Caption: The virtual groundbreaking of the project was done by M K Stalin, Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu, in the presence of Dr. T R B Rajaa, Minister for Industries, Investment Promotion & Commerce, Government of Tamil Nadu; Arun Roy (IAS), Industries Secretary; Vishnu (IAS), Guidance MD; Gopalakrishnan Chathapuram Sivaramakrishnan, Whole-time Director and Chief Manufacturing Officer - Hyundai Motor India, and Prof. V. Kamakoti, Director - Indian Institute of Technology Madras (IITM), senior officials from Guidance Tamil Nadu, and other senior state government officials.

Hyundai Motor India (HMIL), one of the leading passenger vehicle manufacturers in the country, held a groundbreaking ceremony for its hydrogen innovation centre at the Tamil Nadu Investors Conclave 2024, held in Chennai. 

In a strategic partnership with the Indian Institute of Technology Madras (IITM), Guidance Tamil Nadu, and the support of the Tamil Nadu state government the facility will serve as a catalyst for innovation in the field of hydrogen technology.

This initiative aims to be an effective measure to reduce Tamil Nadu’s carbon footprint, and HMIL is upbeat on the potential partnership, which it believes will also play a crucial role in developing a skilled workforce for the emerging hydrogen economy.

• The state-of-the-art hydrogen innovation centre will feature the following facilities and focus areas.
• Electrolyser test rig - Electrolyser development for generation of green hydrogen
• Electrolyser / Fuel cell fabrication line - Localisation of manufacturing and supply chain
• fuel cell test station
• Operational and diagnostic digital twin for hydrogen infrastructure
• Pilot demonstrators using electrolysers and fuel cells
• Hydrogen refuelling station - for hydrogen mobility research
•  

Gopalakrishnan Chathapuram Sivaramakrishnan, Whole-time Director and Chief Manufacturing Officer (CMO), Hyundai Motor India said, “Hyundai Motor India remains committed to being a strategic partner in Tamil Nadu government’s vision of building a sustainable ecosystem for transition towards alternate fuels. We are hopeful the upcoming hydrogen innovation centre will accelerate hydrogen mobility adoption in Tamil Nadu. HMIL will be investing towards facility construction at the IIT Madras Thaiyur campus in Chennai. In line with our global vision of ‘Progress for Humanity’, this facility will serve as a key enabler to advance hydrogen as an eco-friendly, emission-less future source of propulsion for mass-mobility solutions.”

The hydrogen innovation centre will be spread across 65,000 square feet within the IIT Madras, Thaiyur campus, located on the outskirts of Chennai.

Prof. V. Kamakoti, Director, IIT Madras said, “IIT Madras has continued to be the forerunner in India’s transformation into a technology and innovation superpower. Furthering this journey, the Institute is honoured to partner with Hyundai Motor India and Guidance Tamil Nadu, to develop a dedicated research facility which we envisage, will create break-through innovations in the field of hydrogen mobility. The hydrogen innovation centre will serve as a catalyst for hydrogen technology innovations, creating a robust ecosystem for start-ups and researchers.”

The hydrogen innovation centre is expected to be fully operational by 2026, and bears an innate potential to foster holistic development of hydrogen ecosystem in India.

Mumbai-based automotive major Mahindra & Mahindra has announced its wholesales for April 2025 at 84,170 vehicles, a growth of 19 percent, including exports.

The auto major sold a total of 52,330 SUVs in the domestic market, which was 28 percent higher than 41,008 SUVs sold for the same period last year. Commercial vehicle sales in the domestic market came at 22,989 units, which was 4 percent YoY. 

Veejay Nakra, President, Automotive Division, Mahindra & Mahindra, said, “Building on the strong momentum of last year's performance, we began the year on a strong note in April by achieving SUV sales of 52,330 units, a growth of 28 percent and total vehicle sales of 84,170 units, a 19 percent growth over the same month last year. These numbers indicate the strength of our portfolio and customer offerings.”

JSW MG Motor India, a leading passenger vehicles manufacturer, has announced its wholesales for April 2025.

The company reported sales of 5,829 units, which was 23 percent higher over April 2024, when it sold 4,725 vehicles.

Interestingly, the automaker's popular offering, the Windsor EV, has continued to be the top-selling electric passenger vehicle for the seventh month in a row.

JSW MG Motor India's Windsor EV has now gone home to over 20,000 customers.

Maruti Suzuki India, the country’s largest carmaker, has reported its wholesales of 179,791 units in April 2025, marking a 7 percent increase compared to 168,089 units sold in April 2024. The growth was primarily propelled by strong performance in utility vehicles and a sharp rise in export volumes.

Domestic sales, including passenger and light commercial vehicles, remained flat with 142,053 units, as compared to 140,448 units in April 2024. Within this, light commercial vehicles (LCVs) like the Super Carry saw a significant jump of 34.2 percent, with sales rising to 3,349 units from 2,496 units last year.

In the passenger vehicle segment, SUVs such as the Brezza, Ertiga, Grand Vitara and others recorded a 4.4 percent increase, selling 59,022 units compared to 56,553 in the previous year. However, sales for Eeco declined by 5.2 percent, while the mini segment (Alto, S-Presso) saw a sharp 45 percent drop, falling to 6,332 units from 11,519 units. The compact segment, which includes high-volume models like the Baleno and Swift, grew by 8.1 percent, reaching 61,591 units.

Sales to Toyota Kirloskar Motor rose sharply by 79.2 percent, from 5,481 units to 9,827 units, indicating a growing demand for cross-badged products.

The standout performer was the export segment, which surged 26 percent to 27,911 units from 22,160 units in April 2024. This strong export growth helped bolster the company’s overall numbers despite weaknesses in domestic sub-segments.

While some product lines such as the mid-size sedan Ciaz (-63 percent) continue to struggle.

Tata Motors reported total wholesales of 72,753 units for April 2025, reflecting a 6 percent year-on-year decline from 77,521 units in April 2024.

The passenger vehicle (PV) segment, including electric vehicles, accounted for 45,532 units, down 5 percent from 47,983 units in the same month last year. Within this, domestic PV sales dropped 6 percent to 45,199 units, while international business (IB) sales rose significantly to 333 units, up from 100 units. Electric vehicle sales (domestic + IB) declined 16 percent year-on-year to 5,318 units.

Commercial vehicle (CV) sales stood at 27,221 units, marking an 8 percent YoY drop from 29,538 units in April 2024. Domestic CV sales contracted 10 percent to 25,764 units, while CV exports (IB) grew 43 percent to 1,457 units. Key sub-segments like Small Commercial Vehicles (SCV) and pickups saw a steep 23 percent decline.

Despite growth in certain categories like ILMCV trucks and passenger carriers, overall sales momentum was tempered across both PV and CV segments.