Auto component maker Gabriel India Tuesday inked a technical collaboration and alliance agreement with Netherlands-based Inalfa Roof Systems to manufacturer sunroofs in the country. Gabriel and Inalfa together plans to invest Rs 170 crore to set up a new manufacturing facility – Inalfa Gabriel Sunroof Systems (IGSS) – in Chennai, Tamil Nadu, which will become operational in the first quarter of the next calendar year. The facility will have the capacity to produce 200,000 sunroofs per annum. Gabriel India is the listed arm of the $2 billion ANAND Group. IGSS will be converted into a joint-venture between Inalfa Roof Systems Group and Gabriel India, with Inalfa holding 51%, after receiving regulatory approvals later this year. ANAND Group Executive Chairperson Anjali Singh said demand for sunroofs in the Indian market is growing at a fast clip. The new venture – which will start with supplies to Hyundai-Kia – is expected to generate revenues to the tune of Rs 1000 crore by 2030. The company will thereafter also look at supplying sunroofs to others OEMs such as Maruti Suzuki, Tata Motors and Mahindra & Mahindra (M&M). Industry estimates automotive sunroof sales in India could cross 700,000 units this calendar year, against 500,000 units sold in 2022. Globally, the automotive sunroof market is expected to grow at a CAGR of 9.3% to $13.6 billion by 2030. IGSS will generate employment for 250 people at the facility in Chennai. Inalfa Roof Systems Group – which has as annual turnover of about $1.5 billion – is a global market leader in automotive sunroof systems. The Group is present in 15 locations across the world.