India’s commercial vehicle (CV) industry is rapidly aligning with global standards, thanks to policy reforms, evolving customer expectations and a robust domestic ecosystem. Automakers and suppliers are making significant strides in cost competitiveness, safety innovations and integrating alternative energy solutions. As the sector continues to evolve, the need for collaboration and strategic discussions has never been more critical.

Recognising this imperative, Motoring Trends, a leading automotive magazine, hosted its inaugural Commercial Vehicles Conference on 21st November 2024, in Pune, India. Themed ‘Moving India Forward’, the event served as a platform for industry leaders, including OEMs, suppliers, technocrats, fleet operators and industry partners, to address challenges and identify opportunities shaping the future of the Indian CV landscape.

By bringing together stakeholders from across the value chain, the conference underscored the importance of collective action in driving innovation, enhancing safety standards, and adopting sustainable practices. As the CV industry transforms to meet global benchmarks, such forums are vital to ensuring India’s leadership in the sector while addressing its unique market dynamics and needs.

Mahindra Truck & Bus, Ashok Leyland and Apollo Tyres supported the event as sponsors, while Automotive Research Association of India (ARAI) was the Associate partner, while Asian Trucker and Tyre Trends were the Media partners. The delegates at the event attended from a range of companies such as Tata Motors, MAN Trucks, Continental India, Tyresoles India, and Volvo Trucks among others.

The event kicked off with Dr Seshu Bhagavathula, Director, CityQ and an automotive industry veteran delivering the Keynote address, where he highlighted how urban cities around the world are working to decongest and decarbonise their streets. “This (decongestion and decarbonisation) requires a serious relook and focus on improving urban mobility as well as the role of alternative energy to support the transition,” Dr Bhagavathula.

Rashmi Urdhwareshe, Former Director, Automotive Research Association of India (ARAI) shared her perspective on how the automotive industry has been focussing on not just introducing the latest technologies, but also co-developing solutions to meet the India-specific needs. She emphasised  the close cooperation between testing agencies, suppliers and OEMs that is accelerating the transition to the latest technologies.

Making commercial vehicles safer

The commercial vehicle population on Indian roads accounts for a small parc of the total vehicles, but ranks 3^rd when it comes to the vehicles involved in road accidents. In 2022, more than 460,000 accidents took place in India, which resulted in over 168,491 people losing their lives and over 443,366 people being injured.

The first panel discussion of the day focussed on one of the most important aspects pertaining to the CV industry – Safety. The panellists for the session included – Dr Venkat Srinivas, Head Of Business, Mahindra Truck & Bus; Rahul S. Mahajan, Deputy Director, The Automotive Research Association of India (ARAI); Sudeepth Puthumana, Head of Segment – ADAS, Autonomous Mobility, Continental Automotive India and Prashant Kakade, Ministry of Road Transport & Highways (MoRTH).

The session, moderated by Bhushan Mhapralkar, Editor, Motoring Trends, touched upon various factors ranging from ADAS technology, and road designing to driver training and sensitisation.

SKP Amarnath, Group Head - R&D, Apollo Tyres gave a presentation on ‘Commercial Vehicle (Truck) Evolution In India And Impact On Tyres’. He dwelled into the key developments that have taken place in the CV industry and how tyres can play a key role in influencing vehicle safety and efficiency.

Vijay Shrinivas, Member, TREA - Tyre Retreading Education Association and CEO, Indag, gave a presentation on ‘Driving Sustainability and Circularity in Commercial Vehicle Industry’. He presented his thoughts on how treading not only helps save costs on tyre replacement but also enables higher circularity and thus helps reduce carbon emissions too.

Alternative energy & future of commercial vehicles

The role of alternative energy has been a key topic of discussion globally across vehicle segments. While there has been a focus on electrification in certain vehicle classes, the commercial vehicle segment will need to adopt a mixed approach depending on the application and use case.

The second panel discussion was on the topic of Alternative Energy and the Future of Commercial Vehicle. The panellists – Dr Bhagavathula ; Mahesh Babu, CEO, Switch Mobility; Anil Baliga, President, EKA Mobility; Boddapati Dinakar, Executive Vice-President, Sales & Marketing, Volvo Trucks, VECV; Shailesh Zinge, Director - Marketing, Growth Initiatives and Program Management, Engine Business, Cummins India and A Ramasubramanian, CTO, Blue Energy Motors presented their perspective on the alternative fuel segment.

The session was moderated by Nilesh Wadhwa, Assistant Editor, Motoring Trends.

The discussion focussed on how industry stakeholders were exploring various energy mix ranging from electric, LNG to future fuels such as hydrogen and fuel cells. The panellists agreed that globally too at present there was no single fuel that could completely overhaul the commercial vehicles segment. There was a need to not only focus on the vehicles but the necessary charging/refuelling ecosystem.

Transport ecosystem

The health of the CV industry is one of the key barometers to understand a country’s economic prosperity. While one can discuss the trends, policies and technologies, it is imperative that the views of the key stakeholder – fleet operators – are taken into account.

The third panel discussion of the day was on the topic of ‘Transport Ecosystem’. The panellists for the session were - Bal Malkit Singh, Chairman - the Core Committee, Former President, All India Motor Transport Congress (AIMTC) Prasanna Patwardhan, President, Bus & Car Operators Confederation Of India (BOCI) and Sanjay Sasane, Principal, Institute of Driving Training and Research (IDTR).

The session, moderated by Sharad Matade, Executive Editor, Motoring Trends, had an indepth discussion on how fleet operators continued to face headwinds ranging from increases in operational expenses, driver shortages and road infrastructure among others. At the same time, the revenues had not kept up at the same pace. The panellists also presented their perspectives on the adoption of newer technologies and alternative fuels.

Atul Patil, Vice-President – Marketing, Pin 365 delivered the Vote of Thanks. 

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PT Tata Motors Distribusi Indonesia, a subsidiary of Tata Motors, has entered into an agreement to supply 70,000 vehicles for deployment in Indonesia. The fleet will support agricultural activities, rural logistics and regional goods movement.

The order consists of 35,000 units of the Yodha pick-up and 35,000 units of the Ultra T.7 truck. These vehicles will be delivered to PT Agrinas Pangan Nusantara, an Indonesian state-owned enterprise tasked with modernising agricultural supply chains and advancing food security.

The vehicles are part of the Koperasi Desa and Kelurahan Merah Putih Project, a strategic initiative aimed at strengthening rural connectivity and economic resilience in Indonesia. The fleet will be distributed through agricultural cooperatives under a phased delivery programme to ensure integration into the national logistics network.

Asif Shamim, Director, PT Tata Motors Distribusi Indonesia, said, “This order reflects the continued acceptance of Indian commercial vehicles in international markets and the confidence of customers in their ability to operate reliably across diverse conditions. The Tata Yodha and the Ultra T.7 are designed for sustained performance, high uptime and efficient operating economics. Their deployment will support agricultural logistics in Indonesia by improving connectivity, enabling more efficient movement of goods across rural and regional networks. We remain committed to expanding the global footprint of Indian mobility solutions through vehicles and offerings that combine scale, reliability and sustained value creation for our customers.”

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Switch Mobility, the electric vehicle arm of the Hinduja Group, has flagged off 272 units of its EiV12 low-floor bus in New Delhi. The deployment is part of a 950-bus contract awarded under the Convergence Energy Services (CESL) tender.

The event, held at Ramlila Maidan, was led by the Chief Minister of Delhi, Rekha Gupta, alongside transport officials and representatives from the Delhi Transport Corporation (DTC). The rollout aligns with the Government of India’s targets for emission-free and accessible public transport.

The 950 e-buses will be stationed at depots across the capital, including Okhla Srinivas Puri, Grand Trunk Road, and Rajghat. Ohm Global Mobility will manage the operational deployment and maintenance of the fleet.

The vehicles are manufactured at Switch Mobility's facility in Tamil Nadu. The project aims to increase the volume of electric buses in operation in Delhi to reduce CO2 emissions and improve urban air quality.

The Switch EiV12 is designed for urban transit with a focus on accessibility and stability. It gets ultra-low entry with kneeling and tilting functions to assist boarding. Floor-mounted batteries for stability and rear-mounted ports supporting dual-gun fast charging.

It features manual/automated wheelchair ramps for passengers with special needs, seniors and parents with prams. The Switch iON system monitors 140 parameters with 80 alerts to track vehicle health and performance.

Ganesh Mani, Chief Executive Officer of Switch Mobility, said, "The flag-off of over 200 Switch EiV12 Low Floor Buses electric buses in partnership with CESL is a significant milestone in strengthening Delhi's electric public transport ecosystem. Switch Mobility is committed to collaborating with city transport authorities to deliver dependable, high-performance electric buses that can scale rapidly. Deployments like these demonstrate how electric mobility can be seamlessly integrated into urban operations while delivering tangible benefits in emissions reduction and passenger experience."

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GreenCell Mobility (GCM) has announced the deployment of 570 electric buses in Delhi to expand the city's zero-emission public transport. The initiative follows an USD 89 million investment round from the International Finance Corporation (IFC), British International Investment (BII) and Tata Capital.

The deployment began with a recent event at Ramlila Maidan, where 500 electric buses were introduced by the Delhi Government.

GreenCell Mobility will supply 12-metre, air-conditioned buses featuring batteries designed for Delhi's road conditions. The vehicles will operate from depots in Rajghat, Dilshad Garden and Seemapuri.

The e-buses come with an Integrated Transport Management System (ITMS), real-time vehicle tracking and internal and reversing cameras. It also is equipped with Passenger Information Systems and infrastructure for differently-abled commuters.

Beyond the capital, GreenCell Mobility is executing projects across several states including 700 buses Uttar Pradesh, 750 buses in Andhra Pradesh, 582 buses in Madhya Pradesh, 400 buses in Bihar and 50 intercity buses for MSRTC in Maharashtra.

Backed by Eversource Capital, GCM currently operates a fleet of over 1,200 electric buses supported by 270 charging stations. Following the recent funding, the company plans to scale its total fleet to over 3,700 electric buses under the National E-Bus and PM Seva E-Mobility programmes.

Devndra Chawla, MD & CEO, GreenCell Mobility, said, “Delhi’s electric bus rollout represents the next phase of India’s public transport transition from pilots to scaled, city-wide adoption. This deployment showcases how institutional capital, policy intent and operational capability can come together to deliver clean mobility at scale. Our focus is not just on adding electric buses but on building a reliable, technology-led public transport ecosystem that cities can depend on over the long term.”

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Mahindra Group has announced plans to build its largest integrated manufacturing facility for automobiles and tractors in Nagpur, Maharashtra. The announcement was made during the Advantage Vidarbha industrial event.

The company has committed a total investment of INR 15,000 crore over a 10-year period to strengthen its footprint in the state. The project includes a 1,500-acre site in Vidarbha and a 150-acre supplier park in Sambhajinagar.

Upon completion, the facility will have an annual production capacity of 500,000 vehicles and 100,000 tractors. Production is scheduled to commence in 2028.

The location provides access to the Samruddhi Expressway and rail links for domestic and export distribution. The Sambhajinagar supplier park will provide components to this new plant as well as existing facilities in Chakan and Nashik to improve logistics and localisation.

The automotive unit will support the NU_IQ architecture and produce vehicles across internal combustion engine (ICE), electric vehicle (EV) and other powertrain technologies. The facility will utilise automation and digital systems. Additionally, Mahindra will acquire land in the Igatpuri-Nashik region to expand engine and product capacities for its technology business.

Devendra Fadnavis, Chief Minister of Maharashtra, said, “Mahindra’s decision to establish its largest integrated auto and tractor manufacturing facility in Maharashtra is a strong endorsement of the state’s robust industrial ecosystem and progressive policy framework. This landmark investment will generate significant employment, accelerate regional development in Vidarbha and surrounding areas, and further reinforce Maharashtra’s position as a leading manufacturing hub in India.”

Rajesh Jejurikar, Executive Director & CEO, Auto and Farm Sector, Mahindra & Mahindra, said, “This facility represents a bold step forward in Mahindra’s manufacturing journey. Designed to support our next generation of vehicles and tractors, it brings together scale, flexibility and advanced technology within one integrated footprint. It strengthens our ability to deliver world-class products while staying true to our commitment to ‘Make in India for the World.’ We are proud to deepen our partnership with the state of Maharashtra through this transformative investment.”

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