Force Motors completes production of 2 lakh Mercedes-Benz engines at the Chakan plant

Force Motors Limited has rolled out its 200,000th engine from its Chakan plant in Pune, a key milestone in its manufacturing partnership with Mercedes-Benz. The special engine was fitted to a Mercedes-Benz GLS 450 and marks nearly three decades of engine production collaboration between the two companies in India.

A long-running industrial tie-up

The relationship between Force Motors and Mercedes-Benz began in 1997 and has grown into a wider manufacturing arrangement. Today, Force Motors produces engines and axles for all Mercedes-Benz cars and SUVs made in India. The latest milestone reflects the scale the partnership has reached, as well as the role the Chakan facility plays in Mercedes-Benz’s local production network.

The 200,000th unit is a 6-cylinder M256 engine. Force Motors said the achievement highlights a relationship built on trust, technical capability, shared values and a common effort to improve manufacturing in India.

Celebration at Chakan

The milestone was marked in the presence of Prasan Firodia, Managing Director, Force Motors Limited, along with a Mercedes-Benz delegation that included Dr Joerg Burzer, Michael Schiebe and Mathias Geisen, all Members of the Board of Management of Mercedes-Benz Group AG. They were joined by Santosh Iyer, Managing Director & CEO, Mercedes-Benz India; Vyankatesh Kulkarni, Executive Director & Head of Operations, Mercedes-Benz India; and Prashant Inamdar, Executive Director – Operations, Force Motors Limited, among others.

Speaking on the occasion, Prasan Firodia said, “The 200,000th engine is more than a production milestone; it is the living story of a half-century-long partnership built on trust, precision and shared purpose. The Force Motors Chakan facility was purpose-built to meet Mercedes-Benz’s exacting global standards, and every engine that has rolled out of it reflects Force Motors’ unwavering commitment to engineering excellence and manufacturing precision. To have honoured that commitment 2,00,000 times is a moment of profound pride for us".

Broader significance

Beyond the numbers, the milestone reflects one of the strongest examples of Indo-German industrial cooperation in the automotive sector. It also shows how Indian manufacturing can support global-quality production under the Make in India vision.

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