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.”

Comments (0)

ADD COMMENT

Link Copied!

Hero MotoCorp, the world’s largest two-wheeler manufacturer, has appointed Sachin Agrawal as its new Chief Technology Officer, with the transition effective from 21 May 2026.

Agrawal takes responsibility for the company's Research and Development (R&D) division during a phase focused on electric vehicles and alternative fuel technologies. He succeeds Vikram Kasbekar, who departs from the technical role while maintaining his position as an Executive Director on the board.

The new appointee manages the manufacturer's global engineering footprint, which includes the Hero Centre for Innovation and Technology in India and the Hero Tech Centre Germany. He will be responsible for leading the development of next-generation mobility, electrification and alternative fuels.

Agrawal joins Hero MotoCorp with nearly three decades of experience in automotive engineering and leadership. He previously served as the Executive Vice-President and Head of R&D and Technology at VE Commercial Vehicles, a joint venture between the Volvo Group and Eicher Motors.

His technical portfolio includes product development for diesel, CNG, electric and hydrogen platforms, as well as work on connected mobility, artificial intelligence (AI) integration and software-defined vehicle ecosystems. Earlier in his career, he worked at Daewoo Motors on chassis design for the Matiz in South Korea. Agrawal has also served as the Chairperson of the SIAM Frontier Technology and Innovation Group and led the Volvo Group’s Global Centre of Excellence for Medium Duty Engine Development.

Agrawal is an alumnus of IIT Bombay, where he was a Gold Medallist in M.Tech Mechanical Design and he is a Leadership Fellow from Carnegie Mellon University.

Dr. Pawan Munjal, Executive Chairman, Hero MotoCorp, said, “We are delighted to welcome Sachin to our leadership team. His deep expertise across mobility technologies and proven track record of driving innovation at scale make him uniquely suited to lead both our technology vision and R&D organisation. As we accelerate our journey towards electrification and next-generation mobility solutions, his leadership will be instrumental in shaping a future-ready, customer-centric innovation agenda”.

Comments (0)

ADD COMMENT

Link Copied!

TVS Motor Company (TVSM), one of the leading manufacturers of two-wheeler and three-wheelers, has reported 473,970 units wholesales for April 2026.

This marks a 7 percent growth compared to the 443,716 units sold in April 2025. While customer demand remains strong in both domestic and international markets, the company noted that dispatch volumes were limited by production issues.

The company reported that production was affected by several supply chain constraints. It saw shortages in raw materials, consumables and workforce availability, which impacted tier-1 and tier-2 suppliers. Limited container availability hindered timely international dispatches. It has placed countermeasures and it expects production to recover during May 2026.

Despite manufacturing hurdles, two-wheeler sales grew by 6 percent YoY to 455,333 units, which includes 348,545 units in domestic market, up 8 percent YoY.

Scooter sales increased by 24 percent to 211,158 units, while motorcycles accounted for 200,039 units. The electric vehicle portfolio grew by 36 percent, with sales rising to 37,771 units.

Three-wheeler sales recorded a 37 percent growth, reaching 18,637 units.

Lastly, total international sales grew by 3 percent to 120,008 units.

Comments (0)

ADD COMMENT

Link Copied!

Hero MotoCorp, the world’s largest manufacturer of motorcycles and scooters, has reported 566,086 unit wholesales for April 2026, up 85 percent YoY, as compared to 305,406 units last year.

Domestic sales came at 532,433 units, up 85 percent YoY, as compared to 288,524 units a year ago. This includes 501,791 motorcycles at 75 percent YoY and 64,295 scooters, up 233 percent YoY.

Domestic retail performance also remained robust during the month, with 552,713 two-wheeler registrations (as per VAHAN) indicating growth of around 8 percent. 

VIDA, Hero MotoCorp’s e-mobility business, reported a 129 percent YoY growth, albeit a low-base.

Comments (0)

ADD COMMENT

Link Copied!

Suzuki Motorcycle India (SMIPL), a leading manufacturer of scooters and motorcycles, has announced its wholesales of 117,514 units in April 2026, marking a 4 percent YoY growth compared to the 112,948 units sold in April 2025.

The company began the new financial year with increases across both its domestic and international operations. Interestingly, while domestic sales at 98,004 units grew by 3 percent as compared to 95,214 units a year ago, exports clocked a 10 percent growth at 19,510 units.

Revenue from spare parts sales reached INR 915.90 million, representing a 14 percent growth over the previous year.

Last month, Suzuki Motorcycle India celebrated two decades of manufacturing in the country and also introduced the new Suzuki Burgman Street ‘One and Only’ and a new colour option for the Suzuki Avenis Special Edition.

Deepak Mutreja, Vice-President – Sales & Marketing, Suzuki Motorcycle India, said, “We have started the new financial year on a steady note with growth across both domestic and exports markets. This performance reflects the continued trust customers place in our products. As we move ahead, we remain focussed on delivering quality products, while deepening our connect with customers and partners across markets. We are also enhancing customer experience through focused events and brand activations.”

Comments (0)

ADD COMMENT

Link Copied!