- New Ashok Leyland EV manufacturing plant inaugurated in Lucknow
- Facility to produce 17–18 seater electric buses
- Initial capacity 2,500 units, to expand to 5,000
- Skill training MoU to benefit 10,000 youth annually
GG News Bureau
Lucknow, 11th Jan: Ashok Leyland on Saturday inaugurated a new commercial electric vehicle manufacturing plant in Lucknow, marking the company’s entry into Uttar Pradesh’s clean mobility sector and strengthening the state’s growing electric vehicle ecosystem.
The facility, located in the Sarojini Nagar Industrial Area near Lucknow Airport, was inaugurated in the presence of Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath, Defence Minister and Lucknow MP Rajnath Singh, and Union Heavy Industries Minister H.D. Kumaraswamy. The ceremony was also attended by Hinduja Group Chairman Dheeraj Hinduja and Ashok Leyland MD and CEO Shenu Agarwal, along with senior ministers and public representatives.
The project was formalised through a Memorandum of Understanding signed in September 2023, followed by land allotment in January 2024. Construction of the plant was completed within 18 months. The facility will initially have an annual production capacity of 2,500 units, which will be expanded in phases to 5,000 units.
The Lucknow plant will manufacture 17–18 seater electric buses designed for school transport and inter-city mobility, with each unit priced at around ₹15 lakh. The company said the project has generated direct and indirect employment opportunities for thousands of youth in the state.
As part of the initiative, the Hinduja Group and the Uttar Pradesh government will sign an MoU to provide skill training to 10,000 youth every year, strengthening the state’s skilled workforce for the electric mobility and manufacturing sectors.
Speaking on the occasion, the leadership said the project reflects Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s vision of driving industrial growth alongside environmental responsibility, while preparing India for global challenges such as climate change and environmental disruptions.
Uttar Pradesh has emerged as a leading hub for clean mobility and manufacturing, accounting for 19 per cent of India’s EV market in 2024. The state currently operates around 700 electric buses under FAME schemes and hosts 55 per cent of the country’s expressways, one of the largest rail networks, freight corridors, rapid rail systems and inland waterways. It also leads in mobile phone manufacturing and electronics, and is home to over 18,000 startups, 76 incubators, seven Centres of Excellence and eight unicorns.
The inauguration ceremony was attended by Deputy Chief Minister Brajesh Pathak, Ministers Suresh Khanna, Nand Gopal Gupta ‘Nandi’, Dayashankar Singh and MLA Rajeshwar Singh, among others.
