 | « Back to article | Print this article |
Car restoration service provider Super Car Club Garage (SCCG), backed by Raymond chairman and managing director Gautam Singhania, has sought the Centre’s green light for a licence to import foreign vehicles for restoration and subsequent re-export.
Currently, Indian regulations permit the import of cars only manufactured before 1950, restricting restoration work for international vehicles.
The proposed licence, which requires coordination with various government agencies, including Customs, the Directorate General of Foreign Trade (DGFT), and the finance ministry, aims to position India as a global hub for high-quality, cost-effective car restoration.
India has the advantage of competitive labour costs as well as skilled labour.
SCCG claimed that labour costs in India are considerably lower than in countries like the UK, where restoration can cost over £100–£200 per hour.
Singhania said, “The way the textiles industry moved from high labour cost areas to low labour cost markets like India, we believe car restoration can follow a similar path.
"With the necessary permits, we can attract international restoration projects to India, driven by the advantage of minimal labor costs.”
SCCG is optimistic about receiving the requisite permissions.
The first phase of approvals has been successful, and the company is now adhering to specific government requirements for final licensing.
Operations are expected to commence by mid-2025, with the first batch of vehicles arriving for restoration around July-August.
The company aims to complete restorations within six months, a fraction of the two-three years typically required by international garages.
SCCG is a facility founded by Singhania that specialises in restoring, maintaining, and customising super cars, sports cars, luxury cars, and classic cars.
There is no estimation of the specialised car restoration market in India.
But the overall car services and repairs market in the country is expected to grow from $8 billion in 2020 to $25 billion by 2030.
This is a compound annual growth rate of 12 per cent.
