The policy declared the consumer protection as one of its cornerstones. It clearly spells out that the amount of down payment for booking a car should not be more than 50% of the total price. Similarly, if the vehicle is not delivered on time to any customer, then after the lapse of 60 days, the car company will have to pay KIBOR 2% interest. Increased safety measures have been introduced. A complaint management system has been provided under this policy.

Rationale of this policy is that neither the previous regulations were fully adopted nor targets for localization were achieved. Agreed safety measures in cars were missing and climatic considerations were not taken into account. The auto policy 2021-2026 ignored certain ground realities and didn’t provide proper solutions for it. The inadequate infrastructure can be a hindrance to growth. Like previous policies, lack of regulatory compliance will result into non-compliance of this policy. There is limited fiscal space available with government and high interest rates will make it difficult for the investors to have easy access to finance. Shortage of skilled man power can be another issue.

It is pertinent to explore green energy dimension of auto industry policy. Auto Industry Development and Export Policy (2021-26) is........

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