Eicher Motors Limited (EML) – the listed parent of Royal Enfield apart from being a partner in Volvo Eicher Commercial Vehicles (VECV), a joint venture commercial vehicle unit with Volvo – has reported its best ever Q2 FY2024-25 with a revenue of INR 42.63 billion from operations. It was INR 41.15 billion in the corresponding period of FY2023-24.  
The EBITDA during the respective period was INR 10.88 million as compared to INR 10.87 million in the corresponding quarter last fiscal. Profit After Tax was INR 11 billion, an increase of 8.3 percent as compared to INR 10.16 billion during the same period last year. 
During the quarter, Eicher Group company Royal Enfield recorded sales of 2,25,317 motorcycles as compared to 2,29,496 motorcycles sold during the same period in FY2023-24. 
For Q2 FY 2024-25, VECV’s revenue from operations was INR 55.38 billion, up by 8.0 percent over the previous year’s revenue of INR 51.26 billion.  EBITDA for the second quarter was INR 3.95 billion as compared to INR 4.02 billion last year. 
Profit After Tax (PAT) stood at INR 2.09 billion as against INR 1.87 billion last year. VECV recorded sales of 20,774 vehicles in the second quarter over 19,551 vehicles last year. 
Siddhartha Lal, Managing Director, Eicher Motors Ltd, mentioned, “During this quarter, we have continued to sustain the momentum both at Royal Enfield and VECV. At EICMA, earlier this month, we launched two motorcycles on our 650-Twin platform; the Bear 650, and the Classic 650. In addition to this, Royal Enfield marked its foray into electric mobility with a new EV brand - the Flying Flea. With an intent to disrupt and grow the electric motorcycle segment, we are approaching it with the same singularity, focus and unconventionality with which we have grown and energized the global mid-size segment over the last several years. Under the Flying Flea we will have a portfolio of differentiated electric motorcycles for city+ mobility. On the commercial vehicle front, VE Commercial Vehicles delivered its best Q2 ever, with strengthened market shares in truck segments. This is commendable against the backdrop of lower industry volumes as compared to Q2 of last year.”
B. Govindarajan, CEO, Royal Enfield and Whole-time Director of EML, said, "This quarter we launched two stellar motorcycles - the Guerrilla 450 and the 2024 Classic 350 in an all-new avatar and response to both these motorcycles has been remarkable. We have also made significant progress on expanding and strengthening our footprint outside India as we debuted the brand in Bangladesh with our new flagship store in Dhaka, and a manufacturing and assembly unit in the country. We are also setting up a second CKD in Brazil early next year. Basis the strong legwork that we put in during Q2 this year, we were able to achieve a very special milestone for Royal Enfield in terms of our festive sales performance in October. We outperformed all our previous monthly sales performance and achieved over 1,00,000 sales in a single month. These initiatives underscore our commitment to our long-term strategic goals and to continue delivering pure motorcycling experiences across the globe.” 
Speaking on the performance, Vinod Aggarwal, MD and CEO, VECV, said, “VECV delivered its highest ever second quarter sales during Q2 FY25 growing 6.2 percent over Q2 FY24 and attaining leadership in the Light and Medium Duty (LMD) segment during the quarter. This growth was against a drop in CV industry volumes of 10.8 percent in the same period and stands as a testament to our broad product range backed by fast-expanding network coverage focused on delivering uptime to customers. Margins remained under pressure in a competitive market as we successfully continued to invest in growing our heavy-duty truck presence. We took another step in our sustainability journey, signing a MoU for deployment of 500 Eicher Pro 6055 LNG trucks.”
Royal Enfield forayed into the EV space by announcing the launch of its completely new electric vehicle brand, Flying Flea at EICMA show in Milan, Italy, recently. 
The debut featured two models – the Classic-styled Flying Flea C6 and the Scrambler-styled Flying Flea S6. 
The two-wheeler company also revisited its legacy with two new models on the 650 Twin platform – the Bear 650 (a robust scrambler, designed for riders who follow their instincts, featuring versatile capabilities to enhance the riding experience) and the Classic 650 powered by the celebrated 650 Twin engine for a ride that is both swift and elegant. 
Strengthening its global footprint, Royal Enfield, in n the SAARC region, commenced operations of its Manufacturing Unit (Category 2) and flagship showroom in Bangladesh. The facility will engage in local production and assembly of four flagship models – Hunter 350, Meteor 350, Classic 350 and Bullet 350 specifically for the Bangladesh market. 
Royal Enfield has announced its intent to set up a new CKD unit in Brazil by January 2025 which will help diversify its operations and expand its presence in the automotive market.

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German luxury carmaker Mercedes-Benz has attained another milestone by rolling out the 600,000th Mercedes-Benz G-Class from Graz, Austria. The milestone vehicle is an electric G 580 with EQ Technology finished in obsidian black metallic.

Since its launch in 1979, the G-Class has become a symbol of off-road capability and design. The first G-Models combined off-road performance with on-road comfort and Mercedes' safety standards. In the past four decades, it has evolved while retaining key features such as all-wheel drive, differential locks, and a ladder frame. Design elements like the round headlights and exposed spare wheel remain.

In celebration of its heritage, a limited edition, the G-Class Edition Stronger Than The 1980s, was released last year. This model paid homage to the original W 460 series.

The brand's customisation service, Manufaktur, has seen increasing popularity. Since 2019, over 90 percent of G-Class customers choose at least one Manufaktur option, averaging three per vehicle. Customers can now select from up to 20,000 paint colours, including heritage shades.

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Vietnamese automaker VinFast has officially inaugurated its electric vehicle assembly plant at SIPCOT Industrial Park in Thoothukudi, Tamil Nadu, India.

The new facility is VinFast’s third operational plant and the fifth project in its global manufacturing network. It is part of the company’s long-term bet on selling its vehicle in the world’s third-largest automobile market.

The factory is spread across 400 acres and is equipped with state-of-the-art production lines, featuring advanced automation and technologies. The complex houses multiple workshops, including body shop, paint shop, assembly shop, quality control centre, and a logistics hub. It also includes an auxiliary cluster for local contractors, which is expected to expand in the coming years.

The company expects to create around 3,500 jobs for local workers at full capacity, along with several thousand indirect jobs in the supply chain ecosystem. To start with, the company will assembly the VF 7 and VF 6 electric vehicles with a capacity of 50,000 units per annum, which can be scaled upto 150,000 units per annum to meet market demand.

VinFast states with the Tamil Nadu plant on stream, it moves closer to its 2025 sales target of 200,000 vehicles and its long-term production goal of 1 million vehicles per year by 2030.

Pham Sanh Chau, CEO, VinFast Asia, said, “The VinFast Tamil Nadu plant marks a strategic milestone in our long-term commitment to the Indian market. It establishes a strong foundation for sustainable growth and positions us to offer high-quality, competitively priced electric vehicles to Indian consumers. Looking ahead, the facility will expand its production capacity to meet rising demand. We aim to develop it into VinFast’s largest export hub for South Asia, the Middle East, and Africa. In fact, we've already secured initial orders from several countries across these regions. In close collaboration with the Tamil Nadu government, VinFast is working to transform the area into the 'EV capital of South Asia'—supporting both the dynamic domestic market and our broader regional ambitions.”

Going forward, VinFast aims to further promote localisation, technology transfer and also upskill its workforce.

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Chinese electric vehicle manufacturer NIO has attained a new production milestone with the 800,000^th unit – Onvo L90 – rolling out from its Factory One in Hefei on 24 July 2025.

Since the pre-order started on 10 July, the company shared that the L90 has received widespread interest and recognition from users and the market.

Built on NIO’s decade of investment in the charging and swapping infrastructure, the L90 redefines the family-oriented three-row electric SUV by tackling two major user pain points: charging anxiety and space anxiety.

The test drives for the L90 officially began on 23 July with nearly 600 test drive cars now available at over 400 ONVO stores and showrooms in 140 cities in China. The L90 is set to be officially launched on 31 July, with deliveries starting 1 August.

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The Association of Indian Forging Industry (AIFI), the apex representative body of the Indian forging sector, has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the Bureau of Energy Efficiency (BEE), Ministry of Power, Government of India.

The agreement was signed in the presence of the Union Minister of Power and Housing & Urban Affairs, Manohar Lal, signifying an important step towards embedding sustainable manufacturing practices within the forging sector. It forms part of the newly launched Assistance for Deployment of Energy Efficient Technologies in Industrial Establishments (ADEETIE) scheme.

The ADEETIE initiative, announced by the Ministry of Power and managed by BEE, is focused on enabling micro, small and medium enterprises (MSMEs) across 14 energy-intensive sectors – including forging – to adopt advanced energy-efficient technologies. The scheme adopts a comprehensive approach, offering:

• Interest subvention on loans for technology adoption (5 percent for micro and small enterprises, 3 percent for medium enterprises).
• End-to-end support, including investment-grade energy audits, guidance with project execution and robust post-deployment monitoring.
• Establishment of a dedicated project management unit and a nodal banking partner to streamline the process.

With a total budget of INR 10 billion, the scheme aims to unlock more than INR 90 billion in overall investments, including INR 67.5 billion specifically set aside for MSME lending. This allocation is expected to reduce the financial burden for forging units seeking to embrace energy-efficient solutions.

Yash Munot, President, AIFI, said, “This collaboration with the Bureau of Energy Efficiency marks a significant step forward for the Indian forging industry. As one of the most energy-intensive sectors, forging stands to benefit immensely from the structured support offered under the ADEETIE scheme. By enabling access to financial incentives and technical guidance, this initiative will empower MSMEs to adopt cutting-edge, energy-efficient technologies. It aligns perfectly with our vision of building a globally competitive, environmentally responsible and innovation-driven forging ecosystem. AIFI is committed to mobilising our members across clusters to take full advantage of this opportunity and contribute meaningfully to India’s broader sustainability and industrial growth goals”.

Deven Doshi, Chairman – Government Interface, AIFI, added, “Energy efficiency is very essential for forging companies, but the MSME sector often faces structural barriers in adopting cleaner and more efficient technologies. The ADEETIE scheme provides a structured framework of support, including technical, operational and financial aspects, that directly addresses these challenges. AIFI is proud to be a partner in this transformative journey. This collaboration not only ensures sectoral compliance with energy norms but also paves the way for long-term industrial modernisation.”

The Indian forging industry, particularly its MSME segment, has been a foundation for the country’s manufacturing and export sectors, supporting diverse areas such as automotive, defence and capital goods. Despite this, the sector has historically faced high energy costs and sustainability challenges. The ADEETIE scheme is set to address these issues directly, equipping forging enterprises with fiscal support and technical know-how to achieve sustainable growth.

Through this MoU, AIFI will actively promote and facilitate the implementation of the ADEETIE scheme across forging clusters nationwide, ensuring that members gain timely access to tools, knowledge, and incentives needed to strengthen both competitiveness and environmental responsibility.

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