L-R: Ajinkya Firodia, Vice-Chairman, Kinetic India and Dr Arun Firodia, Chairman, Kinetic India.

Pune-headquartered Kinetic India, a legacy name in the scooter segment, has re-entered the two-wheeler segment with the Kinetic DX EV through its EV-focused subsidiary, Kinetic Watts and Volts (KWV).

The DX range, comprising the DX and DX+, is a fully made-in-India electric scooter line designed in collaboration with Italian designers and equipped with a range of segment-first features. The e-scooters are priced at INR 111,499 for the DX and INR 117,499 for the DX+ (ex-showroom, Pune). The DX+ will be offered in Red, Blue, White, Silver, and Black, while the DX is available in Silver and Black. Bookings are open online at INR 1,000.

Both models feature a strong metal body, a spacious floorboard and the largest-in-segment 37-litre under-seat storage. They are powered by a 2.6 kWh LFP battery developed by Range-X, offering a claimed IDC range of 116 km (on the DX+). The battery promises a lifespan of over 2,500 cycles – up to four times more than standard NMC batteries – and supports a 60V system with K-Coast regenerative braking. The electric motor delivers a claimed top speed of up to 90 kmph and includes three ride modes: Range, Power and Turbo.

The DX EV range features keyless start (Easy Key), a patented retractable charging cable on the DX+ (Easy Charge), and one-touch pillion footrest deployment (Easy Flip). Both variants come with reverse and hill-hold assist, front telescopic and adjustable rear suspension, a 220mm front disc brake, and a 130mm rear drum brake with combi-braking.

The DX+ variant adds app connectivity and Telekinetic features such as real-time ride statistics, vehicle tracking, Geo-fencing and voice alerts. It also includes a Bluetooth-enabled Kinetic Assist switch, in-built speaker for music and voice navigation. Bookings are limited to 35,000 units, with deliveries starting September 2025.

Kinetic Watts & Volts has received INR 720 million in capital from Kinetic Engineering and its promoters, who have also pledged an additional INR 1.7 billion to scale the DX platform.

Ajinkya Firodia, Vice Chairman, Kinetic India, said, “The legendary Kinetic DX set so many firsts back in the ’90s, that it earned a permanent place in the hearts of millions. Reviving this icon was about more than just launching a scooter, it was about bringing back the reliability, innovation, and robustness that defined Kinetic for decades, giving it a future-ready soul. With the new DX, we’ve introduced multiple segment-first features that we’re confident, will make it a favourite in the new era of electric mobility. This marks the beginning of a bold new chapter for Kinetic and for the evolution of electric mobility in India."

JSW MG Motor India, one of the leading passenger vehicle manufacturers, has announced that it has successfully installed 1,000 community chargers under its MG Charge initiative.

Spanning more than 470 sites across India, the milestone makes JSW MG Motor India the first automaker in the country to establish community-led electric vehicle (EV) charging infrastructure at this scale. The installations are distributed across residential societies, condominiums, hospitals, corporate campuses, hotels and industrial parks.

Alongside the infrastructure announcement, the company revealed that MG-branded electric vehicles have cumulatively travelled over 2.9 billion green kilometres on Indian roads. This collective mileage has offset approximately 417,000 metric tonnes of CO2 emissions.

Furthermore, JSW MG Motor India has detailed an aggressive product timeline for the remainder of calendar year 2026 (CY2026). The automaker plans to launch three new New Energy Vehicles (NEVs).

This upcoming product push will mark the brand's introduction of plug-in hybrid (PHEV) technology to the Indian market. The company noted that its overarching corporate philosophy views India's transition to sustainable transit as a path that can be successfully driven by balancing multiple complementary technologies.

In alignment with national decarbonisation targets, JSW MG Motor India has systematically upgraded its primary manufacturing plant in Halol, Gujarat. The site has achieved significant efficiency metrics through the deployment of Industry 4.0 digitisation and Internet of Things (IoT) solutions.

Maruti Suzuki India, the country’s largest passenger vehicle manufacturer, has announced a major expansion of its renewable energy footprint with two dedicated biogas projects on the occasion of World Environment Day.

The company has earmarked a cumulative investment of INR 9.25 billion through FY 2030–31 toward green energy initiatives to systematically curtail its carbon footprint across in-house manufacturing operations.

The automaker is investing INR 1.5 billion specifically into these two newly detailed biogas developments, aligning its corporate operations with the Government of India's ‘Waste-to-Wealth’ mission.

It has commissioned a new 10 TPD Biogas Plant at Kharkhoda, which is scheduled to be commissioned in FY2026–27. At full operational capacity, the plant is projected to mitigate 9,490 tonnes of CO2 emissions annually. The generated biogas will offset fossil fuel reliance by servicing approximately 20 percent of the total gas requirement at the Kharkhoda manufacturing site.

Furthermore, earlier this month, Maruti Suzuki India completed an expansion at its Manesar facility, scaling output from an initial 0.2 TPD to 0.7 TPD. The expanded setup is expected to generate roughly 360,000 standard cubic meters of biogas annually, avoiding an estimated 664 tonnes of CO2 emissions per year.

The plant leverages anaerobic digestion technology to convert organic and agricultural waste into raw biogas. It uses food waste, napier grass and paddy straw as feedstock, with a technical provision to boost output utilising cattle dung. The output will be directed into paint shop heating processes and factory canteen operations. Fermented Organic Manure (FOM) generated as a byproduct will be routed to internal horticulture or supplied back into the local agricultural ecosystem.

Beyond localised biogas projects, Maruti Suzuki is systematically scaling its solar energy infrastructure to counter liquid natural gas (LNG) volatility and supply constraints. It has progressively expanded its installed solar capacity to 79 MWp across its manufacturing facilities and targets an expansion to 319 MWp of solar-generated renewable energy by FY 2030–31.

The automaker recently replaced natural gas with biogas for approximately 10 percent of the energy requirements at its Hansalpur facility. Supported by SRDI (a wholly owned subsidiary of Suzuki Motor Corporation, Japan), this transition ensured uninterrupted operations during active LNG supply bottlenecks.

Hisashi Takeuchi, Managing Director & CEO, Maruti Suzuki India, said, “Maruti Suzuki has been consistently working on initiatives aimed at reducing fossil fuel consumption and oil import dependence. In line with this, we are setting up a new 10 Tonnes Per Day biogas plant at the Kharkhoda facility as well as expanding the existing biogas plant at Manesar facility. At a time when the world is navigating an increasingly uncertain energy landscape, such initiatives assume greater significance. As the Hon’ble Prime Minister of India has called for reducing dependence on fossil fuels, the commissioning of our biogas project comes at an appropriate time. It enables us to contribute, in a modest but meaningful way, to the current national priority alongside several other ongoing efforts.”

Hyundai Motor India, one of the leading passenger vehicle manufacturers, has announced a long-term strategic commitment to designate the state of Tamil Nadu as its designated ‘Flagship EV Hub for India’. The announcement includes an exclusive skill development partnership alongside manufacturing and supply chain localisation goals.

As part of this roadmap, Hyundai Motor India has reaffirmed its plan to deploy an investment of over INR 260 billion in Tamil Nadu between 2023 and 2032. This allocation is a component of the company's broader, previously declared INR 450 billion investment blueprint for the Indian market. To date, the Chennai facility has exported more than 3.9 million vehicles to over 150 countries.

The manufacturing hub will scale zero-emission capabilities via immediate product rollouts and component localisation:

• Product Rollout: Hyundai Motor India plans to introduce two new vehicle models from its Chennai facility within the year. This includes the launch of its first mass-market dedicated electric vehicle (EV) to accelerate local adoption.
• Industrial Localisation: The company has established Tamil Nadu’s first battery sub-assembly plant for EV powertrains. Hyundai Motor India is currently expanding local sourcing for power electronics and related primary components to minimise import dependency.
• Charging Network: Hyundai has deployed a direct-current (DC) fast EV charging ecosystem across the state consisting of 39 stations and 78 charging points. The high-capacity network is scheduled for further expansion across major urban centres and transit highways over the next 2 to 3 years.

The company has also aims to increase its localisation rate from the present 82 percent to 90 percent in the next 5-6 years. An additional INR 40 billion in state sourcing value from the current base, which is expected to generate an additional 2,000 jobs in the state.

Hyundai Motor India and the Government of Tamil Nadu (GoTN) have formalised a structured skill development project scheduled to commence active training operations in December 2027. The program aims to increase the global employability of the state's workforce by integrating next-generation manufacturing skills.

The curriculum will leverage partnerships with local Industrial Training Institutes (ITIs), polytechnics and engineering colleges to train students in advanced disciplines:

• EV technical architectures and hydrogen mobility systems.
• Industrial robotics, digital automation and AI-enabled manufacturing.
• Smart factory workflows alongside professional workplace communication and language instruction.

Tarun Garg, Managing Director & CEO, Hyundai Motor India, said, “HMIL’s initiatives will strengthen Tamil Nadu’s leadership in sustainable mobility and automotive excellence, while also accelerating skill development to foster a future-ready workforce. We will roll out two new models from the Chennai facility, including our first mass-market dedicated EV within this year, marking a significant step towards accelerating EV adoption and building a strong EV ecosystem. Alongside, advancing EV localization, we are equally focused on developing a future-ready skilled workforce, enabling talent to support future automotive technologies."

Maruti Suzuki India, one of the largest passenger vehicle manufacturers globally, has officially launched India’s first flex-fuel passenger car on the eve of World Environment Day.

The technology is being introduced in the Maruti Suzuki Wagon R, a high-volume model that has previously served as a platform for the company's alternative fuel options, including Liquefied Petroleum Gas (LPG) and Compressed Natural Gas (CNG).

The vehicle was unveiled in New Delhi in the presence of Nitin Gadkari, Minister of Road Transport and Highways, and Hardeep Singh Puri, Minister of Petroleum and Natural Gas.

The flex-fuel Wagon R is engineered to provide complete fuelling flexibility, enabling consumers to operate the vehicle on any ethanol-to-petrol blend ratio ranging from E20 (20 percent ethanol) up to E100 (100 percent ethanol).

The introduction of ethanol flex-fuel tech represents a broader commitment by India's market leader to scale diversified powertrain architectures. Maruti Suzuki's long-term product strategy incorporates a multi-tiered technology approach to meet carbon reduction goals, including Battery Electric Vehicles (BEVs), Hybrids, CNG, Compressed Biogas (CBG) and now, flex-fuel configurations.

Hisashi Takeuchi, Managing Director & CEO, Maruti Suzuki India, said, “The ecosystem for ethanol as a fuel in India is in its early stages, and as a market leader, we think it is our responsibility to contribute to make `India Go Flex’. Once it reaches mainstream adoption, Flex-Fuel Vehicles have the potential to cut oil imports, carbon emissions, and local air pollution while enhancing domestic value addition and farmer incomes.”

Nitin Gadkari noted, “Biofuels like ethanol are an important pathway towards reducing crude oil import dependence while strengthening our rural economy. Flex-Fuel Vehicles can create a strong and sustainable demand for ethanol, benefiting our farmers, industry, and the environment together. I appreciate Maruti Suzuki for taking this leadership step and supporting the Government’s vision of clean and self-reliant mobility.”