Ashok Leyland Limited organised a ‘Mini Expo’ in Bhubaneshwar, the capital city of Odisha on 13 September 2024 and 14 September 2024. 

Held at Bhubaneshwar’s Baramunda Ground, the mini expo in Bhubaneshwar – following the organising of similar events in Mumbai, Kolkata and other cities of India – saw the Hinduja Group company display its latest innovations in Medium and Heavy Commercial Vehicles (MHCV). 

Highlighting the commercial vehicle major’s commitment to innovation and customer engagement, the expo saw the showcasing of the AVTR 5525AN 4X2 AC truck; AVTR 4825HN AC truck; AVTR 4825TN HD AC truck; AVTR 3532TN 8X4 truck; AVTR 2825TN HR 16CUM box tipper; AVTR 2825RN BGS AC 9 CUM EDPTO Transit Mixer; BOSS 1915 22FT truck; OYSTER Vi SCHOOL (53 seater) bus; OYSTER Vi STAFF (40 seater) bus; 15 M Garud multi-axle bus chassis, and an AVTR 55T EV truck.

Speaking on the occasion, Sanjeev Kumar, President – MHCV, Ashok Leyland, said, "The Mini Expo in Bhubaneswar marks a significant milestone as we continue to lead the way in the commercial vehicle segment. Odisha and Eastern India at large, have been a key market for us. We have always recognized the potential this region has and we are excited about the opportunities that lie ahead in this geography. The Expo is an opportunity for customers to experience our capabilities in driving the future of mobility. We are confident that our vehicles, coupled with our extensive aftermarket solutions, will demonstrate our dedication to providing comprehensive transportation solutions to our customers. We look forward to engaging with our customers and stakeholders at Bhubaneswar."

VE Commercial Vehicles (VECV), recently hosted Jan Thesleff, the Ambassador of Sweden to India, at its manufacturing facilities in Pithampur. He was accompanied by Markus Lundgren, Counsellor and Head of Trade section, Embassy of Sweden and Sofia Hogman, Swedish Trade Commissioner, Business Sweden.

The CV maker states that its VE Powertrain plant is a successful symbol of India-Sweden collaboration. The facility leverages India’s skilled workforce and technical expertise while positioning VECV as a hub for development and manufacturing that meets global standards. Notably, VEPT has been producing Euro 6 (BS VI) compliant engines since 2013, supplying over 40 countries.

Jan Thesleff said, “Currently, more than 280 Swedish companies operate in India, contributing to sectors ranging from automobiles and communications to healthcare and defence, directly generating over 240,000 jobs. The Eicher-Volvo joint venture exemplifies the strategic benefits of this partnership by harnessing the strengths of Sweden and India and fostering mutual growth and technological advancement. I am thoroughly impressed by the advanced technology products and sustainable manufacturing processes I witnessed today at VECV. Their remarkable achievements epitomise the shared innovation, growth, and sustainable development that Sweden-India partnership continues to deliver for the benefit of both nations.”

Vinod Aggarwal, Managing Director & CEO, VECV, said, “We are honoured to welcome His Excellency Ambassador Jan Thesleff and the team from the Swedish Embassy to our Pithampur facility. Over the past 16 years, the VECV joint venture has not only driven the modernisation of India’s commercial vehicle sector but has also enabled Volvo Group to source world-class engines and components, made in India, for its global requirements. The success of this joint venture is rooted in the principles of trust, mutual respect, and win-win collaboration, combining Volvo Group's technology leadership with Eicher’s deep understanding of the Indian market. VECV looks forward to building on this success in the future”.

At present, the company sells CNG, LNG, electric and diesel trucks and buses in India under the Eicher and Volvo brands.

Manba Finance, a leading non-banking finance company (NBFC), has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with Piaggio Vehicles (PVPL), the wholly-owned subsidiary of the Piaggio Group, to provide tailored financing solutions to Piaggio three-wheeler customers.

As per the understanding, the partners are set to form a dedicated central coordination team to oversee the implementation. They will focus on key areas such as product structuring, interest rate optimisation, resource allocation, centralised communication, and training to ensure the efficient execution and monitoring of the tie-up.

The MoU was signed by Diego Graffi, CMD, Piaggio Vehicles and Monil Shah, CBO & Director, Manba Finance, in the presence of Amit Sagar, EVP of Sales and Retail Finance, and Nilesh Arya, Head of Retail Finance, Piaggio Vehicles.

The partners state that the collaboration comes as electric three-wheeler sales saw a record high of 65,700 units in October. With this electric three-wheelers are just 16,856 units away from surpassing the CY2023 total of 583,597 units.

“We are proud to collaborate with one of India’s leading three-wheeler manufacturers, a trusted brand among aspiring entrepreneurs across the country. This partnership strengthens our footprint in the three-wheeler segment while enabling us to provide seamless digital lending solutions to our customers," said Shah.

German automotive component supplier Mahle has bagged a new contract from MAN Truck & Bus to supply components for the hydrogen engine of its ‘MAN hTGX’ truck.

The hydrogen truck uses a direct-injection engine with 6 cylinders, 16.8-litre displacement, which produces 383 kW power. Mahle will supply the hydrogen power cell unit, consisting of piston, piston rings, piston pin and cylinder liner. It will also supply components to be used in the valve train.

Interestingly, MAN aims to build around 200 units of the hydrogen truck for selected markets from 2025.

Dr Roger Busch, member of the Mahle Management Committee and Head of Sales, said, “Mahle has successfully transferred its 100 years of expertise in engine components into the future. Our state-of-the-art pistons and other parts make the internal combustion engine fit for hydrogen and thus climate-neutral. Today, we are able to fulfil our customers’ expectations in terms of performance, efficiency and service life.”

The component supplier says it has successfully tested its engine components to meet the specific requirements of hydrogen operation.

The company claims that the Mahle hydrogen power cell unit, in particular the oil consumption of the motor and the so-called blow-by, i.e. the leakage of hydrogen gas into the crankcase, can be reduced to a minimum. This enables a robust and failure-free operation of the motor.

Mahle at present is working on around 30 hydrogen engine projects for customers in the on- and off-highway sector, with more series launches from its customers being planned in 2025.

UltraTech Cement, one of India’s largest cement and ready-mix concrete company, is aggressively pushing sustainable transportation strategy.

The company, which first introduced five electric trucks earlier this year to understand the potential of deploying the green trucks for transporting clinker, has announced it will deploy 100 e-trucks in the coming months and 500 e-trucks by June 2025 as part of the Government of India’s eFAST initiative.

It has signed a new transport service contract, which will see these e-trucks transport 75,000 MT of clinker per month from its integrated cement manufacturing unit Dhar Cement Works, Madhya Pradesh, to its grinding unit Dhule Cement Works, Maharashtra. The e-trucks will clock a roundtrip of 400km for the operation, which will help it reduce 17,000 MT of CO2 annually.

Interestingly, the company’s pilot programme also served as key learning to deploy charging infrastructure as well as driver training. It is also evaluating additional routes where it can deploy e-trucks and has proposed another pilot between its manufacturing units.

K C Jhanwar, MD, UltraTech Cement, said, “UltraTech is fully committed to realising its Net Zero goal by 2050. We have taken a holistic approach to integrating sustainability in our business conduct. The scale up of EV trucks in our logistics operations underscores our commitment to drive the implementation of sustainable practices in the industry.”

At present, the company currently has more than 468 CNG trucks and 67 LNG trucks operating across its facilities.