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This week's edition takes a look at India’s industrial real estate sector and why it’s confirming the ongoing momentum in manufacturing, the first bullet train project, and more must-know news.
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Rise of the Week: The Industrial Real Estate Market Confirms India’s Manufacturing Momentum
Commercial and industrial real estate serves as the underlying backbone of most businesses, making its market performance a reliable reflection of economic activity. Commercial real estate encompasses offices, retail stores, and business facilities, while industrial real estate covers warehouses, and production facilities.
India's industrial real estate market has experienced substantial growth, confirming the country's emergence as a global manufacturing powerhouse. This transformation reflects both domestic expansion and international companies' strategic shift toward more resilient operations.
Photograph by Peter Paul Pratter
Businesses naturally expand their real estate portfolios during periods of strong growth or when pursuing more resilient operational strategies. And latest data from the real estate consultancy CBRE reveals substantial expansion plans for operations in India:
70% of occupiers in the APAC region intend to increase their footprint in India, the highest of all countries in APAC.
80% of occupiers active in India (both domestic and foreign companies) intend to expand their logistics portfolio in the country over the next two years.
Over 90% intend to expand their logistics footprint over the next two to five years.
Key drivers behind this expansion include generally positive business sentiment toward India and growing demand for more resilient supply chains. Interest is accelerating across all sectors, driving stronger engagement from third-party logistics providers (such as DHL and FedEx), e-commerce platforms, manufacturing and engineering companies, consumer goods manufacturers, and automotive firms.
India’s logistics sector is undergoing a transformational growth phase, fuelled by robust macroeconomic fundamentals, accelerated infrastructure development, and a maturing occupier ecosystem that is increasingly focused on scalability, efficiency, and sustainability.
The insights from our survey reaffirm India’s position as the most preferred logistics destination in the region. With resilient demand drivers, growing institutional participation, and future-ready infrastructure, the long-term growth trajectory for India’s logistics sector remains exceptionally strong.
This nationwide trend is clearly visible in key manufacturing hubs across India. Driven primarily by the manufacturing and engineering sector, Pune’s industrial real estate market for example has experienced remarkable growth. According to JLL, Pune’s key real estate metrics expanded 2.5 times over the past 5 years:
Annual net absorption: 4.2 million sqft in 2019 to 11.3 million sqft in 2024 (CAGR of more than 20%)
Total stock: 24.2 million sqft in 2019 to 60.9 million sqft in 2024.
Meanwhile, demand for higher-quality assets continues to intensify as companies develop long-term operational strategies. An impressive 84% of occupiers want to transition to higher-quality, investment-grade assets. This flight to quality is already reshaping the development sector, with energy-efficient and net-zero assets becoming standard requirements, particularly among international occupiers and investors. In a recent article with The Economic Times, JLL shared that the industry expects ESG / green assets to quadruple to 270 million sqft by 2030.
One notable example is Schneider Electrics’ recently announced plan to develop a state-of -the-art facility in Hosur, Tamil Nadu together with Blackstone Real Estate funds. The new manufacturing, sales, and trading site for Battery Management Products (BMS) is “Platinum” pre-certified by the Indian Green Building Council:
Highly insulated envelope structures (walls, roof)
On-site renewable energy
Increased daylight provisions and smart lighting solutions
Advanced ventilation systems
However, this increasing demand creates new challenges. Rising land and development costs are intensifying market competition for occupiers, while tier 2 and tier 3 cities are benefiting from broadening industrial demand.
Looking ahead, the availability of high-quality industrial assets will likely continue shrinking, driving increased demand for built-to-suit developments with longer development timelines. This transformation signals that India is becoming truly competitive on every level; a reality that global businesses must factor into their strategic planning as they evaluate manufacturing and logistics investments in the fastest growing major economy.
Sources: CBRE, India Tribune, JLL, The Economic Times, Schneider Electric
What Else is Rising?
India’s First Bullet Train Project is on Track
India's first bullet train project is progressing steadily toward commercial operations in 2027. The 508 km high-speed connection between Mumbai and Ahmedabad will reduce travel time from seven to less than three hours.
While the project primarily uses Japanese Shinkansen technology, Indian Railways is strategically opening opportunities for European and domestic partnerships.
Source: Von Pechristener - Screenshot of OSM, CC BY-SA 2.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=105823789
As reported by the Times of India, initial operations will deploy current Shinkansen E5 trains. By 2030, Indian Railways plans to upgrade to Japan's newest generation technology, keeping pace with advancements in Japan's own network.
Meanwhile, European and domestic businesses secure significant parts of the project. The German technology leader Siemens, in a consortium with a local partner, secured a contract from India’s National High Speed Rail Corporation worth INR 41 Billion (USD 475.2 Million). Siemens’ systems will ensure real-time train supervision, continuous wireless communication, and centralised traffic management.
This project exemplifies India's broader infrastructure momentum and the government's strategy of combining international expertise with domestic capacity building. For European businesses, India's expanding high-speed rail network represents substantial long-term opportunities, particularly as the success of this inaugural corridor paves the way for additional routes connecting major metropolitan centers.
Early partnerships in this sector would position companies advantageously for India's multi-billion dollar rail transformation ahead.
Sources: Time of India, Wikimedia, Railway Technology
Bosch and Tata Partner for Electronics and Semiconductor Production
The German technology leader Bosch signed a Memorandum of Understanding with Tata Electronics to collaborate in chip packaging and manufacturing. The partnership will focus on Tata's upcoming semiconductor foundry in Gujarat and chip assembly and testing facility in Assam.
This partnership is well-aligned with our commitment to help create a holistic semiconductor and electronics ecosystem in India, with offerings that resonate with customers around the world. Most importantly, our collaboration is yet another significant step towards creating a leadership position for the Indian electronics manufacturing sector on the global stage.
This partnership represents strategic positioning by Bosch as India rapidly develops its semiconductor ecosystem. India is building toward becoming a USD 300 billion electronics manufacturing hub by 2026, driven by government incentives and growing domestic demand.
The collaboration allows Bosch to leverage Tata's local manufacturing infrastructure while Tata gains access to Bosch's advanced semiconductor expertise. With chip packaging and testing being critical steps in semiconductor production, this partnership positions both companies advantageously in India's emerging tech manufacturing landscape.
Sources: The Economic Times
Quick Risers
The Vietnamese EV maker VinFast prepares to launch its electric SUVs in India soon and announced plans to establish 35 dealerships by the end of 2025. (Source: Times of India)
Tata owned Jaguar Land Rover (JLR) announced a completely knocked down (CKD) operation from 2026 at a new plant in Ranipet, Tamil Nadu. Phase 1 will produce 30,000 cars annually, while Phase 2 can reach up to 250,000 units per year. (Source: Autocar India)
Indian real estate developer Embassy Development signed a Joint Development Agreement (JDA) for a 17.9 acre land parcel in Whitefield, Bengaluru, and intends to develop 1,000 apartments. (Source: The Economic Times)
Indian electric vehicle (EV) maker Ola Electric slows down the expansion of its Gigafactory in Tamil Nadu. (Source: Financial Express)
The English Premier League will open an office in Mumbai to promote football in India. (Source: The Economic Times)
The Indian automotive supplier Wheels India incorporated a new entity in Germany. (Source: The Economic Times)
Renewable energy reached a 50% share of installed power capacity 5 years earlier than planned, but remains at around 30% of provided electricity. (Source: The Hindu)
Spotlight: Indian Universities Are Getting Recognised
In the QS World University Rankings 2026, India has now the fourth most universities ranked. Over the past decade, the number of Indian universities represented in the ranking increased by 390% from 11 to 54 today.
You can find more details here.
Curiosity Corner
Your random facts and stories about India and the Indo-European friendship.
This week: India’s products of origin.
Geographical indications are common all over the world, with the best-known examples like Parmesan cheese, Parma ham or Champagne from the French Champagne region hailing from Europe. But India has also protected a number of its culturally significant products using this system. Notably, traditional handicrafts feature heavily among India’s protected designations in addition to food products. Most well-known internationally are probably the Indian GI tags for Darjeeling tea from the state of West Bengal and Basmati rice from several northern Indian states.
India also protects several types of mango, including Banganapalle mango from the state of Andhra Pradesh, as well as the Lasalgaon onion from Maharashtra, the Khola chilli from Goa and Nilambur Teak from Kerala. It has given out GI tags to varieties of grapes, strawberries, beans and pomegranates as well.
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