for a single technology replacing another.
(With inputs from Mukul Yudhveer Singh, Shahkar Abidi and Anurag Chaturvedi)