Taiwan auto parts, mold/die trade delegation to visit India in July

Taipei, May 11, 2004 (CENS)--The Taiwan External Trade Development Council (TAITRA) is scheduled to ally with three major industry manufacturers' associations to jointly tap the Indian market in July.

The three industrial associations include Taiwan Transportation Vehicle Manufacturers' Association (TTVMA), Taiwan Plastics Industry Association (TTPIA) and Taiwan Mold & Die Industry Association (TMDIA).

Huang Han-tang, TAITRA's senior market development specialist, recently said that under TAITRA's arrangement, the Mahindra & Mahindra, the top-third automobile maker in India, has decided to release contract orders to a Taiwan supplier for the cabinets on its 7.5-ton GVW Capacity commercial truck model scheduled to be soon mass produced. Huang claimed that M&M's cabinet order would be the Indian auto maker's largest-ever contract order to foreign suppliers.

TAIRA is scheduled to lead a trade delegation comprising many local leading auto parts and mold/die developers to visit India in early July. Over 20 local companies have registered in the delegation, including E-Lead Electronic Co. (Taiwan's largest hands-free car kit maker), Nan Hoang Traffic Instrument Co., Ltd. (leading automobile friction material maker) and Kaifa Ind. Co., Ltd. (shock absorbers) etc.

According to TAITRA, India is currently the world's fifth-largest automobile and second-largest powered two-wheeler (PTW) production nation with an annual capacity of about 606,000 passenger cars and 3.91 million PTWs last year. In conjunction with the rapid economic development in the high-populace nation, most international auto and PTW brands have been actively deploying their production business there in recent years.

TAITRA said that all the top-three auto makers in India have made positive responses to the scheduled trade delegation, including Maruti Udyog, Tata Motors and M&M. In addition, India's top-two PTW makers, the Hero Honda and Baja Auto have also invited most of their first-tier parts suppliers to meet the Taiwanese delegation.

Hero Motors of India, which is in partnership with Aprilia of Italy, has also been required by the Italian partner to procure some PTW parts from Taiwan recently, TAITRA said.