German tier 1 supplier Continental’s Gurgaon plant has attained a new production milestone of producing 10 million Electronic Brake Systems (EBS) and 100 million Wheel Speed Sensors (WSS), two components integral to the safety of a vehicle. 

The EBS portfolio comprises Electronic Stability Control (ESC) for passenger cars and Anti-lock Brake Systems (ABS) for both, passenger cars and two-wheelers. It provides directional stability and steerability of the vehicle whereas, ABS aims to avoid locking of the wheels and keeps the vehicle steerable during braking. Additionally, the signals from the WSS are required for control systems like Anti-lock Braking System (ABS) and Electronic Stability Control (ESC).

The company states that over 1.3 million people loose their lives in road accidents worldwide every year and more than 50 million are injured. In India, 53 accidents and 19 deaths occur every hour, or an average of 1,264 accidents and 42 deaths daily due to road crashes, according to a Ministry of Road Transport and Highways report in 2023. To enhance road safety in the country, ABS technology was made mandatory in 2019, followed by a proposal for ESC in 2022 by the government.  

Sukhdeep Sandhu, Head of Safety and Motion, Continental Automotive India said, “Safety is non-negotiable. At Continental, we have consistently brought relevant technologies to the market for our customers, helping make vehicles and thereby our roads safer. Our expertise in active and passive safety systems is a key driver in reducing the number of traffic-related fatalities, injuries, and road accidents”.

“Localisation is at the core of company’s strategy in India. Supported by legislations which have played a huge role in ensuring vehicular safety, we have been able to localise both production and R&D, ensuring greater value to our customers in the market. Customers in India are proactive in their adoption approach towards safety technologies”, he added.

Continental’s ‘Vision Zero’ is focussing on ensuring zero road fatalities, injuries and crashes, through technologies, components and systems and ongoing innovations.

The tier 1 supplier is also one of the largest manufacturers of WSS in India. Apart from catering to leading OEMs in India, these components are also exported to other Asian and European regions.

Anudeep Garg, Head of the Gurgaon plant, Continental Automotive India said, “We are proud to achieve this milestone and continue to focus on localisation. As a Tier 1 supplier, we follow global manufacturing standards and have adopted several advanced technologies to create a digital shopfloor. Additionally, industry 4.0 technologies enable us to not only maintain product quality and enhance efficiency but also to effectively streamline our supply chain. We aim to increase the manufacturing capacity of EBS and WSS in double-digit percentages in the next three years for both passenger vehicles as well two-wheelers.” 

Continental’s ‘in the market, for the market’ approach has seen its entire value chain from R&D to design and production being localised. This way Continental is focusing on enabling easy access to safety products by adapting globally proven technologies to suit the local market. Wide-scale production offers economy of scale and ensures cost advantage, thereby contributing to increased democratization of safety features in vehicles across segments in India.

It was in 2016, when Continental set up assembly lines in Gurugram for Antilock Brake Systems (ABS) and Electronic Stability Control (ESC) systems for two-wheelers and passenger cars. In 2018, it commenced production for ABS and ESC Electronic Control Units (ECU) at its Bengaluru plant. In the subsequent year, the company achieved the production milestone of one million ABS and ESC ECUs at its Bengaluru plant, and in 2020, reached a milestone of 50 Million Wheel Speed Sensors (WSS) at its Manesar plant. Additionally, Continental entered into a joint venture with Japanese firm Nisshinbo Holdings in 2022, to localise machining for valve blocks for Electronic Brake Systems (EBS) in India. 

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Skoda Auto Volkswagen India has announced that it has achieved a major manufacturing milestone in its operations. The company recently rolled out its 500,000th made-in-India Skoda vehicle.

The milestone comes after 24 years since the company introduced the first Skoda Octavia from its Chhatrapati Sambhaji Nagar facility (formerly Aurangabad) in 2001.

At present, the company manufactures vehicles across two facilities in India – Chhatrapati Sambhaji Nagar and Pune, with them now supporting the company’s new manufacturing plant in Vietnam with parts and components.

Over the years, Skoda has rolled out its iconic products such as Octavia, Laura, Superb and Kodiaq to new products like the Kushaq, Slavia and its first sub-4-meter Kylaq.

Andreas Dick, Board Member for Production and Logistics, Skoda Auto, said, “Reaching the milestone of 500,000 cars produced in India is a proud testament to our strategic vision of unwavering commitment to India and operational excellence. By nurturing local engineering talent and embedding global manufacturing processes, we’ve built an ecosystem that is agile, scalable, and responsive to a dynamically changing environment that meets the highest international standards. This achievement reflects the synergy between world-class innovation and India’s growing industrial prowess.”

Piyush Arora, CEO & Managing Director, Skoda Auto Volkswagen India, said, “It is not just about manufacturing 500,000 cars, but building and nurturing 500,000 connections. Every car that rolls out of our production lines, shares DNA of European engineering with unmatched quality, crafted with precision; delivering supreme comfort, safety, technology and driving dynamics. This achievement belongs as much to our customers as it does to our employees. Because what we’re manufacturing here isn’t just mobility, it’s a belief in what India can make for domestic as well as international markets. India plays a pivotal role in the Group’s growth strategy. I am glad to mention that we achieve this manufacturing milestone in the same year as Skoda Auto celebrates 130 years of legacy globally and 25 years of presence in India.”

The company revealed that approximately 70 percent of the vehicles manufactured in India were rolled out from its Chhatrapati Sambhaji Nagar plant.

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Shell Lubricants, the lubricants business of UK-headquartered Shell Group of companies, has acquired 100 percent equity stake in Raj Petro Specialities from Brenntag Group.

India is currently the world’s third-largest lubricant market and this initiative Shell expects to further expand its portfolio and customer base in the country, but also enhance its presence in the global markets.

Raj Petro is a multi-faceted petrochemical manufacturing and marketing company with business partners in about 100 countries across the globe and offers a wide range of products catering to power, energy, transport, construction, automotive, personal care, food, agriculture, pharmaceutical and other industries.

The acquisition of Raj Petro Specialities supports Shell Lubricants as it strives to grow its portfolio and customer base in India, which is one of its key growth markets.

Jason Wong, Executive Vice-President for Global Lubricants, Shell, said, “The addition of Raj Petro Specialities will help maximise value for Shell through a complementary product portfolio and increased scale of business, positioning Shell Lubricants for further growth in line with our unwavering focus on performance, discipline, and simplification.”

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Swedish steel manufacturer SSAB has announced a new collaboration with Polmotors, a tier 1 supplier focusing on low-emission products, for exploring the potential of fossil-free materials in demanding automotive applications.

The partnership will see Polmotors explore manufacturing components using SSAB’s decarbonised steel.

SSAB is working on two unique decarbonised steels and aims to largely eliminate carbon dioxide emissions from its own operations. It has already introduced SSAB Zero, which is based on recycled steel and made using fossil-free energy. The company claims that it has also successfully produced the world’s first fossil-free steel. It works with iron ore producer LKAB and energy company Vattenfall as part of the HYBRIT initiative to develop a value chain for fossil-free iron- and steel production, replacing the coking coal traditionally used for iron ore-based steelmaking with fossil-free electricity and hydrogen. This process virtually eliminates carbon dioxide emissions in steel production.

On the other hand, Polmotors closely works with the likes of Volkswagen, Audi, BMW, Peugeot, Citroen, Jeep, Stellantis, Mercedes-Benz and Opel among others, to introduce high-performance components which are not only lighter but also greener.

Maciej Grabos, CEO, Polmotors, said, “Polmotors sees the future of fossil-free steel. And the potential competitive advantage of being an early adopter, positioning ourselves to meet the anticipated market demand from premium automotive OEMs. We design and manufacture crash management systems (CMSs) for these customers, such as bumpers and rally bars, so choice of materials is crucial. Polmotors looks forward to joint R&D – working with SSAB and the OEMs – for the implementation of new steel grades in our products.”

Robert Lewandowski, Key Account Manager, SSAB, said, “Polmotors recently celebrated its 35thanniversary. I’ve had the pleasure and privilege to meet them 20 years ago and observe how an initially small, Polish-owned enterprise turned into a global Tier1 supplier. Decarbonisation of the automotive industry requires cooperation across the supply chain where Tier 1 companies play an important role”.

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The Ministry of Heavy Industries (MHI) has announced a new initiative to promote green mobility in the country under the ‘Scheme to Promote Manufacturing of Electric Passenger Cars in India’ (SPMECI).

The initiative aims to focus on encouraging the manufacturing of electric four-wheelers in the country. The scheme eventually looks to establish India as a premier global EV-manufacturing hub and attract investments from global electric vehicle companies, along with generating employment.

The Ministry of Heavy Industry has opened the application portal for a period of around 3 months starting from 24 June 2025 till 6pm on 21^st October 2025.

HD Kumaraswamy, Union Minister for Heavy Industries and Steel of India, said, “Guided by the visionary leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, this initiative marks a defining moment in India’s journey towards clean, self-reliant and future-ready mobility. The launch of this portal under the SPMEPCI scheme opens new avenues for global electric vehicle manufacturers to invest in India’s rapidly evolving automotive landscape. This scheme not only supports our national commitment to achieving Net Zero by 2070, but also reinforces our resolve to build a sustainable, innovation-driven economy.”

As per the guidelines, all approved applicants will need to invest a minimum of INR 41.5 billion to establish long-term manufacturing footprints in India. Global OEMs who invest in the country will be able to import electric passenger vehicles as Completely Built Units (CBUs) with a minimum CIF value of USD 35,000 at reduced customs duty of 15 percent for a period of five years from the Application Approval Date.

The Ministry has announced calibrated customs duty concessions and clearly defined Domestic Value Addition (DVA) milestones to strike a balance between the introduction of advanced EV technologies and the use of indigenous capabilities. Through domestic value addition targets, the scheme aims to fast track global and domestic companies towards becoming active partners in the country’s green mobility revolution.

SPMECI had been notified by a notification given on 15 March 2024.

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