From telephones, devices to khadi, it’s a swadeshi Diwali this yr – Enterprise Information

A decade in the past, swadeshi meant khadi and handicrafts. This Diwali, it appears very completely different: a household SUV rolling off a Pune meeting line, an iPhone 17 assembled in Bengaluru, or a Philips airfryer ‘Made in India’.

As tariffs and geopolitics create an setting of uncertainty, Prime Minister Narendra Modi in his speeches has urged Indians to embrace swadeshi this festive season, saying “India’s biggest adversary is dependence on other nations”.

Diwali gross sales are anticipated to cross an all-time excessive of Rs 4.75 lakh crore this yr, pushed largely by Indian-made items.
The new GST reforms, aimed toward supporting micro, small, and medium enterprises (MSMEs), have additional inspired the shift towards Indian-made merchandise. Praveen Khandelwal, secretary common of the Confederation of All India Traders (CAIT) and member of Parliament from Chandni Chowk, echoes the PM’s sentiments. 

“Every purchase of Indian-made goods is not just an act of celebration, but a contribution to strengthening the economy and empowering small traders,” he mentioned. “The trading community pledges that swadeshi products will be available in every shop. The only alternative to foreign goods will be swadeshi,” CAIT has said.

Swadeshi will get an impetus when maybe one of the coveted merchandise, the newest iPhone, comes with a Made in India stamp. Just just a few years in the past, India was nearly fully an import market. Today, as per Canalys’ knowledge, units assembled right here account for 44% of US smartphone imports, up from 13% final yr.

American tech firm Apple is on the centre of this shift. Once reliant on China for almost all iPhone manufacturing, it reportedly now makes one in 5 iPhones in India. In FY25, it assembled $22 billion value of units in India, a 60% leap from FY24. Of these, almost 80% have been exported. Since the federal government’s smartphone production-linked incentive (PLI) scheme was launched in 2021, Apple’s distributors have crossed manufacturing value over $45 billion and $34 billion in exports.

Korean Samsung has additionally expanded its India play. It began manufac turing in India in 1996 with its first facility in Greater Noida, initially making TVs and later cellphones, laptops, wearables and tablets. Globally, Samsung operates its second-largest cellular manufacturing unit in India and is the nation’s second-largest handset exporter after Apple.

If telephones are the attention-grabbers, white items are the quantity story. “This year, we’re observing a growing consumer preference for products that offer quality, innovation, and value with a rising sense of pride in those that are Made in India,” mentioned Shibashish Roy, CEO & MD of Croma.

LG Electronics, a market chief throughout client durables, has two factories in Noida and Pune, producing every thing from TVs and fridges to washing machines and air conditioners. A 3rd plant is arising in Andhra Pradesh by 2026, cementing India’s function as a world provide base for the South Korean main. The firm will double manufacturing capability in 5 years because it seeks to make India a world manufacturing hub, Sanjay Chitkara, chief gross sales officer, mentioned on the sidelines of its IPO occasion.

“While domestic demand remains robust in the country, we also want to position India as an alternate manufacturing hub, catering to more export markets,” Chitkara mentioned. Exports, which give LG India 6% of its topline, occurs to 47 international locations, rising 45% year-on-year previously yr.

One is reminded of Home Minister Amit Shah’s phrases on the current FE Best Bank Awards: “We launched the Make in India initiative as a movement. We invited world-class companies to manufacture in India, and not just sell here. We want global companies to become Indian in spirit, rooted in our economy, contributing to our workforce.”

Companies are taking the cue. Like French tech main Schneider Electric, which goes massive on Made in India. Nearly 80-85% of its retail product portfolio are regionally manufactured. India is certainly one of Schneider Electric’s 4 international hubs, using over 39,000 folks. The firm presently operates 31 manufacturing websites in India and plans so as to add three extra. Sumati Sahgal, VP – house & distribution retail, Schneider Electric, mentioned: “Our Made-in-India innovations are clearly labelled so consumers can consciously choose swadeshi options,” mentioned Sahgal, including, “This festive season, we are witnessing double-digit growth in demand for our Made-in-India portfolio compared to last year.”

At Panasonic, the pivot is seen in product launches in addition to provide chains. “We expect this festive season to deliver strong growth momentum, with demand likely to increase by 25-30% over last year,” mentioned Fumiyasu Fujimori, managing director, Panasonic Marketing India. Versuni, which owns Philips home equipment, has opened an Ahmedabad plant to supply airfryers and garment steamers. IFB has added a fridge unit in Pune, complementing older factories in Goa and Kolkata.

The vehicle sector has all the time been probably the most seen image of native manufacturing. Maruti Suzuki, India’s largest carmaker, makes 2.6 million vehicles a yr. “Maruti Suzuki has achieved its highest-ever monthly exports of 42,204 units in September, growing at a whopping 52.2% on year. In just four years, we are now exporting cars in a quarter what we used to export in a year,” mentioned Rahul Bharti, senior government officer, company affairs, Maruti Suzuki, including, “This is like a 21-gun salute to Make in India — make for the world.”

Other carmakers are on the identical web page. In FY25, Japanese carmaker Honda despatched 60,229 items to its house nation. Similarly, Nissan exported 71,334 items in FY25, considerably larger than 42,989 items a yr in the past. Overall, about 770,300 vehicles have been exported in FY25 produced in India, in comparison with 672,105 items in FY24.

Other corporations are matching the tempo in manufacturing. “We have achieved a high localisation level of around 82% on an average, with many advanced parts and key components now being sourced locally. This reflects our strong commitment to ‘Make in India’. Our enhanced capacities will not only help us serve the fast-growing domestic market but also boost exports, which have grown at a healthy 13% so far this year,” mentioned Tarun Garg, MD and CEO-designate. Hyundai is trying to make India its second-biggest market on this planet after the US, with recent investments to the tune of Rs 45,000 crore that may ship 26 merchandise by 2030.

Skoda Auto Volkswagen says India’s sturdy manufacturing ecosystem performs an important function for the corporate, in not simply assembly home demand but in addition international objectives, with exports to Mexico, South Africa and ASEAN. “Almost 90% of the cars we sell in India are manufactured locally, especially our made-in-India models like the Skoda Kylaqm Kushaq, Slavia, Kodiaq and the Volkswagen Taigun and Virtus,” mentioned Piyush Arora, CEO & MD, Skoda Auto Volkswagen India.
Mahindra & Mahindra, with services in Chakan, Nashik, Zaheerabad and Haridwar, continues to strengthen its SUV line-up. The firm noticed registrations surge by 60% throughout the 9 days of Navratri.

Homegrown Tata Motors can be scaling sharply. With main vegetation in Pune, Sanand, Pantnagar, Dharwad and Jamshedpur, the corporate reported file September gross sales of 60,907 passenger automobiles, a 47% year-on-year leap. With a minimum of 15 factories throughout the nation,  the corporate recorded 10,000 deliveries and 25,000 enquiries on the primary day of Navratri. Kia India, working from its Anantapur plant in Andhra Pradesh, has constructed up a capability of 300,000 items yearly since 2019, and now presents 9 fashions in India, together with SUVs and Evs.

EV maker Greaves Electric Mobility says it has achieved a surge in demand for its automobiles, together with Ampere Nexus, Magnus (scooter), and Eltra (electrical three-wheeler) – all designed and manufactured in India.