Union Minister for Heavy Industries, HD Kumaraswamy, visited the International Centre for Automotive Technology (ICAT) in Manesar today. During his visit, the minister toured the state-of-the-art facility, which is a testament to India’s growing prowess in automotive innovation and safety standards. 

The minister was given an in-depth overview of ICAT’s advanced laboratories, testing tracks and cutting-edge technologies including crash tests, acoustic rooms for reverberation studies and fuel flow testing mechanisms.                          

During his visit, he laid the foundation stone of Electrical and Electrical Lab and Centre of Excellence for Advanced Automotive IT Services (AAITS) in the presence ICAT Director Saurabh Dalela and other senior officials. 

Speaking to the media after the visit, Kumaraswamy said, “It is my pleasure to be here on my first visit to ICAT, an institution that represents India's drive towards automotive excellence. ICAT’s state-of-the-art facilities, including its advanced laboratories and testing infrastructure, are a testament to India’s capabilities in automotive innovation.” 

The minister highlighted the crucial role ICAT plays in ensuring road safety through rigorous testing procedures. “Witnessing these facilities and tests today has given me a profound perspective on the rigorous efforts undertaken here to ensure the safety of every individual who travels on our roads. It showcases the complexity and commitment behind each test,” he added. 

Kumaraswamy commended the ICAT team for their invaluable contributions to the automotive sector, emphasizing their role in advancing sustainability, safety, and innovation. “ICAT is not just a testing and research facility; it embodies the shared vision of the ministry and the government to drive the future of mobility in India,” he said. 

The minister also noted ICAT’s significant contributions to government initiatives such as the FAME scheme, PM eDrive, and the Production Linked Incentive (PLI) scheme. He underlined the importance of ICAT’s involvement in promoting indigenous manufacturing and global competitiveness in the automotive sector. 

“ICAT stands as a symbol of India’s automotive aspirations, contributing significantly to our transition to electric mobility and sustainable transportation. The Ministry of Heavy Industries remains committed to supporting ICAT in every possible way to ensure its continued growth and success,” Kumaraswamy assured. 

The Indian automotive industry, which contributes over 7 percent to the nation’s GDP and employs millions, is expected to witness robust growth in the coming years. The minister emphasized that ICAT’s technical expertise, research and homologation services would play a pivotal role in ensuring that this growth is sustainable, safe, and competitive on a global scale. 

Concluding his visit, Kumaraswamy reaffirmed the Ministry of Heavy Industries’ commitment to fostering innovation, creating policy frameworks, and building infrastructure to position India as a global leader in automotive technology. 

“Together, we can make India a global leader in automotive technology and innovation, ensuring safer, better vehicles for Indian and global customers alike,” he said.

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Automotive cable and shifter manufacturer Remsons Industries has appointed Rahul Prabhakar Desai as its new Chief Executive Officer, effective 3 August 2026. He succeeds Amit Srivastava, whose resignation takes effect at the close of business hours on 4 September 2026.

Desai comes with three decades of experience in automotive manufacturing, including 17 years in executive roles. Before joining Remsons Industries, he was Executive Director and Chief Executive Officer at Pinnacle Industries, overseeing five manufacturing facilities.

He previously served as Chief Executive Officer at CIE India, managing multiple business divisions and ten manufacturing plants, and held leadership positions at GKN Sinter Metals and Inteva Products.

Throughout his career, Desai has managed greenfield plant setups, manufacturing optimisation projects and supply partnerships with original equipment manufacturers. He holds a bachelor's degree in mechanical engineering, a Six Sigma Black Belt certification and has completed executive management training at the Indian Institute of Management Ahmedabad alongside technical programs in Japan and the United States.

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Pune-headquartered tier 1 supplier Varroc has appointed Eric Hamon as Chief Technical Officer, effective 3 August 2026. He joins the company with 25 years of engineering experience across the automotive sector.

Hamon comes with experience in electrification, electrical and electronic architectures, software-defined vehicle platforms, embedded software, functional safety and cybersecurity operations.

Before joining Varroc, Hamon was Director – E Axle & System Platforms at Valeo E, where he managed product strategy for electric axle platforms. His career includes work in system engineering, embedded hardware and software development, electric powertrains and regional engineering operations.

In his new role, he will report to Arjun Jain, Whole Time Director & CEO - Business I at Varroc. He will lead the company's global technology and engineering organisation, taking charge of technology strategy, product portfolio optimisation in electrification & connected systems and engineering process development.

Arjun Jain said, "We are delighted to welcome Eric Hamon to Varroc's leadership team. Eric brings a rare combination of deep technical expertise, global engineering leadership and a proven ability to translate technology into vehicle requirements. As our industry accelerates towards electrification, connectivity and sustainability, his leadership will play a pivotal role our accelerating growth."

Eric Hamon said, "I am excited to join Varroc at such a transformative time for the global automotive industry. The pace of innovation in electrification, software and connected mobility presents tremendous opportunities to redefine the future of mobility. Varroc has built a strong foundation of engineering excellence, customer trust and global manufacturing capability, and I look forward to working with talented teams across the world to accelerate innovation, deepen customer collaboration and develop technologies that enable safe, smart and sustainable mobility."

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Mechatronics company Matel Motion & Energy Solutions (Matel) has raised Rs 1.3 billion in a Series B funding round led by UC Impower, along with new investor Catamaran and participation from existing backer Transition VC.

Founded in 2017, Pune-based Matel develops motors, motor controllers and integrated powertrains for automotive and industrial uses, including electric vehicles, pumping and cooling systems. The company manufactures permanent magnet synchronous motor (PMSM)-based IE5 industrial motors and is developing an IE6 product line. It also produces magnet-free motor designs to mitigate supply chain reliance on raw materials. Matel supplies components to original equipment manufacturers in two-wheeler, three-wheeler and industrial sectors.

The capital will be used to expand manufacturing capacity, advance research and development infrastructure, enlarge product offerings for commercial electric vehicles, and expand international distribution channels.

Sunil Patel, Founder and Chief Executive Officer, Matel, said, "Securing this funding is a significant milestone for Matel, but more importantly, it is a testament to the incredible hard work of our team and the trust our early customers have placed in us. We founded Matel to address a major vacuum in Indian industries by delivering locally designed and developed energy-efficient mechatronics products and this investment allows us to double down on our mission. With this capital, our primary focus will be accelerating our product roadmap with advanced R&D infrastructure and expanding state-of-the-art manufacturing set-up. We are thrilled to welcome New Investors (UC Impower and Catamaran) as our new partners in this journey, and we are deeply grateful to our existing investors (Transition VC, Gruhas and Haresh Abichandani) for their continued belief and support from day one."

Netaji Patro, Co-Founder and Chief Marketing Officer, Matel, said, “We are incredibly excited and grateful for the trust our investors have placed in our vision. The unwavering commitment of our existing investors, who have chosen to double down and reinvest in this round, is the ultimate vote of confidence in our growth trajectory. In addition to R&D, and manufacturing capacity expansion, this capital will support expanding our product range and entry into the Electric CV segment as well as broadening the company's international footprint to acquire new customers worldwide.”

Richa Natarajan, Co-Founder and Partner, UC Impower, said, "Energy efficiency will be one of the defining themes of the next industrial cycle, and companies that own core technology will create disproportionate value. Very few companies combine deep motor technology, power electronics and software into a single platform - and fewer still have translated that capability into products being adopted by leading OEMs. Matel has done both. We believe the company is building category-defining technology for the future of electrification, with the potential to become a global leader in energy-efficient motion systems. We're excited to partner with Sunil, Netaji and the team as they build an enduring technology company from India."

Shantanu Chaturvedi, Partner at Transition VC, said, “Matel isn't just a motor manufacturer; they have demonstrated the ability to be an integrated drive solutions platform across segments like Industrials, EV, Auto ancillary and multiple others. We saw Matel having the capability to build the platform the world needs when we earlier invested, and that is exactly how this has panned out, making doubling down in this round a no-brainer. Super excited to work with the incredible team.”

Deepak Padaki, President, Catamaran, said, "Catamaran's investment in Matel reflects our continued conviction in India's precision engineering and advanced manufacturing ecosystem, and marks a deepening of our exposure to companies building core, IP-led hardware technology. Matel is in mission mode, and we are confident of its ability to scale given its engineering talent, in-house R&D, process expertise and OEM traction. We look forward to supporting Sunil, Netaji and the team on their journey."

The management team is led by Patel, who previously headed the Chetak EV development program at Bajaj Auto and Patro, who held research and development leadership positions at Maruti Suzuki India and Bajaj Auto.

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German tier 1 supplier AUMOVIO and the BMW Group have executed a long-term supply and development agreement valued at over EUR 1 billion, while simultaneously settling all pending legal proceedings concerning a past brake system warranty case.

Under the terms of the settlement, AUMOVIO Germany, a subsidiary of AUMOVIO SE, formerly Continental’s Automotive Group sector, will pay BMW EUR 350 million. The settlement amount will be disbursed in two instalments across the third and fourth quarters of 2026.

Prior to the agreement, AUMOVIO had recognised a risk provision of EUR 54 million for the matter. The financial settlement resolves all outstanding claims between BMW, Continental and AUMOVIO.

Alongside the legal resolution, the companies have expanded their technology partnership through new supply contracts for brake systems and electronic controls for future vehicle architectures.

The agreement extends series deliveries of AUMOVIO's MK C2 integrated brake system to BMW through the mid-2030s. The MK C2 unit combines the master cylinder, brake booster, anti-lock braking and electronic stability control into a single module designed to support regenerative braking, pressure build-up for automated driving and vehicle weight reduction.

Philipp von Hirschheydt, CEO, AUMOVIO, said, “The agreement with the BMW Group is an important step for us to strengthen our business relationship. It demonstrates confidence in our innovative brake technology and at the same time motivates us to further advance the partnership between our companies and jointly shape the future of mobility.”

The contract portfolio also covers the supply of brake calipers and electronic control units. The expanded commitments establish supply chain continuity for BMW's upcoming vehicle platforms while securing long-term production volumes for AUMOVIO.

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