JSW Motors plans to open own showrooms before India car debut

JSW Group’s automotive business is preparing to open a clutch of company-owned showrooms in India ahead of its first vehicle launch later this year, a bid by the conglomerate to firmly establish the new brand, according to people familiar with the matter.

JSW Motors, part of the billionaire Sajjan Jindal-led conglomerate, plans to set up at least four “experience centers” across key Indian cities, including Mumbai, New Delhi and Ahmedabad, before rolling out its debut product in the second half of the year, the people familiar said, asking not to be identified as the discussions are private. The new car will be an upscale plug-in gas-electric hybrid model, they said.

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“We will start with experience centers, designed as curated spaces for customers to interact with our products, learn about our technology, and connect with” the brand, a spokesperson for JSW Motors said in response to Bloomberg News queries. They added that the company will launch a plug-in hybrid and a range extender vehicle in 2026, followed by a phased expansion of its portfolio across segments and power trains.

While JSW has a successful joint venture in India with China’s SAIC Motor Corp., the steel-to-cement business empire’s foray into cars will be the first new homegrown automotive brand in India in decades. The plans come against a backdrop of a boom in electrified vehicle sales in the world’s third-largest automotive market, as car buyers seek out models with lower emissions and operating costs.

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That trend has been amplified in recent weeks by an energy shortage resulting from the US-Iran war in the Persian Gulf.

JSW is hoping to make a name for itself with the new car brand and showroom push in India’s competitive electric-vehicle market, which is dominated by local heavyweights such as Tata Motors Passenger Vehicles Ltd. and Mahindra & Mahindra Ltd. The country is also seeing newer entrants like Tesla Inc., which are experimenting with alternative retail formats and direct sales models.

The outlets will be owned and operated directly by the Mumbai-based company, the people said, a precursor to wider distribution through more traditional dealer networks. The aim is to allow JSW to better manage the customer experience, pricing and brand positioning in the early stages, they added.

JSW has begun soliciting pitches from outside dealers as it lays the groundwork for a broader retail presence. Prospective partners are expected to be shown its initial product lineup, including models from a separate partnership with China’s Chery Automobile Co., around June or July, the people said. All of those vehicles, however, will carry a JSW badge, they said.

The group is constructing a facility in the western Indian state of Maharashtra that will manufacture JSW Motors’ new-energy vehicles, as well as electrified trucks and buses under a separate company, JSW Greentech Ltd. Those commercial vehicles will initially be produced for JSW’s fleet and later offered to external customers, the people said.