Truck Launches Surge, Toyota, Skoda Expand SUVs

Truck Launches Surge as Toyota, Skoda Expand SUV Portfolios in India

This week has seen a wave of significant product launches across India’s automotive industry, spanning commercial vehicles and passenger segments. Leading the charge, Tata Motors and Ashok Leyland unveiled multiple new trucks, while Toyota and Škoda moved to bolster their SUV offerings in a bid to capture greater market share.

Tata Motors rolled out one of its most extensive portfolio refreshes in recent years, introducing 17 new trucks ranging from 7 to 55 tonnes across both internal combustion and electric platforms. The launch included the all-new Azura series, upgraded Prima, Signa, and Ultra ranges, along with the Trucks.ev lineup, developed on the I-MOEV architecture. Tata’s electric offerings feature the Ultra EV light trucks, Prima E.55S prime movers, and Prima E.28K tippers, targeting urban, regional, mining, and construction applications. Girish Wagh, head of Tata Motors’ commercial vehicle division, highlighted the company’s multi-fuel strategy, keeping CNG, LNG, electric, hydrogen, and biofuels in focus to decarbonize operations efficiently.

Ashok Leyland also made headlines by relaunching its iconic TAURUS and HIPPO heavy-duty trucks. Built on the AVTR modular platform, these trucks feature next-generation 8.0-liter A-Series engines producing 360 horsepower and 1,600 Nm of torque, aiming to meet growing infrastructure and construction demand. Shenu Agarwal, MD & CEO, emphasized that buyers are increasingly prioritizing total cost of ownership, productivity, and uptime over minor price differences or fuel efficiency alone.

In the passenger vehicle segment, Toyota Kirloskar Motor debuted its first electric SUV in India, the Urban Cruiser Ebella, a badge-engineered version of the Maruti Suzuki e-Vitara. Offered with 49 kWh and 61 kWh LFP batteries delivering up to 543 km of range, Toyota introduced initiatives like Battery-as-a-Service and buyback programs to ease EV adoption concerns. Meanwhile, Škoda launched an updated version of its Kushaq SUV, adding first-in-segment features and aiming to expand market reach from 80% to 90% through 10 product-led initiatives planned this year.

Industry developments also included former Jaguar Land Rover technology head Nick Rogers joining TVS Motor, VinFast reaffirming its long-term commitment to India, CEAT expanding its Chennai plant with a ₹1,314 crore investment, and Sona BLW Forgings predicting strong growth in traction motors and controllers over the next five years.

The week underscores India’s automotive industry momentum, with commercial vehicle makers strengthening portfolios for efficiency and productivity, while passenger vehicle brands aggressively target electrification and market expansion to meet evolving consumer preferences.