2026, 2027 to be Defining Years for ADAS in India: Mobileye

The growing ADAS adoption trend in the Indian automobile industry is set to get a booster shot early next year. That’s because of a regulationary development which will require M2, M3, N2, N3 classes of commercial vehicles to have ADAS features like Automatic Emergency Braking System (AEBS), Lane Departure Warning System (LWDS), Driver Drowsiness Warning (DDW). In the Passenger Vehicle (PV) industry, AEBS, LDWS, DDW are mandatory for M1 class of vehicles (8-seater). Other classes of PVs are expected to be covered in 2028.   

And then, the Bharat New Car Assessment Programme (BNCAP) 2.0 will also require models to come fitted with multiple ADAS features in order to secure a high crash test rating. “2026 is about execution, and 2027 is about deployment. These are critical years for ADAS in India,” Elie Luskin, Vice President – India and China, Mobileye told ACKO Drive, while adding that regulation will be the key catalyst for widespread adoption.

Luskin also expects the two-year period of 2026-28 to mark a transition from execution to mass deployment, not just for Mobileye, but for the broader ADAS ecosystem in India as well.

From early adoption to scale

Mobileye began working in India in 2019, with its first series production (SOP) in 2021, with the Mahindra XUV 700. The company’s ADAS solutions have so far been adopted by Mahindra & Mahindra and Tata Motors, including Mobileye’s IQ4 Mid and later the IQ6 Light platform, which was customised for Indian road conditions with features such as animal and barricade detection.

Notably, Mahindra, which is estimated to have achieved an ADAS penetration level of 37 per cent,  became one of the first OEMs globally to adopt Mobileye’s IQ6 Light system, a move Luskin described as pushing the technology “not only in India, but globally”.

While these deployments were managed as Tier-2 programmes from Mobileye’s global headquarters in Jerusalem, the company is now preparing for a deeper, locally anchored presence in India.

SuperVision projects and India operations

Mobileye is currently transitioning to what it calls its “Tier-1 stage” in India, centred around SuperVision, its hands-free, eyes-on advanced driving system. According to Luskin, two vehicles equipped with the full SuperVision sensor suite are already deployed in India, with data collection underway and the entire data pipeline in place.

“We already started working on it. Once the first partnership is announced, we will kick off a significant investment here — offices, engineers and production support,” he said. Mobileye is expected to announce its partner in India within weeks.The company is targeting an SOP for its first SuperVision programme in India by 2027, with around 12 months allocated for delivery once the project officially begins.

Mobileye also plans to set up its engineering footprint in India within months of launching the SuperVision programme, tailoring its technology specifically for Indian driving conditions.

Localisation strategy

Beyond deployment, localisation is a central pillar of Mobileye’s India roadmap. The company has already begun identifying local partners across Tier-1, Tier-2 and Tier-3 suppliers, as well as setting up logistics and manufacturing workflows.“Localisation has already started. The target is SOP with localised products by the end of 2027,” Luskin said.

Mobileye follows a design-led, contract manufacturing model, and plans to replicate this in India. Luskin noted that India offers a substantial cost advantage, even compared to China. “We’ve already achieved around a 40 per cent cost reduction compared to contract manufacturing in China, combining both design and manufacturing,” he said, adding that further cost optimisation is key to democratising ADAS.

Regulation to drive the next wave

While ADAS adoption in India today is largely limited to select passenger vehicles and positioned as a brand differentiator, Mobileye expects regulation to fundamentally change the landscape from 2027 onwards.

Luskin estimates that 500,000 to 1 million commercial vehicles could be equipped with ADAS annually starting 2027, driven by Bharat NCAP and safety mandates. Passenger vehicle adoption is expected to scale rapidly thereafter. “Without regulation, adoption will be slower. With regulation, it’s imminent. Once it kicks in, ADAS becomes standard,” he said.

Mobileye anticipates passenger vehicle volumes with ADAS features rising from a few hundred thousand units annually to around 4 million vehicles, making India one of the most significant future ADAS markets globally.

From differentiation to commoditisation

Globally, Mobileye estimates its share of the ADAS market at 50-70 per cent, and Luskin believes India will follow a trajectory similar to developed markets once regulation is enforced.

In the near term, early adopters like Mahindra continue to benefit from ADAS as a differentiator. However, Luskin expects ADAS to become commoditised by the end of the decade.

“By around 2030, most of this will be commoditised. The growth will still be strong, but differentiation will move towards higher convenience features like highway navigation and automated parking,” he said.

Looking beyond cars

While still exploratory, Mobileye is also evaluating India as a potential hub for future technologies, including robotics, citing the country’s manufacturing depth and engineering talent.

For now, however, the focus remains firmly on executing SuperVision programmes, building local capability, and preparing for what Mobileye sees as India’s defining ADAS moment in 2026–27. The ADAS trend is still in its nascent stage in India, with a penetration rate of less than 10 per cent, compared to around 61 per cent in China, and close to 100 per cent in Germany. In the next few years the driver assistance technology trend could see a much bigger play in India.