Rare earth magnet supply chain crisis: Indian auto industry in panic mode. Disruption and the way ahead

Hindustan Times

2 days ago

The rare earth magnet crisis is giving the Indian auto industry sleepless nights, as the domestic auto sector is facing a severe disruption owing to the shortage of rare earth elements, which could result in a complete shutdown of production as well. (REUTERS) Check Offers
The Indian auto industry is unsettled by China's rare earth export curbs, despite having large reserves. The auto industry stakeholders have started lobbying the Indian government to solve the issue, as the sector fears that this crisis would soon impact the production of vehicles, especially the electric vehicle domain, which is one of the burgeoning spaces of the industry.
The industry stakeholders fear that production of the vehicles in the near term would be impacted owing to the rare earth magnet supply chain disruption. The impact is expected to be felt in the segment where the vehicles come loaded with a wide range of features. Previously, during the Covid-19 pandemic, the global automobile industry witnessed massive disruption owing to semiconductor chips, which had a lengthy effect on the industry, its production volume and deliveries.
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With the current rare earth magnet supply chain disruption, the industry is fearing another similar kind of disruption. In order to mitigate that, several short-term measures are being suggested, which include diplomacy, alternative magnets and recycling. However, there are strong opinions about building a self-reliant supply chain, which is vital for future stability in the industry. Rare earth magnet crisis: How is it shaping up?
The Chinese government abruptly halted exports of rare earth magnets to any country on April 4 this year as part of its trade war with the United States. Like much of the world, India found itself caught in the crossfire of China's export curbs, with the Indian domestic automobile sector now in panic mode. Several car manufacturers, component manufacturers, as well as industry bodies have been expressing their anxiety over this issue. Major auto industry stakeholders have stated that if this situation continues, it would hit the Indian auto industry's production hard. The vehicles that come loaded with features, which translates to the higher trims of the vehicles, would be most impacted due to the crisis. Rare earth magnet crisis: Why should India be worried?
Currently, China controls 90 per cent of the global rare earth magnet production. On the other hand, India is 100 per cent import-dependent for most critical minerals, which include lithium, nickel, cobalt and germanium. Import of copper, another key element for high-tech industries like automobiles, has skyrocketed in recent years, by 10 times in a decade, while domestic production declined. India imported approximately 460 tonnes of rare-earth magnets in FY24, with projections of 700 tonnes for FY25, driven by growing EV volumes across all segments.
With the latest curb on rare earth magnet exports by the Chinese government, if anyone wants to ship out samarium, gadolinium, terbium, dysprosium, lutetium, scandium, or yttrium, then one needs a special license first from the country's government. Among these seven elements, dysprosium and terbium are especially crucial for the automotive and defence industries, where they are used to make powerful magnets essential for advanced technology and vehicle components. The rare earth elements are crucial for both traditional and electric vehicles as they power everything from motors and e-axles to sensors and ignition systems.
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Beijing has rejected multiple license applications for the rare earth magnets over the last few weeks. This is why China's new export curbs are tossing a wrench into the Indian auto industry's production lines, and if this situation lingers, it could ignite a full-blown crisis for the industry. Rare earth magnet crisis: Strong headwind ahead
The Indian mobility industry, like the rest of the global mobility sector, is heading for another crisis after the semiconductor crunch, the Covid-19 challenge and the supply chain crisis in the recent past. With the consignment dispatches stopped in April, it has been more than two months since the industry has not received any consignments of rare earth elements. If this situation continues, the industry will be heading towards shutdown by July or, in some cases, by August 2025. Puneet Gupta, Director, Indian Automotive Market, S&P Global Mobility, believes that OEMs with large volumes will be more vulnerable, and models with more features will be at higher risk of production shutdown.
Speaking on the same, Nilesh Bajaj, CEO of Vayve Mobility, the EV startup that grabbed everyone's attention at the 2025 Bharat Mobility Global Expo with Vayve Eva electric car, has echoed the same thoughts. He said to HT Auto that recent export restrictions by China have created a severe bottleneck, especially for EVs using Permanent Magnet Synchronous Motors (PMSMs), which account for over 70 per cent of electric vehicle motor architectures in India. 'Each electric car requires approximately 1.5–2 kg of NdFeB magnets, and two-wheelers, although lighter, are still reliant on compact PMSM-based drive systems," he explained, while adding, 'Without urgent resolution, vehicle assembly lines could face interruptions as early as Q3 2025, particularly for high-volume electric models." His comment comes in line with Bajaj Auto and other leading OEMs that have already raised concerns about dwindling magnet inventories and the real risk of production halts. Rare earth magnet crisis: How to find the silver lining?
The Society of Indian Automobile Manufacturers (SIAM) has already reached out to the Government of India to intervene diplomatically and seek clearance for the rare earth elements. While such efforts may provide temporary relief, industry experts have warned that such an approach can merely delay the inevitable, leaving the core issue of supply chain vulnerability for critical components unresolved.
Many experts have advocated the need to establish a robust domestic magnet supply chain, considering the fact that India holds the world's fifth-largest reserves of rare earth materials. However, it is important to note that India's rare earth sector has been largely managed by a single company, India Rare Earths Limited (IREL), and the country currently lacks the capacity to produce rare earth materials on a large scale, which is essential to fuel the industry's needs. While establishing the domestic magnet supply chain is a complex and time-consuming yet obvious step, there have been opinions to consider alternatives such as ferrite magnets. Another promising route is to ramp up rare earth material recycling, like extracting magnets from end-of-life electric vehicles, to help bridge the gap while domestic production capabilities are developed.
Speaking on this, Gupta said that, in the short term, the forward strategy will involve leveraging diplomatic channels and exploring alternate sources for sub-assemblies. 'Over the long term, the government is actively pursuing initiatives to process and extract rare earth elements (REEs) domestically, aiming to reduce external dependence. However, it's important to recognise that global interdependence will persist. Complete self-sufficiency is unrealistic unless a nation is willing to reinvest heavily in reinventing the existing resource ecosystem," he further added.
Bajaj too echoed the same sentiment. He said that India's path forward must focus on both innovation and self-reliance. He pointed at four core strategies, which are diversifying motor architecture, accelerating validation cycles, investing in domestic value chains and supporting deep-tech ventures. 'We must treat this incident as a wake-up call, with the goal of building long-term resilience and technological leadership in EV manufacturing," Vayve Mobility's CEO added.
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First Published Date: 10 Jun 2025, 13:27 PM IST