US Ambassador to India Sergio Gor on Wednesday said that as both countries work through the details of their trade relationship, they should aim to create an environment where American suppliers and technology can freely access the Indian market and Indian firms can compete fairly in the US market.

Addressing the Automotive Component Manufacturers Association of India (ACMA) at its 66th annual session, he said, “Our two governments are working closely together to build a trade relationship that is fair, reciprocal, and mutually beneficial.”

He said Commerce and Industry Minister Piyush Goyal will travel to the US at the end of this month for the G-20 Trade Ministers’ meeting to continue engaging in negotiations on the trade agreement.

India and the US agreed to the framework of the interim trade agreement that would then expand to the Bilateral Trade Agreement (BTA) in February. Since then talks have been ongoing to finalize the agreement. Both sides have held three rounds of in-person talks on the deal. The first round was held in Washington in April and two were held in June. In the last meeting at the end of June, US Trade Representative (USTR) Jamieson Greer visited New Delhi to push the negotiations.

Gor said the US-India relationship stands at a historic high point. “Pick any sector that the United States and India are working together on: from pharmaceuticals, to military sales, to military exercises, to IT, data centers, to even the moon.”

The automotive sector, the Ambassador said, provides a clear illustration of how the relationship is evolving. Rather than merely exchanging components, Indian and American companies are increasingly investing in each other’s markets and becoming integrated into common manufacturing networks. He invited more Indian auto component manufacturers to invest in the US and promised them help. “Bring your operations to the United States. Whether you’re looking at greenfield assembly, R&D centers, or distribution networks, the US is open for business.”

Gor cited the presence of major US companies in India’s automobile industry, including BorgWarner, Tenneco and Dana, as well as Ford’s recent announcement of a $370 million investment to retool its Chennai facility for next-generation engines.

He also highlighted the four-decade partnership between Meritor and Bharat Forge that resulted in Automotive Axles Ltd, and the presence of John Deere’s manufacturing and technology operations in India.

At the same time, Indian companies are expanding their manufacturing footprint in the US. Gor pointed to Bharat Forge’s operations in North Carolina, Sundaram Clayton’s aluminium die-casting operations in South Carolina and Mahindra’s manufacturing activities in Michigan.

These developments reflect a broader shift in the nature of India-US trade, with companies increasingly using investment and local manufacturing to gain access to each other’s markets.

“Supply chain resilience is not an abstract policy goal,” Gor said, arguing that India and the US needed trusted partners capable of maintaining production when global disruptions occur.