Wheels India stays on investment path with ₹300-crore FY27 capex

Chennai: Auto components maker Wheels India Ltd will continue its investment cycle in FY27 with a capital expenditure of around ₹300 crore, up from ₹261 crore spent last year, as it expands capacity in its tractor, windmill components, hydraulic cylinders and air suspension businesses.Addressing the company’s 67th annual general meeting, Srivats Ram, CMD of the company, said the investment will support growth across businesses where demand remains strong, particularly air suspension systems, wind energy components and hydraulics.Ram said the company’s air suspension business posted strong double-digit growth in FY26, driven by higher content per vehicle, rising intercity transport, increasing adoption of AC sleeper coaches, fleet modernisation by state transport undertakings (STUs) and the growing penetration of electric buses.

He said the company expects the growth momentum to continue.Wheels India also continues to invest in its alloy wheels business to support higher volumes in the coming years, he said.On the wind energy business, Ram said component sales grew 14% in FY26, aided by new orders from the offshore wind segment. He expects demand to remain robust in both domestic and overseas markets and said the company would continue investing in machining large castings for the sector.

The company’s subsidiary, WIL Car Wheels Ltd, improved profitability during the year through higher volumes, better capacity utilisation and operational efficiencies, with the momentum expected to continue this year, said a company statement.Ram said Wheels India is looking to strengthen its global presence in the construction equipment and agricultural tractor segments. While the company already enjoys a leadership position in construction equipment wheels, it aims to build a similar position in agricultural tractor wheels globally.The company is also scaling up machining of large castings, while its cast aluminium business is expected to gain traction after securing new orders from several Indian OEMs. The hydraulic cylinders business, though currently small, offers significant growth potential and is being expanded, he said.Ram cautioned that commodity prices could remain volatile because of geopolitical tensions in West Asia, but said he expects input costs to stabilise as the year progresses. He expressed confidence that the company would deliver growth in the current financial year.