In what is termed as the Netherland-headquartered automotive group’s long-term vision for India, Stellantis CEO Carlos Tavares was in India recently to see the operations of Jeep and Citroen. These two are among the leading automotive brands within the group that is home to 14 well regarded automotive brands in the world including Chrysler and Fiat. They are present in India – Jeep since 2016 approximately and Citroen since 2021 – and have been making in roads into India with new launches and facelifts. 
Paying visit to the group’s Ranjangaon (Pune) plant where the Jeep products are made besides that of Tata Motors since Stellantis has a JV with Tata Motors in India, Tavares is known to meticulously audit the Jeep as well as Citroen offerings. He is also known to have engaged with the local leadership team, select dealer partners and a few others in his effort to gather valuable market feedback that should help put in place a successful strategy for growth. 
Tavares has been increasingly under pressure post the less encouraging financial results the Stellantis Group recorded in the first half of the current calendar year. He is being criticised for cutting too deep in terms of his 'lean' strategy. 
In the past one year roughly, Stellantis has been battling falling sales, shrinking profit margins and a slew of executive departures. The dealers seem to be frustrated. The investors and union workers don’t seem to be happy either, according to a news report by Nora Naughton in Business Insider. 
Created from the merger of FCA Automobiles and the PSA Groupe, Stellantis is claimed to be struggling in USA with Jeep and other brands facing criticism over issues concerning reliability and abrupt discontinuation of models that have been central to the image of a brand simply to keep costs low. A household brand for over 40 years, Stellantis almost abruptly discontinued the Fiat brand in India just before the BS 6 norms came into force. 
The two brands in India – Jeep and Citroen – have also seen a change of charge often in the last few years, which does not imply well in terms of customer assurance and market commitment. 
While the Citroen Basalt has been well-received, Jeep as a brand has not launched an entirely all-new next generation model of any of its offerings for some years now. In a highly competitive market like India, this may not work in favour of the brand named after the iconic Ford and Willys Jeeps of World War II.  

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Chinese new energy vehicle company NIO has announced that on 22 June 2026, the World Economic Forum (WEF) officially designated NIO Factory Two (NIO F2) as a member of its Global Lighthouse Network (GLN). This recognition highlights NIO’s success in deploying Fourth Industrial Revolution technologies at scale.

The WEF selection process, conducted in partnership with McKinsey & Company, evaluated NIO F2 on its ability to integrate advanced digital and AI-driven systems. NIO was specifically recognised for:

• Integrated Ecosystem: Developing a real-time, closed-loop system that connects in-vehicle AI, battery swap networks and a digital twin platform.
• Operational Efficiency: The factory manages over 3.6 million vehicle configurations, which has successfully accelerated speed-to-market by 44 percent.
• R&D Automation: The implementation of advanced systems has allowed for the automation of 90 percent of R&D workflows.
• AI-Driven Decision Making: Approximately 80 percent of manufacturing scenarios at the facility are now supported by AI-driven decision-making, leveraging a mix of industrial AI algorithms and in-house developed foundation models.

NIO F2 is a fully digitalised smart factory located in the Xinqiao Industrial Park. Prior to this international recognition, the site earned several domestic accolades, including the National Green Factory awarded by China’s Ministry of Industry and Information Technology (MIIT) and the Super Automotive Factory designated by the China Automotive Technology and Research Center (CATARC).

Beyond its technical achievements, the factory maintains an open-engagement policy. Since 2018, NIO’s assembly plants have hosted nearly 300,000 global visitors, aiming to showcase the advancements in China’s intelligent manufacturing ecosystem.

NIO intends to use the GLN standards as a benchmark for its future manufacturing systems, continuing the integration of AI to set new standards in intelligent EV production.

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EKA Mobility, a leading Indian electric commercial vehicle manufacturer, has announced the rollout of its 1,000th small commercial vehicle (SCV) from its manufacturing facility in Chakan, Pune.

Backed by global and domestic investors – including VDL Groep (Netherlands), Mitsui & Co. (Japan), NIIF India-Japan Fund, and Enam Holdings – the company operates as a Champion OEM under the Government of India's Auto PLI Scheme.

To mark the milestone, EKA Mobility organised two high-profile vehicle handovers highlighting local community integration and international diplomatic ties:

• Local Delivery: The 1,000th vehicle, an EKA 6S, was officially presented to the Dagdusheth Halwai Ganpati Trust, one of Pune’s prominent charitable institutions. The EKA 6S is India's first steering-wheel passenger electric three-wheeler featuring a driver plus six-seater capacity configuration. The trust will deploy the EV within its community service and humanitarian operations.
• International Diplomatic Delivery: The company handed over an EKA 3S electric three-wheeler to Marisa Gerards, the Ambassador of the Kingdom of the Netherlands to India. The handover highlights EKA's bilateral connection with the Netherlands, which is home to its strategic engineering and industrial partner, VDL Groep.

The Chakan plant serves as EKA Mobility's primary industrial hub for SCV and truck production. It currently has an installed production capacity of 24,000 commercial vehicles per year. The site employs more than 1,000 people and features an on-site research and development centre staffed by over 400 engineers and designers.

Under its EvolutioNARI initiative, EKA Mobility has established an all-women-led assembly line specifically dedicated to its SCV production, focusing on diversity within the automotive manufacturing sector.

Furthermore, EKA Mobility is currently the only domestic OEM offering a full-stack commercial EV portfolio spanning three-wheelers, SCVs, buses and trucks. The company's assembly footprint is scaling across three distinct locations – Chakan, Pune, plant has an annual capacity to manufacture 24,000 SCVs and trucks. Koregaon, Pune, can manufacture 15,000 e-buses and upcoming Pithampur plant in Madhya Pradesh, which will have a combined manufacturing capacity of 4,000 buses.

Dr. Sudhir Mehta, Founder & Chairman, EKA Mobility, said, “The 1,000th SCV rolling off our Chakan facility is not merely a production number; it is proof of what Indian engineering, innovation, and determination can achieve. It reflects years of perseverance and a shared belief that India can emerge as a global leader in sustainable mobility through world-class products designed and manufactured at home. As we celebrate this achievement on World Environment Day, we are reminded that our purpose extends beyond manufacturing vehicles. We are building solutions that help businesses operate more sustainably, reduce environmental impact, improve everyday mobility, and contribute to a cleaner future for generations to come.”

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Servotech Renewable Power System has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the Haryana Enterprises Promotion Centre (HEPC), Department of Industries & Commerce, Government of Haryana. The agreement outlines a proposed investment of approximately INR 4 billion to expand its manufacturing and warehousing operations within the state.

The proposed CAPEX will be deployed in a phased manner over the next 24 to 36 months. The expansion targets several clean-technology and power segments that have been identified as core thrust areas under the state's new industrial policy.

The investment will scale Servotech's manufacturing capacity across electric vehicle (EV) chargers, solar products, battery packs, Battery Energy Storage Systems (BESS) and power electronics.

While the company is currently evaluating specific site locations within Haryana, the capacity expansion is intended to scale overall production volumes, improve operational efficiencies, deepen import substitution, and support growing domestic and export market demand. Under the terms of the MoU, the Haryana Government, via the HEPC, will provide single-window facilitation support and ease-of-doing-business assistance to streamline project implementation.

The project is projected to generate around 500 direct and indirect employment opportunities, contributing to Haryana's industrial and economic growth.

The MoU was finalised in the presence of the Chief Minister of Haryana, Nayab Singh Saini, during the official launch of the ‘Make in Haryana’ Industrial Policy 2026 in Gurugram on 1 June 2026. The event also introduced a compendium of nine separate sectoral policies designed to attract industrial and clean-energy investments to the state.

Raman Bhatia, MD, Servotech Renewable Power System, said, “We are delighted to partner with the Government of Haryana. Haryana has emerged as one of India’s most progressive investment destinations, and the launch of the Make in Haryana Industrial Policy 2026 reinforces the state’s commitment to industrial growth, clean-energy manufacturing and innovation. Our proposed INR 4 billion investment aligns with Servotech’s long-term vision of scaling renewable energy manufacturing capabilities and is a meaningful step towards our stated ambition of reaching INR 15 billion in revenue by FY2027. We believe this collaboration will strengthen our operational footprint and contribute to Haryana’s clean-energy ambitions and broader economic development.”

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It was in February 2024, Vietnam-based VinFast announced its plans to build an integrated electric vehicle manufacturing facility in Tamil Nadu, India. The facility spread across 400 acres would see an initial investment of USD 500 million over five years with a projected capacity to manufacture 150,000 vehicles annually. 

In August 2025, the company officially inaugurated its facility, which made the Tamil Nadu plant its third operational plant and the fifth project in its global manufacturing network.

And now in a matter of 10-months, the Vietnamese automaker has rolled out its 10,000^th made-in-India vehicle from its Tamil Nadu facility. The milestone was reached less than one year following the official inauguration of the manufacturing facility.

At present, the automaker has introduced three models for the Indian market – VF 6, VF 7 and VF MPV 7. It is also looking to introduce electric scooters and electric buses in India this year.

According to the company, the achievement highlights its team's capability and its ongoing commitment to developing sustainable mobility infrastructure within the Indian automotive market.

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

Also read: Pham Nhat Quan Anh Succeeds Le Thi Thu Thuy As Chairman Of VinFast Auto

Amit Arora Joins VinFast India As Director O2O Sales

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