Stellantis India CEO calls for long-term policy, uniformity

A long-term stable policy framework and its uniform rollout across states in India is critical for automakers to execute business plans on a long-term basis, Shailesh Hazela, the India CEO and managing director of European automaker Stellantis, said.

Speaking to the Press Trust of India, Hazela said consistent policies are crucial for automakers and investors to execute long-term strategies.

“If the government could bring uniformity, which they can, it would really enable the industry to plan in a unified and concise way,” he said, adding that varying state‑level policies, particularly on EVs and taxation, complicate national business planning.

Stellantis, the Italian‑American auto group behind brands like Jeep, Citroën, and Maserati, plans to launch the Chinese EV brand Leapmotor in India by end‑2025.

The company has also invested in EV charging infrastructure and expanded Citroën into smaller cities.

Hazela said a predictable, harmonized regulatory environment would help Stellantis bring more products to market and strengthen its sales network, echoing what many automakers see as key to the industry’s growth.