Marelli, the global automotive technology major, together with its joint venture partner Motherson, inaugurated a new state-of-the-art automotive lighting facility in Sanand, Gujarat. The plant marks a significant expansion of the Marelli Motherson Lighting India (MMLI) footprint and reinforces the JV’s commitment to delivering next-generation lighting technologies for India’s fast-growing passenger vehicle market.
Mr. Frank Huber, President of Marelli’s Lighting business, called the new facility a major milestone for the company’s presence in India. “Together with our partner Motherson, we are uniting global innovation with strong local manufacturing capabilities to deliver cutting-edge solutions for the Indian market,” he said. He credited the JV’s success to Marelli’s global technology expertise, Motherson’s strong local execution capabilities, and the autonomy given to the MMLI team since its inception in 2008.
Mr. Laksh Vaaman Sehgal, Vice Chairman, Motherson, said the new plant demonstrates the group’s ongoing focus on innovation and customer-centricity. “This strategic investment strengthens our ability to deliver advanced, future-ready lighting solutions while meeting the evolving needs of our customers,” he added.
A First-of-Its-Kind Facility for India
The new plant—MMLI’s second unit in Sanand—responds to rising demand from India’s booming passenger vehicle segment and is dedicated to producing high-performance exterior lighting systems.
MMLI is introducing several first-ever lighting technologies for the Indian market, including:
• Single-piece, end-to-end lamps spanning nearly two metres across the full width of the vehicle, offering highly uniform light signatures at the front and rear.
• India’s slimmest headlamp modules—just 17 mm tall—localized for OEMs with or without Adaptive Driving Beam (ADB), high-beam boost or ambient-light configurations.
These innovations open new styling opportunities for automakers while enhancing safety and performance.
The Sanand facility is India’s first lighting plant engineered to manufacture such long, single-piece lighting elements. It houses high-tonnage injection-molding machines and a specially designed building structure capable of supporting heavy tooling with advanced overhead cranes—another first for the Indian lighting industry.
Strengthening Marelli’s India Footprint
With the addition of the new Sanand plant, Marelli now operates 16 production sites and three R&D centres in India. MMLI, a 50:50 JV between Marelli and Motherson, is one of India’s largest automotive lighting suppliers with more than 4,500 employees.
The JV currently runs eight plants across Pune, Sanand, Bawal and Noida, along with a global design centre, testing lab, PCB production facility in Pune, a specialised tooling room in Noida, and a warehouse in Bengaluru.
