RAS question
Which city is called the 'Detroit of India' for automobile manufacturing?
Correct answer: (D) Chennai.
Chennai is called the Detroit of India because its automobile manufacturing cluster includes major car and auto-sector production bases around the city.
Explanation
Chennai is the right answer because the City Development Plan for Maraimalai Nagar explicitly says that Chennai, the capital of Tamil Nadu, is called the Detroit of India. It links that label to automobile manufacturing: Ford, Hyundai and General Motors had established manufacturing bases around Chennai to serve domestic and international markets, and the region was also getting a new automobile testing and homologation centre. Chennai has hosted plants of Hyundai, Ford, Renault-Nissan, BMW, Daimler and Ashok Leyland, and contributes about 40% of India's auto output. The nickname therefore refers not to a single factory, but to Chennai's concentration of automobile and allied manufacturing activity.
Why the other options are wrong
- (A) Pune has a significant automobile industry, but the question asks for the city known by the specific nickname Detroit of India, which is applied to Chennai.
- (B) Ahmedabad is not identified as India's leading automobile-manufacturing hub or as the Detroit of India.
- (C) Gurgaon and Manesar are associated with Maruti, but the nickname Detroit of India is tied here to Chennai's wider automobile cluster, not to Gurgaon.
Concept
This tests the Geography of India theme of industrial location and regional manufacturing clusters. RAS repeatedly asks such nicknames because they compress industry, transport access and urban economic geography into one fact.