PM Modi meets Rolls-Royce CEO as company eyes bigger investment in India

Prime Minister Narendra Modi met Rolls-Royce CEO Tufan Erginbilgic in Delhi on Wednesday, with both sides signalling plans to deepen the British engineering group’s investment and operational footprint in India.

In a post on X, Modi said he welcomed Rolls-Royce’s growing interest in scaling up its activities in the country and partnering with India’s “innovative and dynamic youth”.

“It was wonderful meeting Mr Tufan Erginbilgic, CEO of Rolls-Royce earlier today,” the Prime Minister wrote, adding that India looked forward to stronger collaboration as the company expands its presence.

Rolls-Royce India also shared a photograph from the meeting, stating that discussions focused on how the company is aligning its growth plans with India’s long-term development ambitions under the government’s Viksit Bharat vision.

The company said it intends to expand its Global Capability Centre in India into its largest such facility worldwide, while also working with Indian partners to co-develop complex manufacturing and high-value engineering capabilities.

According to News18, the talks also covered how Rolls-Royce’s advanced technologies could support India’s Atmanirbhar Bharat goals in defence and other critical sectors.

The meeting comes as India positions itself as a key hub for global engineering services, aerospace supply chains and industrial innovation. Multinationals have increasingly been expanding capability centres and sourcing networks in the country, drawn by its skilled workforce and growing domestic market.

Erginbilgic has previously described India as a strategic priority for Rolls-Royce. In remarks made in October 2025, he said the company had “deep ambitions” to develop India as a home market, highlighting opportunities across civil aerospace, defence and power systems, News18 reported.

Rolls-Royce has also said it plans to strengthen local partnerships, invest in skills development and increase sourcing from Indian suppliers as part of its long-term engagement with the country’s industrial ecosystem.

The company recently inaugurated an expanded Global Capability and Innovation Centre in Bengaluru, which it has indicated is on track to become its largest capability hub globally, supporting key business lines including aerospace and defence.

For India, the expansion underscores its growing role in high-end engineering and manufacturing value chains. For Rolls-Royce, it signals a deeper bet on India not only as a services base, but as a core market and capability partner.

As global firms recalibrate supply chains and technology investments, Rolls-Royce’s next steps in India will be closely watched for the scale of capital deployment, localisation and strategic collaboration in the years ahead.