Mahindra & Mahindra Ltd is to expand its Advanced Research and Development Centre and add new testing facilities at Mahindra Research Valley in Chennai, with an investment of Rs 1,960 million (mn). The expansion is intended to strengthen Mahindra Research Valley's capabilities in advanced vehicle design, product engineering and the development of future technologies, reinforcing the group's engineering base in southern India. The project will focus on upgrading laboratory infrastructure, expanding testing capacity and integrating enhanced simulation and validation capabilities to support a broad range of vehicle platforms.

The upgraded centre and testing infrastructure will support next-generation vehicle platforms across multiple segments and will help accelerate prototype development and validation cycles. Enhanced test tracks, climatic and durability testing provisions and specialised rigs will enable comprehensive assessment of new powertrains, chassis and electronic architectures. This is expected to improve engineering throughput and reduce time to market for new products.

According to the company the expanded facility is expected to be operational within this calendar year and will be integrated with existing research programmes to leverage ongoing projects and expertise. The development will support multidisciplinary teams working on vehicle safety, emissions, electrification and digital systems, enabling more iterative testing and faster refinement of designs. Investment in advanced instrumentation and data analytics is expected to enhance the centre's capability to conduct high fidelity testing and inform system level optimisation.

The expansion forms part of the group's broader strategy to deepen in-house engineering capabilities and to maintain competitive advantage in a fast evolving automotive landscape. Strengthened research and testing capacity at Mahindra Research Valley is expected to attract technical talent and foster collaboration with suppliers and academic partners to drive innovation. The company anticipates that the upgraded facility will play a central role in supporting future product programmes and long term technological development.