Force Motors Hits 200,000 Mercedes Engines: Why This Chakan Milestone Matters
Force Motors has rolled out its 200,000th Mercedes-Benz engine from its Chakan, Pune facility. The landmark unit is a 6-cylinder M256 petrol motor, installed in a Mercedes-Benz GLS 450. The achievement marks nearly three decades of engine and axle manufacturing collaboration between Force Motors and Mercedes-Benz in India.
What was announced
Force Motors has announced the rollout of its 200,000th Mercedes-Benz engine from its dedicated engine manufacturing facility at Chakan, Pune. The landmark unit is a 6-cylinder M256 petrol motor, the inline-six turbo-petrol with 48V mild-hybrid assistance that powers the top-spec Mercedes-Benz GLS 450, and it has been fitted to a GLS 450 rolling off the India assembly line.
Two lakh engines built in Chakan is why your locally assembled Mercedes is cheaper to buy, service and live with than the badge suggests.
The Force Motors-Mercedes-Benz relationship dates back to 1997 and has since expanded beyond engines to include axle assembly for Mercedes-Benz cars and SUVs assembled in India. The Chakan plant supplies powertrains for locally assembled Mercedes-Benz models across the C-Class, E-Class, GLC, GLE and GLS ranges, making it one of the most significant tier-one luxury powertrain operations in the country.
The milestone was commemorated at the Chakan facility in the presence of Prasan Firodia, Managing Director of Force Motors, members of the Board of Management of Mercedes-Benz Group AG, and senior representatives from Mercedes-Benz India. Force Motors confirmed the partnership now spans nearly three decades and that the Chakan facility continues to scale capacity in line with Mercedes-Benz India's growing locally assembled portfolio. Mercedes-Benz India has consistently led the luxury sales charts ahead of BMW and Audi, and the depth of this local engine and axle manufacturing base is a direct contributor to that lead.
The Car Jury verdict
This is a quiet milestone with loud implications. Two lakh engines built in Chakan means the GLC, GLS, E-Class and C-Class you see on Indian roads are far more 'Made in India' than the badge suggests, and that localisation is a big reason Mercedes has stayed price-competitive against BMW and Audi at the top of the pyramid.
As Biturbo Media notes, "India is definitely a big car market, but the luxury car market is quite small in India, and even there, the German trio of Mercedes, BMW, and Audi have been ruling the roost." Force Motors is a structural reason Mercedes leads that trio. For buyers eyeing a GLC, GLA or GLB, this milestone is reassurance: parts supply, service depth and warranty backing all sit on a mature, in-country manufacturing base.
