Team MRF Tyres has won the final round of European Rally Championship 2024 at the Rally of Silesia, Poland. Andrea Mabellini and Virginia Lenzi (ITA) steered the team to victory, participating in Škoda Fabia RS Rally2, and became the eighth different winner of the eight round 2024 FIA European Rally Championship.

Mabellini's maiden European career triumph was made possible by the exceptional performance of the Italian crew, who was placed second in the last championship round at the JDS Machinery Rali Ceredigion. As the first Italian to win a European rally outside of Italy in 13 years, this is a noteworthy outcome. With this outcome, Mabellini concluded the season in fourth position, just a few points below third place, and made a substantial contribution to Team MRF Tyres' second-place finish in the rankings.

As the only driver to fight two-time European champion and former WRC driver Hayden Paddon, Mabellini was in the running from the beginning, finishing second in the opening show stage. After a fierce duel that lasted down to the tenths of a second, Mabellini's triumph on SS11 on Day 2 marked a turning point and put him in the lead. The pivotal moment came three stages from the finish: following a largely dry rally, the rain and shifting weather conditions made tyre selection extremely important. Mabellini showed maturity by driving with both speed and precision while Team MRF Tyres made no mistakes. By the finish, he had increased his advantage from a slim 1.9-second cushion to 18.3 seconds.

Amaury Molle (B) and Alex Dubois (FRA) of Team MRF Tyres also finished in Katowice with their Škoda Fabia Rally2 Evo. After an accident at the Barum Czech Rally Zlín two months ago, the Belgian driver returned and showed steady performance. Molle fought hard to restore confidence and consistency, achieving outstanding times, including sixth on SS11, despite the extremely unpredictable circumstances.

Mabellini said, “I’m extremely happy. I want to thank Team MRF Tyres for believing in me from the start. We’ve worked hard together, and achieving this result is a huge satisfaction for all of us. A big thanks also to Virginia, who understands me perfectly, guides me, and without whom I wouldn’t be able to give my best, and to everyone who supported us from Italy. It’s been an incredible weekend, a season finale to remember. We’re enjoying this moment.”

Molle said, “It’s been a weekend full of positives. I know it will take time to fully regain my rhythm and the confidence to push at 100 percent, but I felt a great connection with the car, and Alex and I did a good job, improving stage by stage. We made a small mistake on the final stage but that doesn’t change our outlook on the weekend’s result. Thanks to Team MRF Tyres for this opportunity; now we have the winter to prepare and focus on our 2025 season.”

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Hero MotoCorp, the world’s largest manufacturer of motorcycles and scooters, has introduced its first flex-fuel vehicles – the Splendor+ Flex Fuel and the HF Deluxe Flex Fuel. The launch introduces the first flex-fuel motorcycles to India's 100cc mass-market segment, establishing a new milestone in the country's transition toward alternative fuels.

The Hero HF Deluxe Flex Fuel will be sold at INR 72,792 and Hero Splendor+ Flex Fuel at INR 82,710 (ex-showroom Delhi).

Engineered for everyday commuting, these new models are fully compatible with ethanol-blended petrol ranging from E20 up to E85. The localised technology supports India's national directive to lower economic carbon intensity by 45 percent by 2030.

The vehicles were unveiled ahead of World Environment Day in New Delhi in the presence of Nitin Gadkari, Minister of Road Transport & Highways (MoRTH) and Hardeep Singh Puri, Minister of Petroleum and Natural Gas (MoPNG), alongside Hero MotoCorp leadership.

Developed at Hero MotoCorp's Centre for Innovation & Technology (CIT) in Jaipur, the flex-fuel line features minimal-to-no imported component content. The initial market release is scheduled for July 2026 across Delhi and select regions of Maharashtra, with a nationwide rollout to follow shortly thereafter.

Both motorcycles are powered by a modified 97.2cc engine architecture engineered to dynamically adapt to varying ethanol-to-petrol ratios. When running on E85 fuel, the powertrain delivers a peak power output of 6.3 kW at 8,000 rpm and maximum torque of 8.3 Nm at 6,000 rpm. To handle the corrosive and chemical properties of high-concentration ethanol blends, both models incorporate revised Electronic Control Units (ECUs) and structurally upgraded fuel system components.

Harshavardhan Chitale, CEO, Hero MotoCorp, said, "The launch of the Flex Fuel-ready Splendor+ and HF Deluxe marks another important step in our commitment towards cleaner and sustainable mobility. Developed at our Centre for Innovation & Technology (CIT) in Jaipur, these motorcycles underscore our commitment to delivering future-ready and locally relevant technologies. With minimal-to-no import content, our motorcycles strongly reflect India’s disruptive capabilities in manufacturing, while reinforcing the Government of India’s vision of Atmanirbhar Bharat, Viksit Bharat and long-term energy security.”

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Hero MotoCorp, the world’s largest manufacturer of motorcycles and scooters, has reported total wholesale dispatches of 570,068 units for May 2026, up 12 percent YoY, as compared to 507,701 units sold last year.

Overall domestic dispatches stood at 536,784 units for the month, registering around 10 percent growth compared to May 2025. The growth, the company said, was primarily driven by double-digit volume gains across the Deluxe 125cc, premium motorcycle and scooter segments. To further consolidate its position, the company launched the all-new Super Splendor XTEC 2.0 in the 125cc category.

On the exports front, sales grew around 78 percent YoY, albeit a low-year-ago base, with dispatches rising to 33,284 units in May 2026 from 18,704 units in May 2025. This global momentum was backed by an expanding premium product portfolio and targeted market entries.

The company's domestic retail momentum remained robust, supported by 496,957 official VAHAN registrations (excluding Telangana) recorded during the month.

Furthermore, VIDA, Hero MotoCorp’s emerging electric vehicle (EV) brand, continued its rapid retail scale-up, registering 19,052 units on the VAHAN platform in May 2026, up 166 percent over the corresponding period last year.

VIDA also commenced retail operations for the Dirt.E K3 electric motorcycle in select markets, expanding its product accessibility to target younger riding demographics.

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Suzuki Motorcycle India (SMIPL), the two-wheeler subsidiary of Suzuki Motor Corporation, Japan, has recorded its highest-ever monthly sales volume, delivering 132,244 units in May 2026, up 3 percent YoY, as compared 128,897 units sold last year.

The milestone performance was driven by an all-time high in domestic dispatches alongside steady growth in international export markets.

Suzuki Motorcycle India saw positive momentum in both the domestic market and exports. The company sold 110,028 units in the domestic market, up 2 percent YoY, while exports came at 22,216 units, up 5 percent YoY.

In addition to whole vehicle distributions, the manufacturer's spare parts division recorded financial gains. Spare parts sales generated revenue of INR 953.60 million in May 2026, marking a 14 percent growth rate over the prior year's corresponding month.

The volume growth highlights the impact of rising customer demand and SMIPL's expanded market outreach. Moving into the next phase of the fiscal year, the company plans to focus on brand activations and targeted engagement initiatives to maintain momentum.

Deepak Mutreja, Vice-President of Sales & Marketing, Suzuki Motorcycle India, said, “SMIPL’s strong performance in May 2026, marked by the highest-ever monthly sales, reflects the positive response to our products and services in the market. The domestic growth highlights the impact of a customer-centric approach and sustained engagement efforts in building deeper connections. Going forward, the focus remains on further enriching customer experiences through impactful engagement initiatives and brand activations.”

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Honda Motorcycle & Scooter India (HMSI), one of the leading two-wheeler manufacturers, has reported total sales of 518,777 units for May 2026, marking a 12 percent YoY growth compared to the 465,109 units sold for the same month last year.

The sales include 459,611 units in the domestic market, up 10 percent YoY, while exports came at 59,166 units, up 24 percent YoY.

The company's performance indicates steady demand across the automotive two-wheeler market, supported by a product portfolio and a retail network of over 7,000 corporate touchpoints nationwide.

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