Montra Electric, the electric vehicle brand from the 124-year-old Murugappa Group, has successfully culminated the inaugural Montra Electric Super League (MSL), a pioneering event tailored for auto drivers in a grand finale at their Chennai factory.

The event was co-powered by Chola Finance saw the renowned South African cricketer Jonty Rhodes awarding the winners of the MSL.

The Montra Super League (MSL) recognised exceptional performances across various categories. Team MSL Knights, featuring Super Riders from UP, Bihar, Punjab, and Assam, claimed the MSL champions title, while Team Hawks, with riders from Kerala, Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka, Tamil Nadu, and Telangana, earned the runner-up award. Devnarayan from Noida and Islam Mohammed from Lucknow were awarded the Super Rider of the League title.

Ms. Bhavani from Chennai received the Super Shero Award. The MSL winners were honoured with trophies, medals, and cash prizes. Additionally, the Super 50K Award was presented to riders who covered over 50,000 kilometres in less than a year.

The MSL featured 10 teams, each comprising 17 exceptional auto drivers, aptly named ‘Super Riders’. The unique league aimed to change the perception of electric vehicles (EVs) within the three-wheeler community, debunked common concerns like range anxiety, the MSL encouraged participants to push the boundaries of EV capabilities, driving impressive distances with the help of top-up charging throughout the day.

This unique tournament featured 170 Super Riders from across India, including women auto drivers, forming 10 teams that competed to cover the most kilometres.

Anurag Vohra, COO, Montra Electric (TI Clean Mobility) said, “The success of the Montra Electric Super League highlights our commitment to advancing electric mobility and supporting our ‘super-auto drivers’. This initiative not only celebrates skill and dedication but also aims to inspire a new generation of drivers, including women, to join us in building a sustainable future for the transportation industry”.

Roy Kurian, Business Head, Montra Electric ‘Last Mile Mobility’ Vertical said, "The Montra Electric Super League exemplifies our dedication to innovation and inclusivity in the transportation sector. We are proud to celebrate the achievements of all our Super-auto Drivers, especially the remarkable women who are paving the way for future generations. Together, we are committed to shape a greener and more inclusive future for electric mobility.”

The scoring system of the MSL was designed to motivate and reward. Each kilometre driven by the top 14 riders of each team translated to one run, with additional runs awarded for referrals leading to deliveries or live bookings, and quality customer testimonial videos. Teams advanced through a series of matches, with winners were determined by total points and runs accumulated, leading to quarterfinals, semi-finals, and the grand finale.

Chola Finance, part of the Murugappa Group, pledged to provide free education to the children of league’s finalist and semi-finalists. With this the tournament initiative has underscored their commitment to uplifting the lives of their drivers and their families.

By offering substantial prize money and the transformative education initiative, the MSL is not only a thrilling competition but also a powerful catalyst for change within the auto driver community

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Eicher Trucks & Buses, a division of VE Commercial Vehicles, has introduced Uptime NXT Services supported by an AI-enabled (artificial intelligence) Uptime Centre. The initiative expands the company's aftermarket service ecosystem through connected vehicle data, predictive analytics and service support infrastructure to manage fleet operations.

The Uptime Centre functions as an operational hub connecting transport operators, technicians and engineering teams. Services delivered through the platform include fuel management advisory, driver performance scorecards, vehicle operation insights, remote immobiliser controls and proactive maintenance alerts.

The system integrates with the My Eicher application, which currently connects over 460,000 commercial vehicles across 200,000 fleet accounts to provide real-time vehicle tracking, trip tracking and maintenance monitoring.

B. Srinivas, MD and CEO, VE Commercial Vehicles, said, "For our customers, uptime directly impacts productivity, profitability and business continuity. At Eicher, our vision has therefore been to create an ecosystem that helps keep vehicles operating at their best - everyday. By bringing together connected technology, predictive insights, a responsive service network and strong aftermarket support, we are moving towards a more proactive approach to uptime — one that anticipates customer needs, minimises disruptions and enables customers to run their businesses with greater confidence and predictability. Our ambition is to make uptime a defining part of the Eicher ownership experience."

S S Gill, Chief Commercial Officer, VE Commercial Vehicles, said, "The new Uptime Centre brings together the people, technology and intelligence needed to manage uptime more proactively and at scale. The Uptime Control Tower gives our teams greater visibility across vehicle and service operations, while our Gen AI-powered platform bring actionable intelligence closer to our service teams and technicians. This enables faster diagnosis, better coordination and stronger First-Time-Right performance, helping us reduce disruptions and deliver a more seamless service experience for our customers."

The company first established a centralised Uptime Centre in 2019. The upgraded Uptime NXT architecture introduces an Uptime Control Tower for real-time monitoring of service operations and deploys generative artificial intelligence tools, designated as the Service One platform, to assist dealership technicians with fault diagnostics and repair procedures.

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Chennai-headquartered commercial vehicle major Ashok Leyland, the flagship company of the Hinduja Group, has signed a Memorandum of Understanding with Union Bank of India to establish a vehicle financing agreement for purchasers of its commercial vehicles.

The agreement was signed by Neelakantan, Vice-President of Finance at Ashok Leyland and Alok Kumar, General Manager and Zonal Head at Union Bank of India, in the presence of D S Madhusudhan, Head of Sales Finance and Kapil Pandya, Head of Retail and Inventory Finance for Light Commercial Vehicles at Ashok Leyland.

As per the arrangement, Union Bank of India will provide end-to-end vehicle loans with structured repayment schedules across Ashok Leyland's line-up of trucks and buses.

K M Balaji, Whole-Time Director and CFO, Ashok Leyland, said, "Ashok Leyland is delighted to partner with Union Bank of India (UBI) to offer attractive and accessible financing solutions to our customers. This strategic partnership leveraging on UBI Network will further strengthen our market presence by enhancing access to our innovative range of commercial vehicles for businesses across the country. Built on advanced technology and engineered to deliver industry-leading total cost of ownership, our products are designed to drive greater efficiency, productivity and profitability for our customers."

Madhavi Deshmukh, Senior Vice-President and National Sales Head for Medium and Heavy Commercial Vehicles, Ashok Leyland, said, "At Ashok Leyland, we are committed to enabling our customers' growth through innovative products and seamless ownership experience. Our partnership with Union Bank of India (UBI) is a significant step towards making our industry-leading commercial vehicles more accessible with attractive and convenient financing solutions. Together, we aim to empower fleet operators and businesses with greater financial flexibility, while delivering superior value through our technologically advanced products and best-in-class total cost of ownership."

Alok Kumar, General Manager and Zonal Head, Union Bank of India, said, "Union Bank of India is pleased to partner with Ashok Leyland to offer seamless vehicle financing solutions. This collaboration underscores our commitment to enabling businesses with accessible and tailored financial solutions that simplify commercial vehicle ownership and facilitate sustainable growth. By enhancing access to convenient and customer-centric financing solutions, we aim to make vehicle ownership more seamless and accessible, while empowering our customers to strengthen their businesses and pursue new growth opportunities."

The partnership utilises Union Bank of India's national branch network to improve credit flow for transport operators, fleet owners and commercial enterprises acquiring vehicles ranging from light commercial models to heavy-duty trucks and passenger buses.

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Electric commercial vehicle leasing platform DRIVN and private intercity bus operator Prasanna Purple Mobility Solutions, operating as Purple Bus, have expanded their electric fleet agreement to 276 buses.

The agreement increases the initial commitment of 100 electric buses, utilising an operating lease model and fleet management software.

The initial deployment covered intercity routes in Western and Southern India, including the Mumbai–Pune, Bengaluru–Chennai and Hyderabad–Vijayawada corridors. The expanded fleet under the Letter of Intent will cover additional routes, including Nagpur–Chandrapur, Nagpur–Amravati and Bengaluru–Tirupati.

DRIVN will supply asset financing, leasing, charging infrastructure management, real-time battery diagnostics and route performance analytics to support the deployment.

Alpna Jain, Co-Founder and Chief Business Officer, DRIVN, said, "Expanding our partnership with Purple Bus marks an important milestone for us at DRIVN. Increasing the initial agreement from 100 buses to a commitment of 276 reflects the strength of the relationship we have built with the team. Our focus is to simplify the transition to electric commercial vehicles by bringing together the financing, vehicles and tech capabilities operators need to run their fleets effectively. We look forward to continuing our work with Purple Bus as its requirements evolve."

Saurabh P Patwardhan, Director, Purple Bus, said, "Our experience with the initial deployment has reinforced a key learning: scaling electric mobility requires not only putting more electric buses on the road, but also building the right ecosystem around them. A nearly three-fold growth in the commitment from our partner reflects our confidence in that approach and our intention is to make electric mobility a larger part of our operations. DRIVN combines operational expertise with a strong technology platform, using real-time data and insights across routes, vehicles and fleet performance to support smarter deployment. We believe this combination will be critical to scaling electric intercity mobility sustainably and efficiently."

The partnership combines Purple Bus's route operations with DRIVN's leasing and data infrastructure to support the transition to electric intercity passenger transport in India.

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Mumbai-headquartered automotive major Mahindra & Mahindra has commenced commercial production and supply of the MAXSEEDER, a precision zero-till, multi-crop seeding machine manufactured under licence from Canadian firm Clean Seed Technologies.

Built at Mahindra's farm machinery plant in Pithampur, Madhya Pradesh, the machinery will launch initially through dealerships in Punjab and Haryana before expanding to other domestic and international agricultural markets.

The MAXSEEDER operates as a tractor-trailed unit compatible with tractors rated at 35 horsepower and above. Engineered for multi-crop seeding across wheat, rice, soybean, maize and cotton, the machine enables direct sowing into paddy residue to eliminate stubble burning.

It features five independent row units with adjustable spacing, multiple metering options and an Electronic Control Unit controlled via a smartphone application to regulate seed and fertiliser dispensing. The unit places urea approximately 1.5 inches below the seed line to improve nutrient uptake and lower input consumption.

Field trials conducted in Punjab and Haryana demonstrated the machine's ability to operate in heavy crop residue with minimal soil disturbance, reducing fuel, labour, and field preparation requirements ahead of planting cycles.

Veejay Nakra, President of the Farm Equipment Business at Mahindra & Mahindra, said, "Mahindra is proud to partner with Clean Seed to deliver sustainable, mechanisation solutions to farmers world over. The patented and innovative ‘zero-till’, multi-crop seeding machine – the MaxSeeder, combined with Mahindra’s world-class manufacturing, ensures benefits for both farmers and the environment. The collaboration also underscores Clean Seed’s confidence in Mahindra’s capabilities and our shared commitment to advancing access to modern farm machinery globally and in India, while showcasing Indian manufacturing excellence on the world stage."

Graeme Lempriere, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of Clean Seed Capital Group, said, "Seeing our SMART Seeder MINI-MAX enter production at Mahindra is a proud milestone and a testament to years of innovation, collaboration and belief in our vision of delivering sustainable seeding and planting solutions for farmers in India and around the world. I am deeply impressed by Mahindra's scale and manufacturing capabilities and inspired by the commitment and passion the Mahindra team has brought to this project."

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