Schaeffler India, a leading motion technology company, has officially opened its fifth manufacturing facility in Shoolagiri, Tamil Nadu. This strategic expansion marks a significant milestone in the company's growth strategy, with the new plant dedicated to producing advanced powertrain and chassis components, alongside futuristic technologies.

The inauguration ceremony was attended by a host of dignitaries, including Georg F W Schaeffler, Chairman of the Supervisory Board and Family Shareholder, Schaeffler, Eranti Sumithasri, Chairperson of the Board of Directors, Schaeffler India, Matthias Zink, CEO Powertrain & Chassis, Schaeffler and Dharmesh Arora, Regional CEO Asia Pacific, Schaeffler.

The 16,500 sqmt facility, part of a larger 108,000 sqmt land plot, is envisioned as a central hub for the production and expansion of conventional and electrified powertrain technologies. This includes planetary gear systems, hybrid transmission components and emerging innovations primarily for the Indian market. Phase 1 of the facility is expected to be fully operational by the Q4 CY2025.

The new manufacturing site is set to significantly increase Schaeffler India's transmission component capacity. It will also play a crucial role in the company’s expansion strategy for new products and advanced technologies, contributing to its long-term global growth objectives.

Matthias Zink, said, “India is a key market for Schaeffler. The new facility is a significant step in our efforts to expand our global manufacturing footprint and further localisation in the region. It supports our long-term growth vision and positions us to better cater to the rising market demands and grow with the Indian market.”

Harsha Kadam, Managing Director and CEO, Schaeffler India, added, “The inauguration at Shoolagiri exemplifies our commitment to expanding our capacities and competencies in India, enabling us to better meet the evolving needs of our customers. With the expansion of our production facilities, we are well-positioned to cater not only to the present local markets but also future needs as we transition towards e-mobility. We remain committed to the country’s ‘Make In India’ initiative, while embracing sustainable practices. It also underscores the Schaeffler Group’s focus towards India as a strategic growth driver.”

This new facility complements Schaeffler India’s four existing manufacturing plants and three R&D centres across the country. The company has demonstrated strong commitment to its Indian operations, investing INR 17 billion over the past three years (2022-2024), exceeding its initial commitment of INR 15 billion. These investments have fuelled the expansion of new product lines for powertrain solutions, e-mobility solutions and large and medium-sized bearings for industrial applications.

In 2023, Schaeffler India further strengthened its presence in the digital automotive aftermarket with the acquisition of KRSV Innovative Auto Solutions (Koovers), a B2B e-commerce platform.

“As the industry continues to evolve against an increasingly complex environment, we remain committed to strengthening capabilities in India with our ever-evolving motion technology portfolio to seize emerging opportunities and retain our competitive edge,” concluded Kadam.

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Kinetic Watts and Volts, the e-mobility arm of Kinetic Group, has inaugurated its new 87,000 sqft plant at Ahilya Nagar, Maharashtra.

The new facility the company shared is designed to be future-ready and will integrate advanced automation, precision assembly lines and sustainability practices. The plant will also leverage digitalisation and automation across operations.

Incorporated on 27 September 2022, Kinetic Watts and Volts is focussing on the electric vehicle segment. The subsidiary has non-exclusive rights to the Kinetic brand for a period three-years starting 2025. Till date, Kinetic Engineering and other promoters have invested INR 428 million in the subsidiary with an additional INR 290 million to be infused soon, which takes the total investment to INR 718 million.

Ajinkya Firodia, Vice-Chairman, Kinetic Group, said, “This facility represents our commitment to shaping the future of mobility with world-class manufacturing excellence. It’s a proud moment for Kinetic Watts and Volts and for the entire Kinetic Group as we set the stage for a new era of innovation, sustainability, and electric mobility from India.”

The company aims to not only introduce products for the Indian market but also explore export opportunities.

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German auto major BMW Group has attained a significant manufacturing milestone as its three-millionth electrified vehicle, a Portimao Blue BMW 330e Touring, rolled off the assembly line at its main plant in Munich.

The plug-in hybrid model is destined for the UK market, underscoring the brand's commitment to electrified mobility across key global regions.

The achievement highlights BMW's accelerated push into the electric vehicle (EV) sector. In 2024 alone, the company shared it saw one in four vehicles sold by BMW was either fully electric or a plug-in hybrid. This growing trend is facilitated by BMW Group's highly flexible production lines, which seamlessly integrate electrified powertrains alongside traditional internal combustion engines.

Milan Nedeljkovic, Board Member for Production, BMW Group, said, “With its highly flexible production, the BMW Group is able to respond to customer requirements in line with market trends and demand. All plants in our global production network are enabled for electromobility, paving the way for continued growth in this segment.”

BMW's journey into series production of fully electric vehicles began in 2013 with the launch of the BMW i3. Manufactured for nearly a decade at Plant Leipzig, alongside the BMW i8 plug-in hybrid, the i3 initially required a dedicated production area due to its unique architecture.

Since then, the integration of electric cars into BMW's global production network has been systematic. Many plants initially assembled plug-in hybrid models on the same lines as their diesel and petrol counterparts. Today, electromobility accounts for a steadily increasing share of production volumes, surpassing 25 percent in 2024, with approximately three-quarters of those vehicles being fully electric. To date, a total of 1.5 million battery electric vehicles (BEVs) across the BMW, MINI and Rolls-Royce brands have been delivered worldwide.

The expansion of the BEV range continued with the start of MINI Cooper SE production in Oxford in 2019. The rollout gained further momentum from 2020 with the latest generation of e-drives, seeing the BMW iX3 built in China and the BMW iX and i4 ramped up in Dingolfing and Munich in 2021. Within a year, all BMW Group plants in Germany were equipped for fully electric vehicle production.

Electrification efforts have extended globally, with all plant sites in China now having introduced EV production. In the US, Plant Spartanburg is preparing for fully electric vehicle production from 2026, while Plant San Luis Potosí in Mexico will add BEV models for the upcoming Neue Klasse in 2027. Both facilities already produce plug-in hybrid models. Similarly, the plant in Rosslyn, South Africa, has been manufacturing plug-in hybrids since 2024, and BMW Group’s local production sites in Brazil, India, and Thailand also build electrified vehicles.

Driving this global shift is BMW's Competence Centre for E-Drive Production. Since the launch of the BMW i3, key electric powertrain components such as battery modules, high-voltage batteries, and electric motors have been produced in Dingolfing. By 2022, this centre had reached an annual capacity of over 500,000 e-drives. Expertise gained here is now being applied to the sixth generation of e-drives, set to be introduced towards the end of this year with the Neue Klasse at the new plant in Debrecen, Hungary.

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Emirates-based automotive company W Motors has announced its new contract manufacturing division at the ongoing ‘Make it in the Emirates’ event in Abu Dhabi.

The company has inked strategic partnerships with ROX Motor, AIH Group and India’s Force Motors.

As per the understanding, W Motors partnership will localise the production of ROX 01 and future models in the UAE.

With AIH Group, it aims to manufacture and SKD operations for production quality.

In addition, the company will develop new vehicle models with Pune-headquartered automotive major Force Motors in the UAE. The partners also aim to explore a range of services and initiatives aimed at driving cross-border innovation in mobility solutions, targeting both local and global markets.

W Motors stated that it aims to build a robust automotive ecosystem in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) and make it a global hub for advanced automotive manufacturing and innovation.

For the unversed, W Motors was founded by Ralph Debbas in 2012 with a vision to manufacture high-performance luxury sports cars in the Middle East. The company has established its presence in Dubai and focusses on design, research & development, vehicle engineering as well as manufacturing of vehicles. Over the years, W Motors has evolved from one of the most exclusive luxury hypercar manufacturers in the world to the only fully integrated mobility solutions provider based in the region.  

At present, it has fostered a range of partnerships with global automotive companies such as MAGNA, Ruf, Michelin, Everatti, Genesis, Motul, Valeo and Triton Electric Vehicles, among others.

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Japanese tier 1 supplier Toyoda Gosei Co, which specialises in rubber and plastic parts, has developed a new technology to recycle high-quality plastic from end-of-life vehicles.

This technology aims to meet the growing demand for recycled plastic in the automotive industry against strengthened environmental regulations, which is pushing towards decarbonisation and circular economy through its use in various vehicle models, starting with the Toyota Camry.

The company shared that till now, it was difficult to obtain recycled plastic that could meet similar performance equivalent to new material due to impurities and other factors. Generally, waste plastic was burned to recover heat or refused for lower performance requirements.

But now Toyoda Gosei’s technology allows recycled plastic to have performance equivalent to that of new material even with 50 percent ELV plastic (polypropylene). 

For this, the company collaborated with Isono Co, to procure quality raw materials for recycling and leveraged Toyoda Gosei’s original material modification technology, meeting the quality standards for automotive parts for practical application. 

The tier 1 supplier shared accelerates horizontal recycling for reuse in the same parts and contributes to CO2 reduction.

Toyoda Gosei claims this is the first time in the world that recycled plastic containing 50 percent ELV plastic is used in interior parts such as glove boxes that require impact resistance.

It is also further advancing recycling plastic and rubber with decarbonisation as a key aim, based on its medium-term and long-term 2030 Business Plan. Going forward, Toyoda Gosei aims to expand applicable products, such as those associated with vehicle design, and will move ahead with the improvement of recycled plastic.

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