India and Japan bring deeply complementary strengths to the future of mobility. While India offers scale, market growth and expanding capabilities in software and AI, Japan contributes advanced technological depth, engineering excellence and global leadership in safety and mobility systems. The next phase of our partnership should move beyond infrastructure towards technology co-creation – from hydrogen mobility and smart transport systems to next-generation vehicles and integrated mobility platforms. These observations were made by NITI Aayog member V.K. Saraswat during the Japan–India Mobility Summit 2026 in Bengaluru.
He said that mobility transformation today is not merely a sectoral reform; it represents a structural redesign of energy, infrastructure, data and industry. “Through pragmatic pathways and sustained collaboration, India and Japan can together build scalable solutions that accelerate decarbonisation while setting a global benchmark for sustainable mobility,” remarked Saraswat.
He added that Japan offers advanced technological depth, power semiconductor leadership which is essential, high-speed rail engineering which is what we are getting in the high-speed railway or the bullet train project which is going on between two stations, Ahmedabad and Mumbai and proven safety records. Japan's expertise in safety engineering and signalling systems can significantly improve the traffic management and road safety. “By 2030, partnership between India and Japan should aim to demonstrate scalable technology-integrated pilots capable of institutional adoption,” said Saraswat.
Saraswat further said that our aim is not just electric system, our aim is net carbon zero, our aim is minimum pollution. “I personally believe and all studies between Japan and India have shown that the plug-in hybrid gives you a much better life-cycle emission denominator as compared to even the rest of the electric vehicle. It has been my endeavour in all discussions with the companies that we should promote more and more plug-in hybrids across the spectrum, not just in the high-end vehicles, but in the small vehicles also,” pointed out Saraswat.
The Japan-India mobility summit 2026 build over last year’s bilateral commitments, made under the Next Generation Mobility Partnership (NGMP) and the Initiative of Clean Energy Mobility and Infrastructure for Next Generation (ICEMAN). The summit focused on Multi-pathway decarbonisation (EVs, biofuels, green hydrogen, FFVs); Digital & Smart Mobility (Software-Defined Vehicles, GCC collaboration, MaaS/BaaS); Startup and supplier ecosystem partnerships.
“Different markets require different solutions based on their economic realities, policy environments and consumer preferences. Japan’s multi-pathway strategy therefore combines electrification, hybrid technologies and next-generation energy solutions while strengthening international collaboration. India is a critical partner in this journey, offering immense opportunities for innovation, scale and sustainable mobility development,” remarked Keisuke Hosonuma, Director for Automotive International Trade Policy, METI (Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry (METI) of Japan.
The summit brought together over 200 senior representatives from governments, automotive OEMs, suppliers, GCCs, research institutions, and mobility startups with an aim to strengthen cooperation across advanced mobility technologies, energy transition pathways, intelligent transport systems, and next generation mobility while exploring new opportunities in hydrogen mobility, smart urban transport networks, and integrated multimodal infrastructure.
S. Selvakumar, Karnataka Principal Secretary for the Commerce and Industries said during the summit that the state had emerged as a hub for mobility innovation, bringing together advanced manufacturing, a thriving startup ecosystem, and one of the country’s strongest clusters of automotive engineering and digital technology capabilities. “Karnataka has over 800 R&D centres, a vibrant network of global capability centres and policies such as the Clean Mobility Policy 2025–2030. The state is currently building an integrated ecosystem that supports the entire mobility value chain—from design and engineering to manufacturing and deployment,” remarked Selvakumar.