

Budget 2026: Auto sector left wanting
Subscribe to enjoy similar stories. Going into the Union Budget 2026-27, expectations from the automobile sector were decidedly high. While the budget was not hostile towards the sector, it was not ambitious either.
The focus remained firmly on increasing manufacturing depth, rather than enhancing adoption velocity or providing some much-needed policy clarity. The over 1% correction in the Nifty Auto Index on 1 February reflected this disappointment. India’s automotive sector, which had been buoyed by exports and accelerated electric vehicle (EV) adoption, has recently hit one speed-breaker after another.
EVs lost some of their tax-edge over internal combustion engine (ICE) vehicles after the goods and services tax (GST) rates on the latter were rationalized; competitive pressures are set to intensify with the India-EU free trade agreement, and with global original equipment manufacturers (OEMs) sharpening their India playbooks; South Africa—a key export destination for Indian automobiles—is contemplating doubling import-duties to 50%; and raw material prices are on the rise as steel prices recover on the back of safeguard duties. Against this backdrop, the hope was for a clear policy nudge, if not a shove, towards EVs, hybrids, and the broader automobile ecosystem. Hybrids continue to operate in a grey zone—neither fully incentivized, nor discouraged.
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