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. 

Comments (0)

ADD COMMENT

Link Copied!

Sailun Tyre Europe has announced its entry into the Port Equipment Manufacturers Association (PEMA) as of January 2026, marking a strategic expansion of its footprint in the global logistics and maritime sectors. The membership will be channelled through its speciality brand, Maxam Tyre Europe, underscoring the company’s focus on heavy-duty applications.

The move reflects a broader commitment to deepening engagement with the port industry’s leading innovators. By aligning more closely with equipment manufacturers, Sailun aims to ensure its tyre development keeps pace with the rapidly evolving technological landscape of modern port operations, where performance and durability are paramount.

As part of the Sailun Group, recognised as the tenth-largest tyre manufacturer worldwide, the company brings substantial heft to the table. The group supports an extensive range of port and material handling applications with an impressive annual production capacity of 447,000 tonnes of speciality tyres.

Through its PEMA membership, Sailun intends to foster closer collaboration and knowledge exchange with industry peers, reinforcing its role as a reliable partner in the sector.

Comments (0)

ADD COMMENT

Link Copied!

Nokian Tyres is commemorating two significant milestones this year: the 90th anniversary of its first Hakkapeliitta winter tyre and the 40th anniversary of its renowned Ivalo Test Center. Located in Finnish Lapland, this facility, famously known as ‘White Hell’, stands as the world’s largest and most versatile winter testing environment. Since its establishment in 1986, it has been the central hub for the company’s mission to achieve global leadership in winter driving safety. What began as a remote outpost has evolved into a sophisticated, thriving epicentre for tyre development and innovation.

Operational for roughly 180 days each year from November to April, the centre capitalises on the extreme Arctic conditions to rigorously test products. Covering more than 700 hectares and situated about 235 kilometres north of the Arctic Circle, the site features a vast network exceeding 40 kilometres of specialised tracks. This includes a 700-metre-long indoor ice hall, frozen lakes and varied road surfaces designed to simulate real-world challenges. Engineers utilise a circular track for assessing lateral grip, snow-covered routes for handling and a steep hill for testing acceleration and longitudinal traction. These diverse courses allow for a comprehensive evaluation of every aspect of tyre performance under the most severe circumstances.

Annually, the company tests approximately 5,000 passenger and heavy tyres at the Ivalo facility. While it is primarily known for developing winter tyres sold across all of Nokian’s markets, its role is broader. The extreme cold conditions are also essential for testing all-season, all-weather and all-terrain tyres intended for Central Europe and North America. These cold-weather evaluations are complemented by wet and dry surface testing conducted at the company’s Hakka Ring facility in Spain and at its location in Nokia, Finland. In recent years, a significant focus of the expert work at Ivalo has been on preparing products to perform reliably in increasingly variable and changing winter weather patterns.

This intensive testing is fundamental to the development of new technologies that enhance driver safety and underpin the company’s innovative leadership. The expertise gained at Ivalo is a direct extension of Nokian Tyres’ heritage, which began with the invention of the winter tyre in 1934. This legacy was solidified two years later with the introduction of the first Hakkapeliitta tyre, a product line celebrating its 90th anniversary this year. The current generation of winter passenger tyres, including studded options like the Hakkapeliitta 10 and Hakkapeliitta LT3, as well as the non-studded Hakkapeliitta R5, are a testament to a century-long commitment to safety, honed and proven at the ‘White Hell’ facility in Lapland.

Paolo Pompei, President and CEO, Nokian Tyres, said, “The Ivalo Test Center is at the core of our expertise – the place where our practical knowledge of extreme winter conditions originates and evolves. For forty years, Ivalo has been the proving ground for many pioneering innovations, and it will continue to play a key role in our research, development and testing processes.”

Matti Suuripää Nokian Tyres Ivalo Test Facility Manager, said, “There was just a frozen lake when White Hell opened in 1986. A couple guys from the testing department came here with a trailer full of tyres and made a track or two on the ice. There wasn’t a facility, there were just winter conditions. Our test methods have been refined over the years to become more diverse. We have adapted our testing methods to account for different winter weather and more varied conditions. We work hard to develop products that make driving predictable.”

Comments (0)

ADD COMMENT

Link Copied!

Sherif Degheidy has taken on the newly established position of Director Specialty Tires for the MEA region at Linglong Tire, effective 9 February 2026. He is now tasked with leading the strategic direction and sales efforts for the Specialty Tires division across the Middle East and Africa, reporting directly to Jeffrey Hughes, the Director for EMEA. A key aspect of his role involves collaborating closely with product development and marketing teams to position Linglong as a dominant force in the speciality tyre sector throughout these regions.

Degheidy brings a wealth of sector-specific knowledge to the company, having spent the last 12 years at Goodyear. There, he successfully managed the Speciality Tyres portfolio for the Middle East as well as East and West Africa, culminating in his role as OTR Sales Manager. His professional background also includes a period with KAL Tire, where he gained invaluable on-the-ground experience overseeing tyre operations at a gold mine in Egypt. This diverse career path has equipped him with a deep and comprehensive understanding of the industry from industrial, commercial and client perspectives. An Egyptian national, he holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Mechanical Power Engineering.

Degheidy said, "I am very much looking forward to my new role at Linglong Tire and hope to use my many years of experience in the tyre industry to achieve the ambitious goals together with my colleagues in the MEA region. Our most important task will be to optimise existing customer contacts and develop new customers and thus further strengthen our company's market position in the Middle East and Africa.”

Jeff Hughes, Director OTR EMEA, said, "We are delighted to welcome Sherif to the MEA team as Sales Director OTR. He brings a wealth of experience in the Middle East and African markets, and his early work as a site manager of a gold mine in Egypt gives him a unique perspective on how to engage customers, distributors and end users. Over the past 12 years, he has been instrumental in driving and growing a Premier manufacturer's business, and we look forward to him now doing the same for Linglong."

Comments (0)

ADD COMMENT

Link Copied!

Marking its 55th anniversary in 2026, Tana Oy is celebrating a legacy defined by the seamless integration of human expertise and advanced technology. For more than five decades, this commitment has driven the company’s evolution in the recycling and waste management sector. Tana has consistently grown in tandem with its customers, engineering robust machines, systems and services capable of withstanding the most demanding real-world conditions. As the industry pivots towards greater efficiency and smarter resource use, this enduring philosophy ensures Tana remains a steadfast partner, poised to deliver uncompromising solutions for future challenges.

A key pillar of Tana’s strategy is the continuous expansion of its global footprint. By strengthening its international presence and local operations, the company positions itself closer to its customers. This approach allows for more integrated support, fosters deeper partnerships and enables the tailoring of solutions to meet specific regional needs, all while upholding the reliability synonymous with a global brand. The strength of this network is evidenced by thousands of machines operating worldwide and longstanding industrial partnerships, milestones that underscore Tana’s reputation as a trusted partner for operational excellence and long-term dependability.

Looking forward, innovation remains central to Tana’s mission, with a focus on solutions shaped by real-world demands. Digital tools like TanaConnect exemplify this, linking machines, data and people to optimise operations and enhance lifecycle management. Simultaneously, the latest generation of recycling machines is designed for high performance and adaptability to evolving material streams. As Tana marks this anniversary, its direction is resolute. Continued investment in its people and technologies, from digital platforms to advanced machinery, ensures it will meet the growing demand for efficient waste-to-value solutions, ready to shape the future with no time to waste.

Comments (0)

ADD COMMENT

Link Copied!