Highway Roop Precision Technologies (Highway Roop), a global auto components platform formed by the integration of Highway Industries and Roop Automotives, has appointed Dharmesh Arora as its new Chief Executive Officer.

Arora brings a wealth of experience to Highway Roop, having most recently served as CEO for Asia Pacific at Schaeffler Group for over five years. Prior to that, he held the position of CEO for Schaeffler India for seven years. His extensive career also includes two decades in leadership roles within purchasing and supply chain at General Motors. He started his journey in the automotive sector in 1986 as a Product Engineer at Maruti Suzuki India, making him a seasoned industry veteran.

Mohit Oswal, Non-Executive Chairman of Highway Roop, said, “We are excited that Dharmesh has joined as CEO of Highway Roop. He is a highly experienced professional who has a deep understanding of the automotive industry and brings decades of global experience in building and managing automotive businesses”.

He added that Arora’s focus will be on "accelerating growth, driving operational excellence and leveraging innovation to deliver enhanced value for the Platform’s customers and strengthen its market position."

Dharmesh Arora said, “I am honoured to join Highway Roop at such an exciting time for India’s automotive industry. The platform’s strong manufacturing capabilities, diverse product portfolio, and global customer base create a powerful foundation for expansion.”

Highway Roop is a prominent manufacturer of forged and precision-machined components, including steering system assemblies and various transmission and powertrain applications. The company caters to electric, hybrid, and internal combustion engine (ICE) powered vehicles. The platform has also indicated its intent to acquire synergistic assets as part of its growth and expansion strategy within the auto components sector.

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Minda Corporation, the flagship of Spark Minda, has signed a strategic joint venture agreement with Turntide Technologies to develop and manufacture powertrain solutions for electric and hybrid vehicles in India.

Under the terms of the agreement, which is subject to regulatory approval, Turntide will hold a 51 percent stake in the venture, while Minda Corporation will hold 49 percent through a wholly owned special purpose vehicle (SPV).

The joint venture company will focus on the development of several components for the Indian EV segment including high-voltage and high-performance electric motors; high and low-voltage motor controllers and customised units. Pumps for thermal applications in electric vehicles.

The partnership is intended to localise Turntide’s technology, providing products that meet the requirements of domestic original equipment manufacturers (OEMs). The venture aims to reduce development cycles and strengthen the local supplier ecosystem while utilising Minda Corp’s manufacturing presence in India.

Ashok Minda, Chairman and Group CEO, Minda Corporation, said, “This partnership with Turntide marks a significant milestone in our journey towards electrification. By combining Turntide’s globally proven technology with Minda Corporation Limited’s strong local presence, we aim to deliver advanced, high-quality, and cost-competitive EV powertrain solutions that support India’s transition to sustainable mobility. This will result to meet ‘Make in India’ objectives and enhance the resilience of domestic supply chain of EV ecosystem.”

Steve Hornyak, CEO, Turntide Technologies, added, “India’s electrification growth story is central to Turntide’s strategy, and this joint venture is a key step in bringing our powertrain technologies closer to customers in the market. We’re proud to partner with Minda Corporation, a fantastic team with decades of experience serving global OEMs, as we deliver localised, high-performance solutions for India’s rapidly evolving mobility ecosystem.”

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Toyoda Gosei Co., has acquired all shares of Ashimori Industry Co., effective 1 March 2026 and has now completed the process of making Ashimori Industry its wholly-owned subsidiary.

The acquisition follows a capital and business alliance agreement established in May 2021. In November 2023, Toyoda Gosei made Ashimori Industry an equity-method affiliate to integrate product development, sales, procurement and production.

Toyoda Gosei intends to operate as a supplier of safety systems by combining its airbag technologies with Ashimori Industry’s seatbelt products. The company aims to facilitate the development of protection systems that use both components to reduce traffic fatalities.

The move will enable expediting management resource allocation in the safety systems division. It will further promote integrated control systems for airbags and seatbelts to meet market demand.

The deal also focuses on the growth of Ashimori Industry’s functional products business, specifically the PALTEM (Pipeline Automatic Lining SysTEM) method. This technology is used for the rehabilitation of aging pipeline infrastructure, a sector currently experiencing rising demand.

For the unversed, established in December 1935, Ashimori Industry reported revenue of USD 537 million in March 2025. It employees 2,358 people and is involved in the manufacturing of seatbelts, airbags, synthetic rope and pipe rehabilitation systems.

Toyoda Gosei stated that the move is designed to maximise synergies and address societal challenges related to infrastructure and road safety.

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Adient, a supplier of automotive seating, has launched Sculpted Soft Trim, a manufacturing technology designed to provide new design options for vehicle interiors. The product is a breathable, formed trim solution that can be applied to large panels or components such as armrests, headrests and child seat anchor covers.

The technology uses an automated forming process to create shapes, reducing the requirement for traditional manual sewing. This method allows for the creation of concave surfaces and 3D shapes that were previously difficult to execute using standard cut-and-sew techniques.

Sculpted Soft Trim is designed to improve craftsmanship while lowering labour requirements. In applications such as rear seat child anchor locations, the system can replace up to twelve individual patterns and sew lines with a single formed component.

Key features of the technology include:

• Material Compatibility: Support for a range of fabrics and vinyl materials.
• Surface Detail: Capability to achieve 3-dimensional concavity without losing grain detail.
• Customisation: Ability to add embossed or debossed textures, graphics and badging within the same tooling process.
• Material Integration: Facility to pre-sew and form dissimilar materials together.
• Firmness Control: Variable firmness options to meet specific application requirements.

Adient has confirmed that Sculpted Soft Trim is available globally. The technology is scheduled to enter production on vehicles from several original equipment manufacturers (OEMs) during 2026. According to the company, the process reduces cycle times by approximately 50 percent compared to traditional forming methods.

Mike Maddelein, Vice-President of engineering in the Americas, Adient, said, “Sculpted Soft Trim fundamentally changes what’s possible in seat trim design by combining premium aesthetics with meaningful manufacturing efficiency. With cycle times reduced to roughly 50 percent of traditional forming methods, this technology delivers both speed and quality. In addition, decorative sewing, quilting and embossed or debossed features introduce another level of specialisation, all executed with tight tolerance control to ensure consistent, high-end craftsmanship at scale.”

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Dhoot Transmission, backed by Bain Capital, has announced a partnership and merger with Pune-based FourFront. Under the agreement, FourFront will merge with a subsidiary of Dhoot Transmission to create an integrated automotive electronics and electrical manufacturing platform.

FourFront is a Tier-1 supplier providing electro-mechanical and electronic solutions to passenger and commercial vehicle manufacturers. The merger is intended to address the increasing electronics content in vehicles and the requirements of the electric vehicle (EV) sector.

The combined entity will leverage complementary capabilities in manufacturing and engineering. FourFront’s portfolio includes:

• Power Electronics: Components for voltage conversion and management in EVs.
• Electromechanical Switches: Interface solutions for vehicle cabins and systems.
• EV Products: Specialised hardware for electric drivetrains.

The platform aims to provide end-to-end solutions for original equipment manufacturers (OEMs) across internal combustion engine and electric vehicle programmes. Bain Capital will provide global automotive expertise to support the scale of the platform and the adoption of technologies such as Advanced Driver Assistance Systems (ADAS).

Rahul Dhoot, Managing Director, Dhoot Transmission Group, said, “This partnership is closely aligned with our strategy of building a differentiated automotive platform with strong capabilities in electronics and electrical systems. FourFront has developed trusted relationships with OEM customers and built meaningful expertise in power electronics. As part of the Dhoot platform, FourFront and its team will be well positioned to continue delivering the same level of quality and service levels to customers while benefiting from our scale, manufacturing depth, and long-term investment approach.”

Saahil Bhatia, Partner, Bain Capital, said, “India continues to be an economy with a strong long-term growth trajectory, supported by favourable demographics, rising domestic consumption, and sustained investment in manufacturing and infrastructure. Against this backdrop, we see a compelling opportunity to support platforms like Dhoot, and now FourFront, as they scale capabilities, deepen OEM partnerships, and build high-quality automotive solutions aligned with evolving technologies such as ADAS and increasing electronics content across vehicle segments.”

Shrikant Neurgaonkar, Chairperson and Managing Director, FourFront, stated, “Over the last 15+ years, FourFront has built very a strong foundation and is recognised for innovative solutions, superior design capabilities, and responsiveness towards customer demands. The partnership with Dhoot Transmission and Bain Capital will put us in a strong position to further enhance our product offerings and continue to invest in manufacturing facilities, R&D and people for the next phase of growth. We’re very excited to partner with Dhoot Transmission to create an electronics platform focused on technical and operational excellence.”

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