New Delhi, Sept. 3 -- India has the scale, engineering talent, growing market and ambition to become the world's number one automobile industry, Union Minister for Road Transport and Highways Nitin Gadkari said on Thursday, expressing confidence that the country can move up from its current position as the world's third-largest automobile industry.

"I hope that India will become the number one automobile industry in the world. Today, we are number three," Gadkari said, addressing the 66th Annual Convention of the Society of Indian Automobile Manufacturers (SIAM) in New Delhi.

Gadkari said India's opportunity extends beyond the domestic market and called on the industry to help the country secure a larger share of the global automotive v...