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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Mativ Holdings, Inc. has announced an equity investment in Miru Smart Technologies to advance the commercial production of electrochromic window technology. The investment strengthens a partnership established in 2024, focusing on technical validation and readiness for vehicle platforms.

Based in Georgia, Mativ operates across two segments: Filtration & Advanced Materials and Sustainable & Adhesive Solutions, with manufacturing facilities on three continents.

The collaboration utilises Mativ’s Argotec polymer films within Miru’s manufacturing process. Since the start of their joint development, the companies have produced a compound-curved electrochromic sunroof measuring 1.5 m by 1.6 m and fulfilled purchase orders from glass manufacturers in 2025. The current agreement aligns Miru’s 2028 objective of deploying 10 million square feet of windows with Mativ’s extrusion capacity.

The partnership integrates TPU-based films into a patented process to meet automotive performance standards and solar heat control requirements. According to the companies, the technology provides a neutral tint and clarity that can increase the range of electric vehicles by up to 10 percent.

The infrastructure is being optimised to support volume manufacturing for the automotive and architectural sectors. The solutions have previously been presented at industry events including Glasstec 2024 and Glass Performance Days 2025.

Shruti Singhal, President and CEO, Mativ, said, “Mativ pioneers engineered materials designed to tackle the world’s most complex challenges through innovation and a steadfast commitment to sustainability. Building on our strong 2025 performance, this investment underscores our confidence in Miru’s technology and our shared goal to establish eWindows, integrated with Argotec technology, as the global standard for energy-efficient glazing.”

Curtis Berlinguette, Founder and CEO, Miru, said, “Miru’s growth reflects the work of translating breakthrough technology into a production-ready vehicle platform. This progress has been shaped by close collaboration with our partners, and Mativ has played an important role in that journey. With this investment, we strengthen our manufacturing capabilities and supply chain to bring the next generation of smart windows to market.”

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Harman, a subsidiary of Samsung Electronics Co., has announced updates to its Ready product line and car audio offerings. These solutions are available for integration by automakers to manage hardware and software cycles and provide upgradeable vehicle experiences throughout the car's lifecycle.

The company focuses on execution across software, hardware and artificial intelligence. The updated portfolio is designed to address integration complexity and lifecycle costs for original equipment manufacturers (OEMs).

The updated toolchain includes Ready CQuence Loop for cloud-native validation across virtual and physical targets. It also features Ready CQuence Run, a Type-1 automotive hypervisor used for secure isolation in 20 million electronic control units (ECUs). For fleet management, the Ready Link Marketplace and Smart Delta technology support updates for over 80 million vehicles, offering access to 190 applications.

Harman has introduced Ready StreamShare, which utilises a Bluetooth hub and low-latency headphones to create four personalised media zones. This allows for individual listening and cabin conversation. The HALOsonic system provides electronic sound synthesis for vehicle signatures, while branded audio updates include Genre Optimiser and Smart Bass Impact to adjust cabin acoustics using AI.

The Ready Care system uses in-cabin intelligence to monitor driver and occupant vitals, including heartbeat detection. For external awareness, Ready Connect provides telematics supporting 4G, 5G and satellite communication. Ready Aware utilises vehicle-to-network (V2N) connectivity to provide hazard alerts, supported by machine learning to filter information and acoustic sensing to detect emergency vehicles.

The display range includes Ready Display, utilising Samsung Neo QLED technology. This is the first automotive display to receive HDR10+ certification. For the driver's line of sight, Ready Vision QVUE provides a windshield display featuring gaze-aware brightness tuning and eMirror Live View for navigation.

Christian Sobottka, Chief Executive Officer and President, Automotive Division, Harman, said, “In the vehicle, AI, Machine Learning and other emerging technologies are no longer a differentiator on their own. Execution is what wins. What sets Harman apart is our ability to orchestrate software, hardware, AI, audio, and visual technologies into holistic, road-ready experiences that meet consumer demand. With our integrated product portfolio and advanced developer tools, we’re helping OEMs solve key challenges like integration complexity and lifecycle costs, so that they can deliver rapid, consumer‑focused innovation across evolving vehicle platforms that bring their customers genuine delight behind the wheel.”

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Bolt.Earth and Statiq have announced a strategic partnership to enhance electric vehicle (EV) charging access across India. The collaboration focuses on interoperability, allowing four-wheeler users to access more charging options through a unified system.

Under the agreement, EV drivers can locate, access, and pay for chargers on both the Bolt.Earth and Statiq networks using either company's mobile application.

The partnership integrates Statiq’s DC fast-charging infrastructure for four-wheelers with Bolt.Earth’s platform. This expansion targets key cities and highways to assist with intercity travel and range anxiety.

Statiq operates a network that includes both AC and DC fast-charging solutions in urban centres and commercial hubs. Bolt.Earth provides a peer-to-peer (P2P) charging platform serving two-wheeler, three-wheeler, and four-wheeler vehicles across more than 1,900 cities.

Akshit Bansal, Founder & CEO, Statiq, said, “At Statiq, our vision has always been to make public charging simple, reliable and widely accessible. Partnering with Bolt.Earth enables us to connect two strong networks and providing EV drivers with more fast-charging options through a seamless experience. By reducing the need for multiple apps and bringing more chargers onto a unified journey, we’re taking a meaningful step towards an open, interoperable charging ecosystem that supports faster EV adoption across India.”

S Raghav Bharadwaj, CEO & Founder, Bolt.Earth, said, “Interoperability is the future of EV charging in India, and this partnership is a decisive step toward that future. By uniting Bolt.Earth’s universal network with Statiq’s robust, fast-charging infrastructure, we’re delivering unmatched accessibility and convenience to EV users. This integration aims to ease range anxiety, eliminate the hassle of multiple apps, and provide a single, real-time view of available charging points—making EV charging seamless, reliable, and user-friendly.”

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Japanese automotive component supplier Toyoda Gosei Co, has launched automotive weatherstrips containing a higher percentage of recycled rubber. The components have been adopted for the Toyota Motor RAV4, with plans to expand the application of this technology to other models.

While recycling processes for steel and plastic are established, rubber has historically been incinerated for energy recovery due to the complexities of devulcanisation. This process uses heat and pressure to break the sulphur bonds that provide rubber with elasticity; however, it often weakens the material and creates odours.

Toyoda Gosei has modified its proprietary devulcanisation technology to improve the quality of regenerated rubber. These refinements have allowed the company to increase the recycled content in automotive parts from under 5 percent to 20 percent. The achievement received a Project Award from Toyota Motor.

The company is now working to apply these techniques to:

• Synthetic Rubber: Expanding use in products such as rubber hoses.
• Natural Rubber: Developing processes for materials used in higher volumes across the industry.

The company intends to collaborate with vehicle manufacturers to establish a system for collecting and regenerating rubber from end-of-life vehicles. This circular model aims to reduce carbon emissions and improve resource circulation within the automotive supply chain.

Toyoda Gosei stated that by leading rubber recycling efforts, it seeks to address long-standing industry challenges regarding waste management and material strength in recycled elastomers.

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