Mahindra Group, has announced that it has elevated Pramuch Goel as Vice President and Head – Group Communications with immediate effect. Earlier, Pramuch held the role of Strategic Communications Head for Auto and Farm Sectors. In his new role, Pramuch will report to Asha Kharga, Chief Customer
and Brand Officer, Mahindra Group, the company said in a release. 

Pramuch takes over from Varsha Chainani, will
pursue opportunities outside of Group. She will be available till 31 March to ensure a smooth transition. 

Kharga said, “Pramuch is an accomplished brand and communications leader who has been part of the Mahindra Group for several years, working and contributing to various businesses. At Mahindra, it has always been our endeavor to nurture and promote talent and I am very pleased to see him grow and further his career with us. I wish him the best in his new role. I would also like to take this opportunity to thank Varsha Chainani for her contribution to the Mahindra Group and wish her the best for her future endeavours.”  

In his new role, the group communications team and communications heads of businesses will report to Pramuch. Pramuch has been with the Mahindra Group for over five years and has previously worked for sectors including Mahindra Lifespaces, Mahindra Holidays and Mahindra Partners.
He was also responsible for the IPO communications of Mahindra Logistics.
Pramuch has 25 years of experience in brand and communications function and has worked with top global companies including Samsung Electronics, Cisco Systems and IBM. Pramuch holds a Master of Business Administration (Marketing) from Birla Institute of Management Technology, the release added. (MT)

Swedish commercial vehicle maker has appointed Do Young as its Chief Financial Officer and Member of the Executive Board, effective immediately. 
Kim brings him a wealth of industry experience. Prior to joining Scania’s sister brand ‘International’ (previously known as Navistar), he was project lead for TRATON Group’s IPO readiness and execution. He was also responsible for the overall company acquisition of International. 
Leading TRATON Group’s treasury department prior to that, Kim will drive value creation from a commercial point of view without losing sight of Scania’s core values in his new role. Leveraging his experience in various leadership roles – as the CFO of Beijing Benz Automotive, Fujian Benz Automotive and Mercedes-Benz Korea – across continents, Kim will contribute to Scania's purpose of driving the shift towards a sustainable transport system.
 

India’s commercial vehicle (CV) industry is rapidly aligning with global standards, thanks to policy reforms, evolving customer expectations and a robust domestic ecosystem. Automakers and suppliers are making significant strides in cost competitiveness, safety innovations and integrating alternative energy solutions. As the sector continues to evolve, the need for collaboration and strategic discussions has never been more critical.

Recognising this imperative, Motoring Trends, a leading automotive magazine, hosted its inaugural Commercial Vehicles Conference on 21st November 2024, in Pune, India. Themed ‘Moving India Forward’, the event served as a platform for industry leaders, including OEMs, suppliers, technocrats, fleet operators and industry partners, to address challenges and identify opportunities shaping the future of the Indian CV landscape.

By bringing together stakeholders from across the value chain, the conference underscored the importance of collective action in driving innovation, enhancing safety standards, and adopting sustainable practices. As the CV industry transforms to meet global benchmarks, such forums are vital to ensuring India’s leadership in the sector while addressing its unique market dynamics and needs.

Mahindra Truck & Bus, Ashok Leyland and Apollo Tyres supported the event as sponsors, while Automotive Research Association of India (ARAI) was the Associate partner, while Asian Trucker and Tyre Trends were the Media partners. The delegates at the event attended from a range of companies such as Tata Motors, MAN Trucks, Continental India, Tyresoles India, and Volvo Trucks among others.

The event kicked off with Dr Seshu Bhagavathula, Director, CityQ and an automotive industry veteran delivering the Keynote address, where he highlighted how urban cities around the world are working to decongest and decarbonise their streets. “This (decongestion and decarbonisation) requires a serious relook and focus on improving urban mobility as well as the role of alternative energy to support the transition,” Dr Bhagavathula.

Rashmi Urdhwareshe, Former Director, Automotive Research Association of India (ARAI) shared her perspective on how the automotive industry has been focussing on not just introducing the latest technologies, but also co-developing solutions to meet the India-specific needs. She emphasised  the close cooperation between testing agencies, suppliers and OEMs that is accelerating the transition to the latest technologies.

Making commercial vehicles safer

The commercial vehicle population on Indian roads accounts for a small parc of the total vehicles, but ranks 3^rd when it comes to the vehicles involved in road accidents. In 2022, more than 460,000 accidents took place in India, which resulted in over 168,491 people losing their lives and over 443,366 people being injured.

The first panel discussion of the day focussed on one of the most important aspects pertaining to the CV industry – Safety. The panellists for the session included – Dr Venkat Srinivas, Head Of Business, Mahindra Truck & Bus; Rahul S. Mahajan, Deputy Director, The Automotive Research Association of India (ARAI); Sudeepth Puthumana, Head of Segment – ADAS, Autonomous Mobility, Continental Automotive India and Prashant Kakade, Ministry of Road Transport & Highways (MoRTH).

The session, moderated by Bhushan Mhapralkar, Editor, Motoring Trends, touched upon various factors ranging from ADAS technology, and road designing to driver training and sensitisation.

SKP Amarnath, Group Head - R&D, Apollo Tyres gave a presentation on ‘Commercial Vehicle (Truck) Evolution In India And Impact On Tyres’. He dwelled into the key developments that have taken place in the CV industry and how tyres can play a key role in influencing vehicle safety and efficiency.

Vijay Shrinivas, Member, TREA - Tyre Retreading Education Association and CEO, Indag, gave a presentation on ‘Driving Sustainability and Circularity in Commercial Vehicle Industry’. He presented his thoughts on how treading not only helps save costs on tyre replacement but also enables higher circularity and thus helps reduce carbon emissions too.

Alternative energy & future of commercial vehicles

The role of alternative energy has been a key topic of discussion globally across vehicle segments. While there has been a focus on electrification in certain vehicle classes, the commercial vehicle segment will need to adopt a mixed approach depending on the application and use case.

The second panel discussion was on the topic of Alternative Energy and the Future of Commercial Vehicle. The panellists – Dr Bhagavathula ; Mahesh Babu, CEO, Switch Mobility; Anil Baliga, President, EKA Mobility; Boddapati Dinakar, Executive Vice-President, Sales & Marketing, Volvo Trucks, VECV; Shailesh Zinge, Director - Marketing, Growth Initiatives and Program Management, Engine Business, Cummins India and A Ramasubramanian, CTO, Blue Energy Motors presented their perspective on the alternative fuel segment.

The session was moderated by Nilesh Wadhwa, Assistant Editor, Motoring Trends.

The discussion focussed on how industry stakeholders were exploring various energy mix ranging from electric, LNG to future fuels such as hydrogen and fuel cells. The panellists agreed that globally too at present there was no single fuel that could completely overhaul the commercial vehicles segment. There was a need to not only focus on the vehicles but the necessary charging/refuelling ecosystem.

Transport ecosystem

The health of the CV industry is one of the key barometers to understand a country’s economic prosperity. While one can discuss the trends, policies and technologies, it is imperative that the views of the key stakeholder – fleet operators – are taken into account.

The third panel discussion of the day was on the topic of ‘Transport Ecosystem’. The panellists for the session were - Bal Malkit Singh, Chairman - the Core Committee, Former President, All India Motor Transport Congress (AIMTC) Prasanna Patwardhan, President, Bus & Car Operators Confederation Of India (BOCI) and Sanjay Sasane, Principal, Institute of Driving Training and Research (IDTR).

The session, moderated by Sharad Matade, Executive Editor, Motoring Trends, had an indepth discussion on how fleet operators continued to face headwinds ranging from increases in operational expenses, driver shortages and road infrastructure among others. At the same time, the revenues had not kept up at the same pace. The panellists also presented their perspectives on the adoption of newer technologies and alternative fuels.

Atul Patil, Vice-President – Marketing, Pin 365 delivered the Vote of Thanks. 

L-R: Diego Graffi, Chairman & MD, Piaggio Vehicles and Ravi Chawla, MD & CEO, Gulf Oil Lubricants India.

Gulf Oil Lubricants India  (Gulf Oil), a leading player in the lubricants industry, and Piaggio Vehicles (Piaggio India), a subsidiary of the Italian Piaggio Group and a leading manufacturer of small commercial vehicles in the country, have renewed their strategic partnership agreement to extend collaboration for the co-branded lubricants across Piaggio’s CV segment.

The partnership had started in 2020 to develop lubricants to meet Piaggio’s vehicles demand for BS VI and EV offerings. The exclusive partnership has been renewed until 2030 for the customised lubricant solutions and will drive sales across retail, factory-fill, and export markets.

Ravi Chawla, MD & CEO, Gulf Oil Lubricants India, said, “We are thrilled to renew our partnership with Piaggio India, which aligns with our mission to bring industry-leading, specialised lubricants to diverse vehicle segments. Our collaboration has been built on a shared passion for innovation and growth, and together, we are poised to expand our reach and impact in both traditional and electric vehicle markets. With India's commercial vehicle market poised for significant growth driven by robust infrastructure development, this collaboration is well-positioned to capitalize on emerging opportunities and strengthen Gulf’s position as a trusted partner for OEMs, supporting our vision for sustained growth and excellence in the sector.”

With the renewal, Gulf will continue as Piaggio India’s exclusive lubricant partner for all factory fill, workshop, and retail requirements in India, along with exports to select international markets. The partnership will cover the full spectrum of lubricants, including advanced BS VI oils and new EV fluids, developed to meet the evolving needs of Piaggio India’s growing customer base.

Diego Graffi, Chairman & MD, Piaggio Vehicles, added, “This long-term renewal with Gulf Oil reinforces our commitment to delivering quality products that support optimal performance for Piaggio India’s customers. As both companies look to the future, Gulf's strategic investments towards growing the EV fluids segment align seamlessly with Piaggio's growing focus on electric mobility in India, particularly in the commercial lightweight and three-wheeler EV segments. We look forward to this next chapter of collaboration.”

Ashok Leyland, the Indian flagship of the Hinduja Group and the country’s leading commercial vehicle manufacturer, has opened a new dealership for light commercial vehicles (LCVs) in Siliguri, West Bengal. With this new facility, which happens to be the fifth LCV dealership in West Bengal, the company now has a robust LCV distribution network with more than 800 touchpoints.

Located at Eastern Bypass Road, SBM Warehouse, Eastern Bypass, Bhaktinagar, Siliguri, Jalpaiguri, West Bengal, the new dealership will be managed by channel partner Happie Trucking. The main workshop facility (service and spares) is also strategically located at Debgram, Ware House, Thakur Nagar, New Jalpaiguri, Jalpaiguri, West Bengal. Equipped with advanced tools, quick service bays and sophisticated infrastructure, the facility is all set to ensure superior customer experience.

Viplav Shah, Head – LCV Business, Ashok Leyland, said, “We are excited to further strengthen our presence in this region. West Bengal and Eastern India, at large, have been a key market for us. We have always recognised the potential this region has, and we are excited about the opportunities that lie ahead in this geography. We have been working on creating a strong foothold in the region, and the new dealership in Siliguri will bolster our presence in this geography. The overwhelming success of our ‘DOST Range’ and now the ‘BADA DOST’ can be attributed to the robustness of our products and the extensive reach of our network. All our products have been receiving great responses from our customers, thanks to their best-in-class mileage and class-leading performance, backed by extensive sales and aftersales support. We are extremely proud that our track record of service retention levels is exemplary, with close to 70 percent of our customers returning to our dealer workshops even after the warranty period. We, as always, would remain committed to maintaining and even enhancing the level of customer service and satisfaction. This new dealership is being opened to further strengthen our reach, in line with our commitment.”