The Confederation of Indian Industry (CII) will host a webinar on ‘Ethanol roadmap for 2025’ on 22 April 2022.   

CII said in a statement that the webinar, supported by GPS Renewables, aims to highlight the market opportunity of 1G Ethanol projects to achieve India’s target of 20 per cent ethanol blending with petrol by 2025. The webinar will focus on key aspects such as debt financing and feedstock availability challenges, project risks like input, tech and output, technology readiness, and government policies.  

Milind Patke, President, Biofuels, GPS Renewables, said, “We are thrilled to partner with CII to identify and address some of the roadblocks in achieving India’s E20 target. Our aim is to bring together key stakeholders in the industry to find solutions for issues hampering ethanol production. Through this tailor-made webinar and more events in the future, we aim to bridge the gap between lenders and project developers, and help speed up the country's ethanol capacity building process.”  

The key speakers are Sangeet, Chief Director (Sugar), Department of Food and Public Distribution; B. Sankar, CGM, SBI; Sanjay Rudra GM, Bank of Maharashtra; Sridhar Goud, ED, Supplies Operations and Distribution, HPCL; Anurag Saraogi, CGM, BPCL – Biofuels; Saurabh Banerjee, GM, Biofuels, IOCL; Atul Mulay, President, Biofuels, Praj Industries, Roshan Lal Tamak, Member, CII and ED & CEO-Sugar Business, DCM Shriram Ltd; Vijay Nirani, MD, MRN Group; V.N. Raina, DG, AIDA; PK Banerjee, ED, SIAM; Mainak Chakraborty, CEO, GPS Renewables; and Milind Patke, President, Biofuels, GPS Renewables. 

The registration link for the webinar, scheduled to be held from 10.30 am to 1 pm, is
https://bit.ly/3OaPC5W, the release said. 

In order to reduce the country’s dependence on fossil fuels, India has set a target of 20 per cent ethanol blending in petrol by 2025. Currently, 10 per cent ethanol derived from sugarcane or surplus food grain is required to be blended with petrol. As per the National Institution for Transforming India (NITI Aayog), to meet the 20 per cent objective, India's ethanol production must increase to 10.2 billion litres, with 5.5 billion litres of 1G ethanol produced from sugarcane and 4.7 billion litres produced from grains. 

India’s current ethanol production capacity stands at 3 billion litres, the release said. Lack of financial stability to invest in biofuel plants and uncertainty over the price of bioethanol in the future are some of the key challenges in meeting the ethanol blending target. (MT)

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Mumbai-headquartered SUV major Mahindra & Mahindra has upgraded its popular offering, the Scorpio-N Z8L variant, with Level 2 Advanced Driver Assistance Systems (ADAS) tech.

This will see the Scorpio-N Z8L variant coming with Forward Collision Warning, Automatic Emergency Braking, Adaptive Cruise Control with Stop & Go, Smart Pilot Assist, Lane Departure Warning, Lane Keep Assist, Traffic Sign Recognition and High Beam Assist features.

The ADAS tech will further enhance safety quotient for the Scorpion-N with exclusive features such as Speed Limit Assist and Front Vehicle Start Alert, marking a first for Mahindra ICE SUVs.

Furthermore, the company has also expanded the Scorpio-N line-up with the introduction of the Z8T variant at INR 2.02 million. The new variant will sit between the Z8 and Z8L variants. It comes with a compelling mix of premium features, including R18 diamond-cut alloy wheels, a 12-speaker Sony-branded audio system, front camera, front parking sensors, 6-way powered driver seat, electronic parking brake (EPB), ventilated front seats and an auto-dimming IRVM.

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Maruti Suzuki India, the country’s largest passenger vehicle manufacturer, has achieved a new milestone in its aftersales service. The company recorded servicing (free and paid) over 2.45 million vehicles in May, the highest in a single month in its history.

The feat was achieved through the company’s vast network of over 5,400 service touchpoints.

Hisashi Takeuchi, Managing Director & CEO, Maruti Suzuki India, said, “This is the first time in the company’s history that we have serviced over 24.5 lakh vehicles in a month, an achievement that reflects scale, depth, and efficiency of the service network. It is a result of the tireless efforts of our service teams and dealer partners across the country.”

“Good quality aftersales service is critical to maintain vehicle health, leading to a delightful car ownership experience and strengthen customer retention. Even before we started mass sales of vehicles in India, our focus was on building a robust service network, a foundation that continues to support us as we expand our business further. Going forward, we aim to expand our service touchpoints to 8,000 by FY 2030-31 and introduce innovative formats to cater to the requirements of diverse customer needs. This will help in our EV launch as well. We are preparing 1,500 EV enabled service workshops covering over 1,000 cities with specially trained manpower and special equipment to extend all EV related support to our customers,” he said.

Maruti Suzuki India has through its dealer partners introduced several innovative and industry-first service formats, to address the smallest query to full-car service needs ranging from traditional brick-and-mortar workshops to mobile workshops. Over the years, it has also created a dedicated Quick Response Team (QRT) to provide emergency on-road assistance across the country.

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Mercedes-Benz India, the German luxury car brand, has announced a significant organisational change, effective from 1 August 2025, with the appointment of Brendon Sissing as the new Vice-President of Sales and Marketing. He will take over from Lance Bennett, who has moved to Mercedes-Benz Middle East as their Chief Financial Officer.

Santosh Iyer, Managing Director & CEO, Mercedes-Benz India, said, "We are excited to welcome Brendon Sissing as the Head of Sales & Marketing for Mercedes-Benz India. Brendon takes over the responsibility from Lance Bennett, who has joined Mercedes-Benz Middle East as the CFO. Brendon brings rich experience from the world of financing and insurance, as he successfully steered Mercedes-Benz Financial Service India, doubling its portfolio, driving record profit and business transformation, while elevating the integrated customer journey. We are confident Brendon will continue the growth momentum of Mercedes-Benz in this highly diverse and dynamic Indian luxury car market. We thank Lance for his immense contribution and wish them both, the very best in their respective new roles."

Brendon Sissing previously served as the Head of Mercedes-Benz Financial Services India, where he was instrumental in doubling the company's portfolio and achieving record profits. He is recognised for his strong advocacy of digital transformation and risk management, leveraging his expertise in credit risk to drive operational excellence. He has extensive experience within the Mercedes-Benz group, having worked with Mercedes-Benz Malaysia and Mercedes-Benz South Africa, leading Credit Operations in both markets. He also held roles in Credit Underwriting and Key Accounts at Daimler Mobility, Stuttgart, before joining Mercedes-Benz Financial Services India in 2022.

The German brand stated that under Sissing's leadership, Mercedes-Benz Financial Services India significantly enhanced customer journeys through integrated online and offline platforms. He is also noted for his passion for coaching and mentoring, fostering high-performing team environments. Sissing holds a B. Tech degree in Cost & Management Accounting from Technikon Pretoria, South Africa and a Diploma in Credit Management from the Institute of Credit Management. He is also a founding member of Mercedes-Benz Services Malaysia, established in 2012.

A South African national, Sissing has worked in various international locations, including Malaysia, South Africa, Germany and India.

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Honda Cars India has launched a new variant of its popular mid-size sedan, the Honda City Sport, adding a dynamic and youthful edge to the City line-up. Priced at INR 1.48 million (ex-showroom, Delhi), the City Sport is positioned as a limited-edition offering designed to appeal to style-conscious, spirited drivers.

The new variant will be exclusively available with a CVT automatic transmission and is offered in three colour options — Radiant Red Metallic, Platinum White Pearl, and Meteoroid Gray Metallic.

Sporting a blacked-out exterior theme, the car features a Sporty Black Grille, Glossy Black Shark Fin Antenna, Trunk Lip Spoiler and multi-spoke grey alloy wheels. Inside, the cabin gets an all-black treatment with red stitching, leather seats and ambient lighting for a premium, performance-inspired feel.

Under the hood, it retains the 1.5L i-VTEC petrol engine, delivering 121 PS and 145 Nm of torque, with a claimed fuel efficiency of 18.4 kmpl. The model also comes equipped with Honda Sensing, the brand’s advanced driver assistance suite.

Kunal Behl, Vice-President, Marketing & Sales, Honda Cars India, said, “The new City Sport has been crafted to meet the aspirations of young buyers who value individuality and a spirited driving experience. It embodies a perfect blend of sporty exterior and interior style, fun to drive performance and the everyday usability that Honda City is known for, at a price that makes it even more compelling.”

The City Sport is being positioned as a limited-unit, exclusive edition for customers seeking distinction in both design and driving dynamics.

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