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R&D is a key enabler of the Make-in-India initiative: Rajendra Petkar
Articles- Jul 30,25
In this interview with Rakesh Rao, Rajendra Petkar, President & CTO, Tata Motors, explains why R&D is essential for India’s transition to a developed, innovation-led economy.
R&D has been a cornerstone of Tata Motors' growth strategy. In this interview with Rakesh Rao, Rajendra Petkar, President & Chief Technology Officer (CTO), Tata Motors, elaborates on steps to be taken to unlock India’s full innovation potential.
How crucial is R&D for the success of Make-in-India (Aatmanirbhar Bharat) initiative?
Research and Development (R&D) is vital to India’s ambition of becoming a global innovation and manufacturing hub. It enables the design and development of advanced products locally, reducing import dependence and enhancing self-reliance. It is a key enabler of the Make-in-India initiative, and essential for India’s transition to a developed, innovation-led economy. At Tata Motors, R&D empowers us to innovate, develop sustainable mobility solutions, and contribute to India’s long-term economic growth.
Tata Motors set a record with highest patent filings in FY25. Why do you think R&D is the key for the growth of the company?
R&D has been a cornerstone of our strategy, enabling us to lead in an industry shaped by megatrends, technological shifts, and evolving consumer needs. In FY25, we filed a record 250 patents and 148 design applications, reflecting our commitment to innovation across emission reduction, alternative fuels, electrification, connectivity, and safety.
Our R&D efforts span across products, services and the extended ecosystem i.e. from the long living traditional fuel based internal combustion engine technologies to new energy propulsion systems like batteries, hydrogen fuel cell and hydrogen ICE; from basic infotainment to high speed connected vehicle features and Advanced Driver Assistance Systems (ADAS). We have also been working on solutions for EV charging and hydrogen refuelling.
Innovative products like the recently launched multi-fuelled Tata Ace Pro, EV buses running in various cities and our top safety ratings from GNCAP and BNCAP are few outcomes of these efforts, resulting in competitive edge and growth for the company.
India's R&D expenditure remains well below the global average. How can India scale up its R&D investment?
Scaling up India’s automotive R&D investment not only essential for global competitiveness but also for accelerating our definitive shifts towards sustainability, circular economy, self – reliance, digitalization and softwarization.
For realising this scale up, intent must meet investment from all stakeholders. A focused and coordinated effort with fiscal incentives, infrastructure support, global integration, and talent development will enable India to become a mobility innovation powerhouse for which fostering result-oriented collaboration between industry, academia, start -ups and government will be a key. The current wave of megatrends and disruptions presents a clear opportunity. At Tata Motors, we view R&D as a long-term value creator. A coordinated push across the ecosystem will be key to unlocking India’s full innovation potential.
How will the recently cleared Research Development and Innovation (RDI) scheme by the Union Government help in increasing India’s R&D investment and outcome?
The RDI scheme is a welcome step towards strengthening India’s innovation ecosystem. The scheme earmarks government support for cutting-edge R&D projects in emerging sectors like like semiconductors, AI, green energy, materials, and quantum computing.
It signals intent to build deeper industry-academia collaboration and incentivise investment in emerging technologies. For the automotive sector, it creates an enabling environment to accelerate work in areas like zero emission, electrification, and future-ready platforms. These policy measures complement our ongoing efforts to drive innovation and support national progress.
Rajendra Petkar
Tata Motors
R&D
Make-in-India
Rakesh Rao
Aatmanirbhar Bharat
patents
batteries
hydrogen fuel cell
ADAS
EV charging
Tata Ace Pro
EV buses
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