The Spotlight Shines Bright on the Indian Commercial Vehicle Industry at the 17th Apollo CV Awards 2026!
The strength of the Commercial Vehicle (CV) industry was prominently showcased at the 17th Apollo CV Awards in 2026. Industry leaders convened to celebrate outstanding achievements and the innovations made during a dynamic 2025. The industry crossed the one million mark and reflected moderate growth over CY2024, with M&HCVs and 3W segments driving expansion. Ashish Bhatia highlights key moments from the event and explains why the M&HCV Tractor-Head of the Year, Tata Signa 5532.S, was adjudged the prestigious ‘CV of the Year’.
The 17th Apollo CV Awards in 2026 marked a significant milestone, celebrating 20 years of Commercial Vehicle Magazine since its inception in 2005-06. This event acknowledged the excellence of the Indian Commercial Vehicle Industry. Industry leaders gathered in Mumbai on February 26, 2025, to demonstrate their unity and to honour what is considered the “Oscars of the CV Industry,” in partnership with Apollo Tyres.
The prestigious awards were organised by Commercial Vehicle Magazine, a part of Next Gen Publishing Pvt. Ltd., which is a subsidiary of the Shapoorji Pallonji Group. Apollo Tyres Ltd., a valued partner for 17 years, partnered with the event. Additional backing came from Avanteum Advisors LLP and MarketsandMarkets, who served as technical knowledge partners, while Mazars in India acted as the audit partner. Metric Global contributed research and data analytics, and Times Group was the telecast partner. Stepper continued its partnership with the awards.
The 2026 edition highlighted the achievements and milestones of the previous calendar year, establishing a foundation for the business activities in FY26 (Q4-FY26) and the upcoming fiscal period (FY27), especially following the momentum spoken of post the rollout of GST 2.0 and the prudent Union Budget of 2026. The India-US and the India-EU trade deals are expected to play their part going forward. Key stakeholders in the CV industry, led by OEMs and backed by dealerships, body builders, fleet operators, and ancillary service providers, along with academia, reflected on the successes and challenges of 2025 and looked ahead to the future.
In a grand spectacle, the M&HCV Tractor Head of the Year 2026 went to the Tata Signa 5532.S, which emerged as a symbol of the industry’s unwavering determination in the heavier tonnage category. This load-bearing vehicle is designed for significant freight handling capacity in surface transport. It also won the prestigious “CV of the Year” award, recognising a true leader in the M&HCV segment, where Tata Motors holds a commanding market share. This marked a shift from recent years, during which lower tonnage segments had dominated the category, thanks to their multi-energy, ground-up platforms that have proven hard to overlook.
Anil Mohan Kamat, Chairman and Managing Director of MG Group, received the “Breakthrough Leader of the Year” award, becoming the first executive from the bodybuilding sector to achieve this recognition in a category that has traditionally been dominated by Original Equipment Manufacturers (OEMs). This honour underscores the progress being made by bodybuilders, particularly MG Group, which is successfully blending contract manufacturing with fully built, brand-agnostic solutions. Anil dedicated the award to his late father, Founder & Chairman, Mr Mohan V. Kamat, an industry veteran, for driving his innovative and entrepreneurial mindset.Lastly, he dedicated this honor to the entire MG Group family for their commitment to helping the company reach new heights in building world-class luxury transport solutions.
Mr. Girish Wagh, Managing Director and CEO of Tata Motors Ltd., has regained his winning form by receiving the “CV Person of the Year” award once again. Under Wagh’s leadership, Tata Motors has strengthened its position in the commercial vehicle sector. This achievement is supported by a comprehensive effort throughout the year, which included firmly establishing India’s presence on the global commercial vehicle (CV) map. The acquisition of Tata-Iveco has positioned the company as the fourth-largest player globally, with ambitions to become the third-largest in the near future.
This acquisition is expected to be formalized in the coming months, alongside the launch of a well-rounded, forward-looking product portfolio and the listing of Tata Motors Commercial Vehicles as a separate entity this year. Wagh has been recognized for enhancing the entire CV ecosystem, going beyond standard business practices. He graciously accepted the honor on behalf of the vast employee network, dealer partnerships, and loyal customer base.
VE Commercial Vehicles Ltd. was named “CV Maker of the Year,” thanks to its successful entry into the Small Commercial Vehicle (SCV) pickup segment with the Eicher Pro X, as well as its continued advancements in the Light and Medium-Duty (LMD) segment powered by an IoT 4.0 manufacturing plant. This success has helped establish it as a formidable challenger in the commercial vehicle market, aided by its highly successful joint venture with the Volvo Group in India.
Keynote speaker Kavan Mukhtyar from PwC India discussed “Shaping the Next Era of AI-Led Commercial Mobility,” highlighting AI’s impact on commercial mobility and future growth opportunities. Key areas included AI-driven road safety, connected vehicles, telematics, software-defined vehicles, and digital twins. He emphasised the importance of translating these insights into practical applications through extensive data mining.
The address set the tone for the presentation of the white paper titled “Leap of Commercial Vehicles – From Utilitarian to Intuitive.” The paper was launched on stage by Hoshang Billimoria, the Founder of Next Gen Publishing, alongside Amit Kumar Chhabra from Apollo Tyres. They were joined by presenter Kaushik Madhavan, VP at MarketsandMarkets, and Ashish Bhatia, Editor of Commercial Vehicle and Auto Components India magazines.
The white paper received a positive response from the audience and industry professionals. Madhavan delved deeply into the implications of artificial intelligence (AI) and set the stage for the panel discussion by discussing key trends and the levels of Software-Defined Vehicles (SDVs). He noted that India is positioned between Generation 2 updatable software and Generation 3 upgradeable software. He cited global partnerships like Traton and highlighted broad trends such as multi-display user experiences, AI-powered digital assistants, augmented reality technology, and immersive 3D applications.
Madhavan also emphasized concepts like “pay-as-you-drive,” operational expenditure-based models, unlocking new revenue potential, long-haul trucks, and Advanced Driver-Assistance Systems (ADAS). He concluded his presentation with five key challenges: zero downtime, zero emissions, zero accidents, zero congestion, and zero latency, which were met with applause from the audience.
The marquee panel discussion at the 17th Apollo Commercial Vehicle (CV) Awards focused on “Building for the Next 25 Years, Not the Next 5 Years.” Moderated by VG Ramakrishnan, it featured industry leaders, including:
–Mr Amit Kumar Chhabra – Head – OE Sales, Apollo Tyres
– Mr Rajesh Kaul, Vice President and Business Head – Trucks, Tata Motors Ltd
– Mr SS Gill, Chief Commercial Officer, VE Commercial Vehicles Ltd.
– Dr Venkat Srinivas, Head of Mahindra Trucks and Bus Division, and Construction Equipment
– Dr Kanakasabapathi Subramanian (Senior Vice President) – Ashok Leyland
– Karthick Athmanathan, Professor of Practice at IIT Madras and formerly a Senior VP at Ashok Leyland (Emobility Specialist)
The discussion focused on the long-term roadmap for the Indian commercial vehicle (CV) industry and the global megatrends affecting it. Topics included strategic alignment among stakeholders, government regulations, multimodal logistics, technological transitions—such as electrification and artificial intelligence (AI)—emission pathways, and changing customer expectations. The panel highlighted the importance of long-term visioning and proactive scenario planning to navigate potential future disruptions, noting that the current rate of change is much faster than it has been over the past 25 years. Linking sustainability to profitability was touched upon!
Hoshang Billimoria opened the awards ceremony, expressing gratitude to the industry for trusting the Apollo CV Awards and celebrating 20 years of Commercial Vehicle magazine’s ethical journalism. He recognised everyone’s efforts in making the 17th edition possible, particularly thanking Apollo Tyres for their 17-year partnership. Amit Kumar Chhabra echoed these sentiments in his address.
Ashish Bhatia discussed the improved jury process, which now includes broader participation, detailed jury pitches, and a comprehensive ‘Nominations and Methodology’ approach. The intense ‘Jury Meet’ is a key feature of this 17th edition. He also introduced winners’ badges for production-ready units to display with pride and hinted at an upcoming significant development for stakeholders to commemorate two decades of CV Magazine. He expressed gratitude to Team Apollo Tyres and all partners for their role in the event’s resounding success.
Apollo CV Awards will be back for its 18th edition next year!
| CATEGORY | WINNERS | |
| 1 | SCV Of The Year | Tata Ace Pro Bi-Fuel |
| 2 | THREE-WHEELER OF THE YEAR | Mahindra Zor Grand RANGE+ |
| 3 | SCV Pickup of the Year (2–3.5T GVW) | Tata Intra V70 Gold |
| 4 | EV of the Year (Cargo Mover – 4W up to 2-TONNE | Tata Ace Pro EV |
| 5 | EV of the Year (Cargo Mover – 4W up 2 TO 3.5-TONNE GVW) | Montra Eviator |
| 6 | Electric Truck of the Year (Greater than 3.5T GVW) | Tata Prima E.55S/Rhino 5538 EV 4×2 TT |
| 7 | NGV Truck Of The Year (>3.5T GVW) | BEM LNG Heavy-Duty Truck (Double Tank) |
| 8 | LCV Cargo Carrier Of The Year (Up To 7.5T) | Eicher Pro 2059XP – PLUS |
| 9 | ICV Cargo Carrier of the Year (8.5T-19T) | Tata Ultra T.19 |
| 10 | MAV of the Year (28.5-48T) | Tata Signa 4832.T (16-wheeler multi-axle rigid truck) |
| 11 | SMALL FLEET OPERATOR OF THE YEAR | Northstar Worldwide Logistics Pvt. Ltd. |
| 12 | ICV Tipper of the Year (8.5T-19T) | Tata LPTK 1416 |
| 13 | M&HCV Tipper of the Year | Tata Signa 4832.TK 10×2/12×2 |
| 14 | M&HCV TRACTOR-HEAD OF THE YEAR | Tata Signa 5532.S |
| 15 | LARGE FLEET OPERATOR OF THE YEAR | INLAND WORLD LOGISTICS PVT. LTD. |
| 16 | PRIVATE BUS FLEET OPERATOR OF THE YEAR | PRASANNA PURPLE MOBILITY SOLUTION PVT. LTD. |
| 17 | People Mover of the Year | Tata Winger 9S Plus |
| 18 | School Bus of the Year | Eicher Starline NEXT Premium AC School Bus |
| 19 | Staff Bus of the Year | SML Hiroi Staff/Tourist Bus, FORCE MONOBUS 4020WB |
| 20 | Coach of the Year | MG Tigra, Ashok Leyland Garud 13.5m H64V – Intercity Coach |
| 21 | Telematics Technology: Best Practice Adopter Of The Year | KATARIA ENTERPRISES |
| 22 | Special Application CV of the Year – AMBULANCE | SML GS Ambulance |
| 23 | Special Application CV of the Year – Tourist Bus | Switch EiV 22 – Tourist HoHo Bus |
| 24 | Special Application CV of the Year – Transit Mixer | Mahindra BLAZO X 28 Transit Mixer 7.5 Cu. M. |
| 25 | Special Application CV of the Year – Port | TIVA Portable Marine Loading Arm Trailer |
| 26 | Special Application CV Builder of the Year | MG Group |
| 27 | Special Recognition – CV Innovation Of The Year | Volvo Trucks Road Train |
| 28 | Special Recognition – CV Innovation Of The Year (Ancillary) | SATARAC Double Trailer Combination |
| 29 | Special Recognition – Engineering Initiative Of The Year | BharatBenz 2828C HX 6×4 and Ashok Leyland AVTR 55T EV Tip trailer |
| 30 | CV Transport Solution Provider of the Year | VE Commercial Vehicles Ltd. |
| 31 | CV Marketing Excellence Of The Year | Daimler India Commercial Vehicles |
| 32 | CV Communications Excellence Of The Year | VE Commercial Vehicles Ltd. |
| 33 | CSR Leadership Of The Year | VST coreB Trailers |
| 34 | Debutant of the Year | Eicher Pro X EV and Mahindra Veero CNG |
| 35 | CV Industry–Academia Collaboration of the Year | CoEZET (Centre of Excellence for Zero Emission Trucking) at IIT Madras and Ashok Leyland |
| 36 | Breakthrough Leader of the Year | Mr. Anil Mohan Kamat, Chairman & Managing Director, MG Group. |
| 37 | CV Dealer Of The Year | M/S KAMAL MOTORS (Prop. Reliable Automotive Pvt. Ltd.) |
| 38 | CV Person of the Year | Mr. Girish Wagh, Managing Director & CEO, Tata Motors Ltd. |
| 39 | CV Maker of the Year | VE Commercial Vehicles Ltd. |
| 40 | CV of the Year | Tata Signa 5532.S |
