Back in 2014 when Nitin Gadkari first became the Minister for Road Transport and Highways, India was at the 7th position when it came to being the largest automobile economy. However, it was during his tenure that India rose to the 3rd position and overtook Japan to become the third-largest automobile economy. Nitin Gadkari said this while speaking at the 75th celebratory event at Ashok Leyland, where he expressed confidence about India becoming the top automobile manufacturing hub in the world.

“We (India) are the fastest growing nation in the world and the automobile sector is our growth engine, as it constitutes 6.5 per cent of GDP and contributes the highest amount of Goods and Services Tax to State and Central Governments. From Rs 4.5 lakh crore in 2014, now our automobile sector is worth Rs 12.5 lakh crore,” he said. He added that the sector offered employment for more than 4.5 crore persons.

During this celebratory event, the Minister for Road Transport and Highways unveiled the Electric Light Commercial Vehicles from Switch Mobility- the leV series. The IeV Series is said to be India’s first electric commercial vehicle in its category and aims to provide efficient and eco-friendly solutions for last-mile transportation needs.    

The company also showcased the new, 9-meter, Hydrogen Fuel-Cell Electric Bus developed for NTPC (National Thermal Power Corporation). This is India’s first fuel cell bus that will commercially ply on the country’s roads, they said.

Speaking at the event, Dheeraj Hinduja, Chairman of Ashok Leyland and Switch Mobility mentioned that their company was taking big steps to develop and launch Electric buses in India and the UK. He said that Ashok Leyland was the largest logistics fleet of the Indian Army. Sharing his vision for the firm, he also said that they aim to become among the Global Top 10 in Commercial vehicles and attain the Net Zero Sustainability goal by the time the firm turns 100. 

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