Automotive technology supplier Marelli and its joint venture partner Motherson have opened a new lighting manufacturing facility in Sanand, Gujarat.
The site expands the production footprint of Marelli Motherson Lighting India (MMLI), the companies’ 50:50 joint venture, and represents its second plant in Sanand.
The facility will produce exterior lighting systems for India’s passenger vehicle segment.
According to the companies, the plant is designed to manufacture full-width, single-piece lamps measuring close to two metres across vehicle front and rear ends.
It will also localise headlamp modules with a height of 17mm.
Depending on customer specifications, configurations may incorporate adaptive driving beam (ADB), high-beam boost and ambient lighting features.
Marelli lighting business president Frank Huber said: “Our new facility in Sanand is a key milestone in bringing advanced lighting technologies to our customers 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.”
MMLI said the site is the first in India configured to produce such long, single-piece lighting components.
It houses high-tonnage injection moulding equipment and a building structure engineered to handle heavy tooling, supported by specialised overhead cranes introduced for the first time in an Indian automotive lighting facility.
The inauguration brings Marelli’s total manufacturing presence in India to 16 sites, alongside three research and development centres.
Motherson vice chairman Laksh Vaaman Sehgal added: “The inauguration of our cutting-edge automotive lighting plant underscores Motherson's unwavering commitment to innovation, excellence, and customer-centricity.”
The Marelli-Motherson venture employs more than 4,500 people and operates eight plants across Pune, Sanand, Bawal and Noida.
It also runs a design centre, testing laboratory and printed circuit board facility in Pune, a tooling room in Noida.
In November last year, Marelli set up a technical research and development site in Bengaluru to expand its engineering capabilities in India.
