ARAI awarded the first PLI-AUTO certificate to Tata Motors in the M3 Category for their 12m long Fully Built Bus, TATA STARBUS 4/12 EV, including both AC and Non-AC variants. This recognition confirms the conformity of their vehicle model.

Category M3 refers to a motor vehicle designed for carriage passengers with a maximum Gross Vehicle Weight that exceeds 5 tonnes.

A couple of months ago, The Automotive Research Association of India (ARAI) awarded Tata Motors the first Production-Linked Incentive (PLI) certificate in the N1 category for four-wheeled goods vehicles. ARAI announced this milestone achievement and commended Tata Motors for following the Automotive PLI scheme's defined standard operating procedures (SOP) by MHI.

The main goal of the PLI scheme is to strengthen efforts to localise production and boost exports in the automotive industry.

This milestone follows Tata Motors obtaining a domestic value certificate, which is a significant step towards their eligibility for the substantial Rs 25,938 crore PLI scheme.

On August 30, the Central Government announced an extension of the PLI scheme for the automotive sector by one year. This means that the originally planned five-year scheme, scheduled to run from 2022–23 to 2026–27, will now be in effect until 2027–28.

Currently, the scheme's incentives apply to specific sales of Advanced Automotive Technology (AAT) products manufactured in India, starting from April 1, 2022. These products include vehicles and related components.