Marelli, a global technology supplier to the automotive sector, together with its joint venture partner Motherson, has inaugurated a new automotive lighting manufacturing facility in Sanand, Gujarat. The plant expands the presence of the Marelli Motherson Lighting India (MMLI) joint venture in the country.

Frank Huber, President, Lighting Business, Marelli, said, “Our new facility in Sanand is a key milestone in bringing advanced lighting technologies to customers in India. Together with Motherson, we unite global innovation with strong local manufacturing to deliver cutting-edge solutions for the Indian market. Our joint venture reflects Marelli’s global technology leadership, Motherson’s infrastructure and execution excellence, deep customer relationships on the subcontinent, and the autonomy entrusted to the MMLI team since 2008.”

Laksh Vaaman Sehgal, Vice Chairman, Motherson, added, “The inauguration of our advanced automotive lighting plant reinforces Motherson’s commitment to innovation, excellence and customer-centricity. This strategic investment enhances our ability to deliver future-ready lighting solutions aligned with evolving customer requirements. We appreciate the continued trust and support of our customers in achieving this milestone.”

The new plant, MMLI’s second in Sanand, addresses rising demand from India’s growing passenger vehicle market. It will supply high-performance exterior lighting systems and introduce several first-of-their-kind technologies to the Indian market. These include single-piece, end-to-end lamps spanning the full width of a vehicle, creating homogenous light signatures nearly two metres long at the front and rear. The facility also localises India’s slimmest headlamp modules at just 17 millimetres in height.

Depending on customer requirements, configurations will be available with or without adaptive driving beam (ADB), high-beam boost or ambient lighting. These innovations enable new vehicle styling possibilities while enhancing performance and safety.

The Sanand facility is the first in India designed to manufacture such long, single-piece lighting elements. It is equipped with high-tonnage injection moulding machines, and the structure has been engineered to support heavy tooling with specialised overhead cranes—introduced for the first time in an Indian lighting plant.

Sustainability was integral to the plant’s development. It features rooftop solar installations and is securing additional green energy through open-access sourcing. As part of its corporate social responsibility initiatives, MMLI has planted 1,700 trees in the region to support CO? absorption.

With this inauguration, Marelli’s footprint in India expands to 16 production sites and three R&D centres.

MMLI, a 50:50 joint venture with Motherson, is among India’s largest automotive lighting suppliers, delivering high-volume advanced lighting solutions for the passenger vehicle segment. With over 4,500 employees, it operates eight plants in Pune, Sanand, Bawal and Noida, along with a global design centre, testing laboratory and PCB production facility in Pune, a dedicated lighting tooling room in Noida, and a warehouse in Bengaluru.