Toyota Kirloskar Motor has concluded the 24-hour Toyota Hackathon 2025 in Mumbai engineered to empower young innovators to drive road safety solutions. It has been a part of the automaker’s commitment to education and road safety. 
Held at Vidyalankar Institute, Wadala (East), Mumbai, and coinciding with ‘Road Safety Month’ (January 18 – February 17, 2025), the event brought together over 400 talented students from over 100 schools across Mumbai, turning in turn into an effective platform to develop actionable solutions to critical road safety challenges.
Attracting the presence of Atul Moreshwar Save, Minister for OBC Welfare, Dairy Development, and Renewable Energy, Government of Maharashtra; Arprit Save, President Chamber of Marathawada Industries and Agriculture, and Senior leadership from TKM (including Vikram Gulati, Country Head and Executive Vice President, Corporate Affairs and Governance, TKM, and Sudeep Dalvi, Chief Communication Officer, Senior Vice President and Head State Affairs, TKM), the event – a key pillar of TKM’s comprehensive Road Safety Initiative designed to address this critical issue by integrating road safety education into school and college curriculums – began with team selection and idea submissions, progressed through a boot camp, culminated in a 24-hour final hackathon, and concluded with incubation support for the top one winner per city. 
Fostering critical thinking, innovation and a sense of responsibility, the Hackathon – structured in five phases – saw participants tackle key road safety themes such as ‘Road Safety Awareness and Education’, ‘Community Engagement for Safety’, ‘School Zone Safety’, ‘Road Infrastructure and Pollution’, ‘IoT/ICT in Road Safety’, ‘Traffic Easement’ and ‘Making Roads Inclusive’. 
Out of 100 initial teams, 28 advanced to post- boot camp, 10 teams completed in the final hackathon out of which 3 emerged as winners, earning continued support to bring their innovative ideas to life.
Following the success in Mumbai, the Toyota Hackathon 2025 will move to Bangalore on 14 February 2025. For the 2024-25 academic year, TKM aims to expand the initiative to 300 institutions across key cities, with over 400 innovative concepts already submitted.
Speaking at the event, Vikram Gulati, Country Head and Executive Vice President, Corporate Affairs and Governance, Toyota Kirloskar Motor, said, “At Toyota Kirloskar Motor, we are driven by the belief that empowering the younger generation with the right tools, mentorship, and opportunities can lead to transformative change. The Toyota Hackathon 2025 serves as a testament to our unwavering commitment to road safety and innovation, as it brings together young minds to ideate, collaborate, and develop solutions for safer roads. This initiative reflects our holistic approach to fostering a culture of safety and sustainability, aligning with Toyota’s global vision of zero traffic fatalities.”
 

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Škoda Auto India has expanded its Gujarat network with three new Customer Touchpoints in Ahmedabad and Himmatnagar, developed in collaboration with PPS Motors Pvt. Ltd. The additions comprise a sales and service hub at Naroda, a sales-only outlet at Maninagar and a Compact 3S facility in Himmatnagar, reinforcing the automaker’s footprint in western India.

The Naroda site spans 26,700 square feet, accommodating six display cars, 19 service bays and an Express Care Bay for swift repairs. Maninagar’s 4,800-square-foot showroom houses seven vehicles, while Himmatnagar’s 10,600-square-foot compact centre features four display cars and four service bays. All facilities adhere to the Modern Solid global design language, ensuring a premium customer environment.

With this rollout, Škoda Auto India’s Gujarat presence now totals 25 touchpoints across 16 cities, including Surat, Vadodara, Rajkot and Gandhinagar, among others. The new outlets are positioned to deliver comprehensive sales and after-sales support, aligning with the brand’s regional growth strategy.

Ashish Gupta, Brand Director, Škoda Auto India, said, “With the inauguration of these new facilities in Gujarat, we continue to strengthen Škoda Auto India’s presence across the state and the western region of India. Ahmedabad alone has five Customer Touchpoints now operational, and we are bringing our complete product range closer to customers while ensuring they experience the highest standards of service and care. Gujarat remains a vital pillar of India's growth, and with the Kylaq, new Kushaq, Kodiaq and Slavia, we are confident of growing the Škoda brand in this important market.”

Rajiv Sanghvi, Dealer Principal, PPS Motors Pvt. Ltd., said, “We are proud to strengthen our partnership with Škoda through the inauguration of these new touchpoints. This marks our entry into Gujarat and a significant milestone in our expansion across Western India. With 28 Škoda Auto-PPS Customer Touchpoints across Karnataka, Telangana, Andhra Pradesh, Kerala and now Gujarat, this expansion reflects our shared commitment to delivering a premium customer experience across every stage of the ownership journey. By combining Škoda Auto's advanced products and customer-centric philosophy with PPS Group's automotive expertise spanning more than 75 years, we are committed to delivering a best-in-class ownership experience while establishing a strong Škoda Auto presence in the region.”

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PPS Motors has inaugurated a new Mahindra touchpoint in Pune, further solidifying its presence within Maharashtra as part of a broader strategy to enhance customer accessibility and service quality. The facility was officially opened in the presence of senior officials from Mahindra & Mahindra, including Aman Malik, National Sales Head; Gaurav Beohar, Zonal Sales Head (West); Prabhakar Jakkan, Regional Sales Manager; Pakshal Shah, Chief of Staff, PPS Group, marking a significant collaboration between the two organisations.

Located strategically on East Street in Camp, the newly established 3,600 sft showroom is engineered to offer a premium and immersive customer journey. The space can accommodate up to five vehicles simultaneously, displaying Mahindra’s full range of passenger vehicles, which includes both internal combustion engine and electric options. Every aspect of the dealership, from its modern colour scheme and dynamic lighting to its intuitive technology, has been meticulously crafted to reflect progressive design and refined elegance, allowing visitors to explore breakthrough innovations such as the INGLO Electric Origin architecture and the advanced MAIA automotive mind.

This launch significantly bolsters PPS Motors’ extensive network, as the group now operates 149 Mahindra touchpoints across six states, including Maharashtra, Andhra Pradesh and Karnataka. The Camp location represents the eighth Mahindra facility in Pune, comprising seven showrooms and one workshop. Within just two years of commencing local operations, PPS-Mahindra has sold over 6,200 vehicles in the Pune region, and the group achieved approximately 41,500 Mahindra vehicle sales nationwide in FY 2026, cementing its status as the manufacturer’s largest sales and after-sales partner in India.

The expansion arrives amid robust regional automotive growth, with Pune’s passenger vehicle registrations rising to 74,814 units in 2025. Furthermore, Maharashtra has maintained its dominance in the electric vehicle sector, recording retail sales of 34,139 e-PVs in FY 2026, a remarkable 100 percent increase from the previous fiscal year, underscoring the growing consumer appetite for both conventional and electric mobility solutions in the state.

Rajiv Sanghvi, Dealer Principal, PPS Group, said, “We are delighted to inaugurate our 149th Mahindra touchpoint at the prestigious Camp location in Pune. This expansion reinforces our nearly seven-decade partnership with Mahindra, built on trust, shared growth and a relentless focus on customer satisfaction while further strengthening our position as its largest dealership partner in India, with around 41,500 vehicle sales in FY2026. With Mahindra’s future-ready products, customer-focused approach coupled with our deep understanding of the customer needs, we together endeavour to provide best-in-class ownership experience for our customers.”

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Maruti Suzuki India (MSIL), the country’s largest passenger vehicle manufacturer, has opened bookings for the 2026 Brezza, which is set to be launched on 24 July 2026.

The SUV can be reserved at Maruti Suzuki ARENA showrooms or via the company website for an amount of INR 11,000. Since its launch in 2016, the company has sold over 1.4 million units of the Brezza.

Partho Banerjee, Senior Executive Officer, Marketing & Sales, Maruti Suzuki India, said, "Brezza's extraordinary journey since its introduction in 2016 has made it India’s highest selling compact SUV. In 10 Years, Brezza has won the trust of over 1.4 million customers which is a testament of its product supremacy and segment domination. In 2026, The new Brezza will represent a perfect synthesis of customer’s love and unlock a new dimension of excitement. We invite customers to book the new Brezza today and be among the first to experience it."

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Kia India, one of the leading passenger vehicle manufacturers, has announced that the Carens SUV family has reached a cumulative sales milestone of 300,000 units, which includes the Carens, Carens Clavis and the Carens Clavis EV.

At present, the Carens lineup sales consist of 60 percent petrol, 30 percent diesel and 10 percent electric. The Carens Clavis EV is available with two battery capacities: a 51.4 kWh option providing a 490 km range and a 42 kWh option with a 404 km range. The EV features fast charging, capable of reaching 80 percent charge from 10 percent in 39 minutes, and is powered by motors delivering 255 Nm of torque.

Sunhack Park, Chief Sales Officer, Kia India, said, “The 300,000-unit milestone for the Carens underscores its position as a segment leader and a true gamechanger in the MPV space. This achievement is a direct result of our product-led strategy, our sharp understanding of customer needs, and our unwavering focus on quality. It strengthens our conviction that the Carens is the benchmark for its class, and we are energized to build on this momentum as we accelerate our growth journey."

Furthermore, for Carens the top trim levels account for 18 percent of total sales.

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