India’s EV localisation journey has so far been dominated by discussions around battery packs, cells, vehicle assembly and charging infrastructure. But the deeper layer of the electric powertrain, including traction motors, inverters, reducers, e-axles, magnets and control systems, still carries significant dependence on imported technology and materials.
Sona Comstar now wants to attack that layer.
The Gurugram-based mobility technology company is working with Japan’s DENSO on what it calls the “Bharat Motor” project, an effort to create motors, inverters and related EV systems specifically for Indian vehicles, operating conditions and duty cycles. According to Sona Comstar MD and Group CEO Vivek Vikram Singh, the larger ambition is not merely to manufacture more components in India, but to build a substantially self-reliant EV technology stack in the country.
The Bharat Motor Project Goes Beyond Local Assembly
The distinction between localisation and local assembly is important here. An electric motor assembled in India can still depend on imported permanent magnets, electrical steel, laminations, semiconductors, connectors and sophisticated control electronics. Sona Comstar itself acknowledges that several parts of the EV supply chain continue to depend on overseas suppliers.
The Bharat Motor initiative is therefore being positioned around deeper localisation. The objective is to develop motors and inverters suitable for Indian conditions while gradually increasing the local content of the surrounding supply chain. If executed successfully, this would move localisation away from simply shifting assembly lines into India and towards creating more of the engineering, intellectual property and supplier ecosystem domestically.
That is a much harder problem to solve, but also a more valuable one. Vehicle assembly can be replicated relatively quickly. Building engineering know-how around traction motors, power electronics, thermal management and integrated electric drive systems takes years of development, testing and customer validation.
Two DENSO Joint Ventures Form the Foundation
Sona Comstar’s EV strategy gained a significant structural push in July 2026 when it signed agreements with DENSO to establish two joint ventures in India.
The first JV is focused on electric and hybrid four-wheelers and larger vehicle applications. DENSO will hold a 51% stake while Sona Comstar will retain 49%. The venture is expected to manufacture high-voltage liquid-cooled traction motors, traction inverters and generators in India. These are critical components for passenger vehicles and larger EV platforms where power density, efficiency and thermal management requirements are substantially higher than in smaller electric vehicles.
The second JV addresses the much larger Indian two- and three-wheeler market. Sona Comstar will retain a 51% stake and management control, while DENSO will acquire 49%. The business will manufacture air-cooled traction motors, inverters, generators and e-axles. The underlying business has been valued at an enterprise value of around ₹1,750 crore. Both partners will also license technology and intellectual property to the respective ventures in exchange for royalty payments.
That royalty structure is particularly relevant because it shows that the partnership is not purely about manufacturing capacity. Technology ownership and intellectual property are being treated as economic assets within the business model.
Sona Comstar Already Has Significant EV Exposure
This expansion is also not being attempted from a standing start. EV programmes have already become an important contributor to Sona Comstar’s overall business.
For FY2025-26, the company reported revenue of ₹4,475.1 crore, while BEV-related revenue stood at approximately ₹1,154.2 crore. Battery-electric programmes represented 35% of automotive revenue, showing how deeply electrification has already entered the company’s revenue mix.
This gives Sona Comstar an important advantage. Instead of building an EV business as a separate experiment alongside a traditional components portfolio, the company is already generating a meaningful portion of its automotive revenue from electric vehicle programmes. Its next challenge is therefore less about gaining EV exposure and more about moving up the value chain within electrification.
A supplier selling individual gears, motors or components participates in the EV supply chain. A supplier capable of delivering motors, inverters, reducers, e-axles, control technologies and integrated systems occupies a much stronger position within the vehicle architecture.
From Components to Systems
This transition from components to systems could become the most important part of Sona Comstar’s strategy.
As EV platforms mature, OEMs are increasingly evaluating complete electric drive systems rather than procuring every component independently. Integration between the motor, inverter, gearbox, software and thermal system can influence efficiency, packaging, vehicle range and overall performance. The value therefore shifts toward companies capable of engineering the complete system.
Sona Comstar already has exposure to gears, differential assemblies, traction motors and other drivetrain components. Its partnership with DENSO expands that capability into higher-voltage motors and power electronics, potentially allowing it to participate in a much larger portion of the electric drivetrain.
The company’s ambition is therefore beginning to resemble a transition from component manufacturer to mobility technology supplier.
Why This Matters for India’s EV Industry
India’s EV manufacturing ecosystem has made rapid progress in vehicle assembly and battery-pack manufacturing, but the country still imports several strategically important technologies and materials. Permanent magnets, semiconductors and specialised electrical materials remain among the most difficult dependencies to eliminate.
Creating domestic motor and inverter capabilities does not immediately solve every supply-chain constraint. However, it moves India closer to controlling the engineering layer of the EV drivetrain. Once design, calibration and system integration capabilities exist locally, suppliers can gradually substitute imported sub-components as the domestic ecosystem develops.
This is why the Bharat Motor project deserves attention beyond Sona Comstar itself. It represents a broader question facing India’s EV industry: can the country move from manufacturing electric vehicles to designing the technologies that make those vehicles move?
Sona Comstar appears to believe that it can.
Its FY26 numbers show that EVs are already a substantial part of the business, while the DENSO ventures provide access to technologies required for higher-voltage and more sophisticated applications. The next test will be execution: how much of the surrounding supply chain can genuinely be localised, how quickly the new systems reach production programmes, and whether Indian-developed technology can eventually compete outside the domestic market.
If that happens, the Bharat Motor project could become more than another localisation initiative. It could mark Sona Comstar’s attempt to move from being a supplier inside India’s EV ecosystem to becoming one of the companies helping define its technology stack.
