Sonalika Tractors, India's leading tractor export brand, achieved a new record for domestic year-to-date (YTD) sales in FY25, selling 63,136 tractors. This includes a sevenfold increase above industry performance and highlights the brand's ongoing competence in bringing farmer-centric innovative agricultural solutions to the world's largest tractor market.

Sonalika's has become a household name for over 1.7 million farmer households with its agility and quickness in delivering tailored tractors that assure plentiful harvests for farmers. The brand's dedication to increasing farm mechanisation aligns with the Central Government's recent push to leverage technology to develop novel agricultural solutions that boost production. Sonalika has already begun its annual 'Sonalika Heavy Duty Dhamaka' promotion to assist farmers in adopting cutting-edge farm technology at optimal rates and celebrating success throughout all seasons.

Raman Mittal, Joint Managing Director, International Tractors Limited, said, “Every farmer’s demand is unique and therefore, a distinctive approach of developing customised farm solutions is essential and already deeply inscribed in our DNA. Our unique proposition for the tractor industry has enabled us to record our highest ever domestic YTD sales of 63,136 tractors and continuously gain market share in India. This includes a staggering 7X growth over industry performance and validates that adopting optimised farm technologies in tractors is fast taking centre stage in the farming community. The successful decade completion of ‘Make-in-India’ initiative has brought in the world focus on quality manufacturing in India, and we have been a proud home-grown brand to have been leading India’s growth story in tractors as No. 1 tractor export brand. The recent push of the Central Government towards adoption of technology in agriculture is in line with Sonalika's commitment to increase productivity powered by farm mechanisation. We are more than ready to make sure that farmers remain equipped with the best heavy-duty tractors and will continue with our innovative journey.”

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Eicher Trucks & Buses, a division of VE Commercial Vehicles (VECV), has inaugurated its 11^th Regional Competence Development Centre (RCDC) at Deenbandhu Chhotu Ram University of Science and Technology (DCRUST) in Murthal, Haryana. The facility was inaugurated by the Chief Minister of Haryana, Nayab Singh Saini.

The centre was established in collaboration with DCRUST to provide technical instruction and skill training in commercial vehicle technologies. It covers 7,900 square feet and contains classrooms, workshops, vehicle practice bays, diagnostic tools and training platforms for light, medium and heavy-duty commercial vehicles. It features dynamic driveline models, engine sections, electrical laboratories, a vehicle inspection pit and VECV's mobile training unit.

S S Gill, Chief Commercial Officer, VE Commercial Vehicles, said, “We are grateful to the Chief Minister of Haryana Nayab Singh Saini, the Government of Haryana and our partner, DCRUST, for their support in making this Regional Competence Development Centre a reality. At Eicher, we believe the future of the commercial vehicle industry will be shaped as much by skilled people as by advanced technologies. Through this collaboration, we are creating a strong foundation for future-ready talent and contributing to a resilient mobility ecosystem.”

Sumit Dewan, Senior Vice-President, VE Commercial Vehicles, said, "Through our partnership with DCRUST, we are creating a platform that enables students, faculty and dealership professionals to gain hands-on exposure to advanced commercial vehicle technologies and evolving industry practices. Students from the centre will have the opportunity to serve in their communities through Eicher’s nationwide network of dealerships across Delhi-NCR, Haryana and Western Uttar Pradesh. The centre will strengthen technical capability across our service network, enhancing customer experience through improved vehicle uptime and operational efficiency.”

The curriculum covers areas including electric vehicles, mechatronics, powertrains, automated transmissions, vehicle electronics, diagnostics, telematics, emission control systems, driver assistance systems and alternative fuels such as CNG and LNG.

The Murthal facility will support the training needs of nearly 50 dealerships across Delhi-NCR, Haryana and Western Uttar Pradesh. Approximately 150 engineering students from DCRUST will use the facility annually, while the mobile training initiative is expected to reach 600 students per year across technical institutions in the region.

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Daimler India Commercial Vehicles (DICV), the wholly-owned subsidiary of Daimler Truck AG and manufacturer of BharatBenz trucks and buses, has inked a non-binding Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the Government of Tamil Nadu at the Tamil Nadu Investment Conclave.

As per the understanding, Daimler India Commercial Vehicles plans to invest INR 40 billion to further strengthen its business in India. Once finalised, the total investment by DICV in the country will exceed INR 145 billion and create an additional 400 jobs, since it started operations in 2012.

Till date, the company has sold over 220,000 trucks and buses in the country, which find applications across freight movement, construction, mining, logistics and passenger mobility.

The company's primary manufacturing and R&D footprint consists of a 400-acre plant in Oragadam near Chennai, employing over 4,000 staff and utilising a network of more than 400 local suppliers that account for 92 percent of product value localisation. The brand's nationwide distribution and service setup comprises over 420 dealer touchpoints, complemented by a Parts Logistics Centre in Pune.

In addition to serving domestic requirements, DICV functions as an export hub within Daimler Truck's international network. The Chennai facility has exported over 75,000 commercial vehicles and 330 million parts to more than 70 markets, alongside supplying transmissions to Daimler Truck manufacturing locations in Germany.

Torsten Schmidt, Managing Director & CEO, Daimler India Commercial Vehicles, said, "BharatBenz was built for India, and this investment reflects our confidence in the next phase of the country’s commercial vehicle growth. As infrastructure, logistics, mining, construction and passenger mobility continue to expand, Indian customers need trucks and buses that deliver higher uptime, safety, reliability and operating efficiency. Through BharatBenz, we are strengthening products, localization, service readiness and parts availability for India, while also reinforcing the country’s role as an important manufacturing and supply base within Daimler Truck’s global network."

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Ashok Leyland, the commercial vehicle manufacturer and flagship company of the Hinduja Group, has signed a Memorandum of Understanding with Drivn, a financing and leasing provider for electric commercial vehicles. The agreement aims to offer financial solutions to customers purchasing Ashok Leyland electric vehicles.

The agreement was signed by Niruban M, Head of Alternate Energy at Ashok Leyland and Alpna Jain, CBO and Co-Founder of Drivn.

As per the understanding, Drivn will supply end-to-end financial solutions, including financing, leasing, and fleet ownership structures. The initiative seeks to lower initial capital expenditure for buyers and support the adoption of electric commercial vehicles across business sectors.

Sudip Dhali, Head of Marketing at Ashok Leyland, stated: “Ashok Leyland is delighted to partner with Drivn to offer attractive and accessible financing solutions to our EV customers. This strategic partnership will further strengthen our market presence by making our innovative range of electric commercial vehicles more accessible to businesses across the country. Backed by cutting-edge technology and delivering an industry-leading total cost of ownership, our products are designed to maximize customer profitability. We remain committed to providing best-in-class mobility solutions and an exceptional ownership experience for our customers.”

Alpna Jain added, “We are pleased to partner with Ashok Leyland to offer seamless electric vehicle financing solutions. This collaboration reinforces our commitment to supporting businesses with accessible, tailored financial solutions that simplify vehicle ownership and enable growth. We aim to make electric commercial vehicle ownership simpler, more accessible, and more rewarding for our customers.”

Ashok Leyland continues to expand its portfolio of electric trucks and buses, targeting zero-emission commercial mobility within the Indian market.

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TVS Vehicle Mobility Solutions (TVS VMS) has entered into electric commercial trucking through a partnership with Montra Electric, deploying a fleet of Montra Electric Rhino heavy commercial vehicles into freight operations.

As part of the initial phase, TVS VMS flagged off 57 Montra Electric Rhino 5538 EV 4x2 TT trucks in Manesar. The electric heavy commercial vehicles will operate on a primary freight route covering a 190-kilometre distance in Chhattisgarh, supported by three charging stations along the corridor. The partners are targeting to expand the deployment to more than 300 electric trucks in FY2026–27.

Jalaj Gupta, Managing Director, Montra Electric, said, "For a partner like TVS VMS, with seven decades of experience to put our electric trucks into live freight operations is exactly the validation India's logistics industry needed. This is proof that our technology is ready for commercial scale. It also reflects the depth of what we've built at Montra Electric with products engineered to address the specific operational needs of this market. Our team worked with TVS VMS to plan the operations, set up charging around their exact routes, and our telematics platform keeps optimising performance as the fleet runs. That's the difference between a truck that works on paper and a fleet that works on the road."

Navneet Sethi, CEO, Montra Electric (eM&HCV Division), said, "For years, industries built around heavy, continuous haulage, steel being a prime example, have questioned whether electric HCVs can genuinely stand up to sustained heavy-load freight, and that scepticism has shaped how slowly this sector has moved toward electrification. TVS VMS putting our Rhino trucks into live operations answers that question decisively, for us and for every heavy-load industry watching closely. This is a company with over seven decades of running conventional trucking now choosing to enter electric trucking for the first time, and choosing us to do it is validation that our platform can handle the demands of commercial-scale freight. For Montra Electric, this is a marker of how electric heavy trucking moves from possibility to standard practice in India, and we intend to lead that shift at national scale."

Madhu Raghunath, CEO, TVS VMS, said, "This strategic partnership marks a decisive step in advancing India's green logistics infrastructure. TVS Vehicle Mobility Solutions is proud to power this transition through our full-suite, end-to-end lifecycle management platform—integrating vehicle leasing, driver operations, maintenance, insurance, charging ecosystem, and connected telematics to make zero-emission fleet operations effortless and commercially viable."

Manufactured at the Montra Electric facility in Manesar, the Rhino 5538 EV tractor-trailer features a 55-tonne gross combination weight capacity. It incorporates a 282 kWh lithium iron phosphate battery paired with a permanent magnet synchronous motor delivering 280 kW peak power and 2,000 Nm torque. The vehicle offers a range of up to 198 km per charge under loaded and empty cycle conditions, and is available in fixed-battery fast-charging and battery-swapping configurations.

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