FORVIA, the global mobility technology group, has announced a significant seating programme win in India that will lead to the establishment of its 10th manufacturing facility in the country and its first plant dedicated entirely to complete seat assembly.
Start of production is scheduled for 2027, with the new plant providing end-to-end production of complete seating systems including seat structures, mechanisms, foam, covers, and final assembly for both first and second-row seats.
The announcement comes as India’s automotive market continues its strong growth trajectory, with vehicle sales rising nearly 22% year-on-year to a record 2.6 million units in the first half of 2026. India is identified as a strategic priority within FORVIA’s IGNITE plan, combining strong market growth, increasing demand for advanced technologies, and a rapidly expanding engineering ecosystem.
Mr. Martin Fischer, CEO of FORVIA, said India is becoming one of the world’s most dynamic automotive markets and a strategic pillar of the group’s growth trajectory, and that beyond the new seating investment, the company continues to expand its industrial footprint, strengthen localisation, invest in advanced technologies, and develop world-class engineering and AI capabilities across the country.
The new programme will also introduce FORVIA’s proprietary Cover Carving Technology — an innovative polyurethane-based solution that optimises seat geometry to maximise rear cabin space, improving second-row passenger comfort while maintaining vehicle packaging constraints and enhancing perceived quality through a cleaner seat surface finish.
Mr. Sébastien Limousin, Executive Vice President of FORVIA’s Seating Business Group, said the new plant reinforces the company’s positioning in India — a market expected to represent around €4 billion by 2030 for automotive seating — and reflects the commitment to expanding complete seat system capabilities with locally developed and manufactured solutions.
With the new facility, FORVIA will operate plants across Mehsana, Pune, Ammavaruppali, Bengaluru, Chennai, Derabassi, Gurugram, and Manesar. Since the beginning of 2026, the group has secured multiple programme awards with leading local and global OEMs across Seating, Electronics, and Clean Mobility activities, spanning passenger vehicles and two-wheelers.
India has also become one of FORVIA’s leading engineering and innovation centres, with more than 2,400 engineers and technical experts working across Seating, Interiors, Clean Mobility, Electronics, and Lighting. FORVIA India has filed 61 patent applications and been granted 30 patents to date. FORVIA HELLA India has been established as a Global AI Centre of Competence, developing artificial intelligence solutions for engineering, manufacturing, and automotive applications, including AI-enabled Child Presence Detection, Adaptive Lighting, Radar Intelligence, and Predictive Anomaly Detection technologies.