German luxury car major Mercedes-Benz’s assembly plant in Chakan, Pune, was found to not adhering to the pollution guidelines set by the Maharashtra Pollution Control Board (MPCB). The finding came during a routine inspection conducted on 23 August, 2024. 

The MPCB is responsible for implementing various environmental laws and regulations within the state of Maharashtra. The board’s primary objective is to ensure the prevention and control of pollution and to promote sustainable development.

In response to this issue, the MPCB has instructed its regional officer to take immediate action to ensure that the Mercedes-Benz assembly plant complies with all MPCB guidelines. This involves a comprehensive review of the plant’s operations and the implementation of necessary corrective measures. As an immediate action step, MPCB has forfeited Mercedes Benz’s bank guarantee INR 2.5 million.

Siddhesh Kadam, Chairman, MPCB said, “We are committed to upholding high environmental standards and ensuring that all industrial activities within our jurisdiction adhere to pollution control regulations. We expect full cooperation from Mercedes-Benz in addressing these issues promptly.”

In a statement issued by the luxury carmaker, it claimed that it has not received any formal notice. 

“Mercedes Benz is in its 30th year of operations in India, with state-of-the-art manufacturing facility in Chakan in its 15th year of operations, which is a benchmark in automotive manufacturing in India. The company sets high priority to adhere to the most stringent global standards in production quality, to uphold high environment and sustainability practices and to comply to mandatory regulations and requirements. We are ready to cooperate with the authorities and present all the required processes and documentations and take any corrective actions if required."

The Chakan plant spread over 100 acres was set up in 2009. Since June 2015, Mercedes-Benz India also commenced production from its new expanded production facility located in the same premises. 

The luxury carmaker states its India operations play an important role in the CKD/MVP production network in Brazil, Indonesia, Malaysia, Thailand and Vietnam.

At these locations, Mercedes-Benz produces vehicles in various extension levels for domestic markets. The production facility now carries an investment of INR 22 billion and has the largest installed production capacity for any luxury carmaker 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.