Gears of change: How Nana Peth became Pune’s automotive spare parts hub

“The market is known for its organised roads and grid pattern. The Peshwas designed the city planning to allow service providers who catered to both military and civilian needs to settle permanently in Pune. This explains the diversity we see in the eastern part of the city, particularly in Nana Peth and Bhavani Peth,” says Shivshankar Pardeshi, a fifth-generation resident of Nana Peth.

“Pune’s first experiment with concrete roads took place here. Also, the automotive market reflects diversity, with members of Sindhi, Marwari, Gujarati, Punjabi, and Muslim communities running businesses for decades now,” adds Pardeshi.

“As the automobile industry grew in India, particularly in Pimpri-Chinchwad, the unemployed youth from surrounding areas recognised an opportunity and began setting up repair shops, garages, and spare parts stores, eventually transforming the area into the automotive hub it is today. Now it has expanded over 150 shops related to tyres, engine works, spare parts, and used vehicles market among others,” says Vinod Sankla Jain, owner of Nakoda Auto Spares.

“Nana Peth is also known for its specialised services. For example, we only work on vintage Yamaha RX-100 motorcycles and have developed expertise in it, sourcing accessories and parts from Gurgaon and other parts of the country. But other shops in Nana Peth cater to virtually every requirement for vehicles and spare parts,” adds Jain.

Ramesh Desai, owner of Sriram Auto Spares, says, “People are attracted to Nana Peth because of its affordability, original equipment manufacturer parts from trusted third-party manufacturers and personalised quality service. Customers can find solutions for discontinued vehicles…custom parts for old Royal Enfield bikes and carbon fibre fittings are easily available here at competitive prices. For customers on tighter budgets, we offer good quality second-hand spare parts.”

“The spare market has created over 5,000 job opportunities considering the entire value supply chain. And with increasing social media presence, the reach and scale has increased,  resulting in high footfall,” added Desai.

“This comes with challenges though. To solve issues regarding the incoming technological innovations such as the Bharat Stage 6 engines and digital operating systems in cars, it becomes challenging for mechanics to adapt, requiring some upskilling. Moreover, the next generation is not interested in carrying on the business. So, we will continue serving as long as the staff and I can,” adds Jain.