Popular Vehicles Expands Into Punjab With BharatBenz Dealerships

19 Jun 2025 CW Team

Popular Vehicles & Services Limited, a leading fully integrated automotive dealership group in India, has announced that its 100 per cent step-down subsidiary, Prabal Motors Pvt. Ltd., has received a Letter of Intent (LOI) to establish eight advanced 3S facilities—Sales, Service and Spare Parts—for BharatBenz across Punjab.

This marks Popular Vehicles’ official entry into the Punjab market as the exclusive dealer for BharatBenz throughout the state, significantly strengthening its presence in Northern India. The move builds upon the company’s existing footprint in Maharashtra and Tamil Nadu and further deepens its partnership with Daimler India Commercial Vehicles.

The upcoming state-of-the-art facilities will be strategically located across eight sites in Punjab. Each will integrate a showroom, bodyshop, spare parts distribution, and pre-owned car operations under one roof. Together, they will feature a total of 32 service bays and involve a cumulative investment of approximately Rs130 million (USD 1.56 million).

Naveen Philip, Promoter and Managing Director of Popular Vehicles & Services Limited, commented, “We are thrilled to announce our entry into the northern region through our partnership with BharatBenz. Punjab becomes the third key state in our BharatBenz network after Tamil Nadu and Maharashtra. This expansion reflects our broader strategy to move beyond our traditional base in Kerala and into high-potential geographies.”

He added, “Punjab’s vibrant economy and increasing demand for commercial transportation make it a strategic market for us. We are committed to offering best-in-class mobility solutions and furthering our relationship with Daimler India Commercial Vehicles.”

This expansion underscores Popular Vehicles’ ambition to become a pan-India leader in commercial automotive retail and servicing, reinforcing its growth strategy across both new and existing territories.

Infrastructure Transport

13 Oct 2025

Tata, Airbus to Build India’s First Private Helicopter Line

In a landmark development for India’s aerospace sector, Tata Advanced Systems Limited (TASL) and Airbus will establish the country’s first private-sector helicopter assembly line in Vemagal, Karnataka. The facility will manufacture the Airbus H125 and H125M, marking a significant milestone in India’s push for self-reliance in aviation and defence manufacturing. The new Final Assembly Line (FAL) will produce the H125, the world’s best-selling single-engine helicopter, known for its versatility and performance in extreme environments. The first ‘Made in India’ H125 is expected to ro..

NeGD to Support Bharat Taxi in Building Cooperative Ride Platform

In a significant move for India’s digital and mobility transformation, the National e-Governance Division (NeGD) of the Digital India Corporation, under the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY), has entered into an advisory partnership with Sahakar Taxi Cooperative Limited, the company behind Bharat Taxi — a first-of-its-kind, cooperative-led national ride-hailing platform. A Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) has been signed between NeGD and Sahakar Taxi to provide strategic advisory and technical support covering key areas such as platform integration, cybersecurity..

MeitY Hosts Pre-Summit for India–AI Impact Summit 2026

The Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY), Government of India, hosted a series of Pre-Summit events for the upcoming India–AI Impact Summit 2026 at the India Mobile Congress (IMC) 2025 in New Delhi. These sessions mark a key milestone ahead of the main summit, scheduled for 19–20 February 2026 at Bharat Mandapam, New Delhi. Delivering the inaugural address, S. Krishnan, Secretary, MeitY, highlighted India’s innovative and frugal approach to AI development. “We have adopted innovative means by learning from others’ experiences to build projects and products that..