Asahi India Glass Ltd (AIS), India’s leading automotive glass manufacturer, is sharpening its growth strategy by tapping into adjacent markets, premium technologies, and global opportunities. With a dominant 75% market share in the passenger vehicle segment and strong leadership across commercial, off-highway, and rail categories, AIS is now identifying new sweet spots to expand its footprint and increase the technological value it delivers per vehicle.
Speaking to Mobility Outlook, Amit Sood, Sr. Executive Director – Sales & Marketing, AIS, said, the company is stepping up its game with ambitious plans across both mainstream and niche segments. As part of its plans, it is aiming to produce 2 million sunroofs this year, commanding over 80% of the market. It is also moving closer to localising auto glass supply for Mercedes-Benz India. AIS is in the process of developing side and rear glass for Mercedes, with supplies set to being soon. Windshield development will follow, as product need to qualify to stringent overseas tests. This will add to AIS’s premium customer base, which already includes Toyota’s Lexus and Camry models.
Partnering Beyond Blueprint
But AIS isn't just a supplier—it’s evolving into a design partner. The company now supports several customers with auto glass design and development, and is even part of the design team for a global carmaker working on a new model, Sood said.
Beyond passenger vehicles, the company is also gearing up to serve high-powered tractors that require enclosed cabins. For luxury sports cars and convertibles, AIS is developing sleek tempered glass for frameless doors.
Amit Sood
To improve comfort and efficiency, AIS has already developed coated glass that reduces thermal penetration all at competitive costs. It is now developing advanced, certified bullet-resistant glass to meet the localisation needs of defence OEMs such as Tata Motors and Mahindra & Mahindra. With a strong presence in construction equipment, metro trains, and the off-highway space, AIS is well-placed to support emerging demand from tractor manufacturers too, he elaborated.
Expanding Horizons
AIS is steadily expanding its horizons by bringing new glass technologies into everyday mobility and beyond. Recently, the company introduced smart glazing solutions such as illuminated laminated sunroofs, laminated side-lites, and AR-HUD-ready windscreens. A laminated sunroof and windscreen featuring PDLC switching glazing is also in the works, offering adjustable transparency. These innovations create customer delight besides offering better comfort to the end customer.
What sets AIS apart is its in-house strength in designing and developing new products, along with the ability to make the process equipment, tools, and fixtures required for manufacturing. These capabilities not only support AIS’s own operations but also benefit its global associate companies.
New Avenues
The company is also tapping into new business areas. One of its emerging focus segments is white goods, where there’s rising demand for value-added glass. A good example is a recently developed mirror-finish glass front panel for Whirlpool Refrigerators, which raises the bar in home appliance design.
In the off-highway sector, AIS already holds more than 75% market share and works closely with OEMs like JCB, M&M and Tata Hitachi. It is also well-placed in the growing metro and rail coach segments and sees strong potential in defence, where demand is growing for bullet-resistant and specialised glass.
Another area of opportunity is agriculture. India produces around a million tractors annually, most without enclosed cabins. But customer expectations are shifting, and AIS sees growing demand for cabin-fitted tractors—offering a new space to expand its range of glazing solutions.
'In many cases, these technologies significantly increase AIS’s value contribution per vehicle—for example, upgrading from a single tempered sunroof to a laminated panoramic one can boost content value by three to ten times,' Sood said.
Matching With Emerging Technologies
AIS is quickly pushing the boundaries of automotive glass technology. One of its latest innovations is a single-piece, laminated sunroof glass for integrated sunroof with built-in lighting, developed by Webasto for Mahindra. This is the first sunroof globally to offer dynamic interior illumination, showing Webasto and AIS’s strength in combining design and function.
The company also introduced laminated side windows for electric vehicles, first used by Mahindra. Made of dual 1.8 mm glass layers with a special acoustic film in between, they cut noise, block 99% of UV rays, and improve cabin insulation—essential for India’s hot weather. Unlike regular tempered glass, these offer both comfort and performance, he explained.
Engineered accessories
Supporting ADAS
AIS is also leading in display-enabled glazing by developing laminated windshields for head-up displays (HUDs) and AR HUDs, which project key vehicle information onto the glass. It’s the first in India to localise this solution using press-bend technology, meeting rising demand from automakers.
The rise of ADAS has given AIS a new role beyond making glass. It now supplies tightly engineered brackets that hold ADAS sensors like rain, light, and lane-departure detectors. Making both the glass and these critical parts positions AIS as a full system supplier.
Other smart features include glass with built-in antennas, replacing bulky external ones and improving both aesthetics and connectivity. In sunroofs, AIS offers dark grey float glass locally, and an imported version that reduces solar heat even more. On top of that, it has developed coated glass that cuts energy transmission to just 10–12%, offering a cost-effective alternative to expensive imports. These innovations show how AIS is not just keeping up with global trends—it’s helping shape them for India’s mobility future, he clarified.
Global Footprint
AIS is quietly but steadily growing its global footprint. Its products now find its way into export vehicles made by top OEMs like Hyundai, Kia, and Volkswagen through both direct and indirect channels, including CKD (completely knocked down) programmes. AIS is also seeing increasing interest from global customers keen to diversify their supply chains beyond China. Products like the dynamic illuminated sunroof and AR HUD windscreens are helping the company emerge as a serious alternative for advanced glazing solutions.
What sets AIS apart is how it has transformed over the years. From simply following customer blueprints, it now co-develops glass solutions—offering design, prototyping, and full system integration. As vehicles become more digital, electric, and connected, AIS is getting ready to work more closely with software teams and systems experts, not just glass engineers.
At the same time, it is aligning with the long-term sustainability goals of its customers. It is shaping its product roadmap to support environmental responsibility, embracing circular practices and energy-efficient solutions. This evolution positions AIS not just as a supplier but as a future-ready partner in India’s mobility transformation. The company’s numbers reflect this steady rise. Its revenue has grown from INR 2,420 crore in FY21 to INR 4,348 crore in FY25, with automotive glass contributing nearly 70%. More than 80% of this comes from its OEM clients, while the aftermarket business also remains strong, he concluded.
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