Seeking details on how the Passenger Vehicle Business Unit of Tata Motors, like many other vehicle makers, faced several challenges from the aftermarket perspective during the lockdown and COVID-19 induced New Normal, the company spokesperson said, there were not many challenges as everything had been planned from their end well in time. However, during the initial days of lockdown, getting special permission from local authorities in certain markets was one challenge the company faced which was eventually resolved.

Tata Motors ensured that its customers and COVID frontline workers received seamless customer experience. As a part of its initiative, the company introduced tips to take care of their vehicles during lockdown along with breakdown assistance and hotline service, that was attending calls 24x7 to provide the necessary support. It also introduced an exclusive helpline for frontline COVID workers and healthcare professionals during the lockdown. Customers could dial the dedicated numbers for assistance in case of any emergency needs. The company has taken necessary approvals from local authorities to attend to vehicles safely and efficiently with all precautionary measures. It serviced 200 plus vehicles of COVID fighters such as doctors/police during the lockdown period across the country. To further support, it also extended the warranty and scheduled service period.

For all pending service appointments, the team called customers to ensure them that their vehicle was in safe hands. Given the relaxation in curbs, restarting of service appointments will be planned in a staggered manner to ensure sanitisation and social distancing to maintain utmost customer safety, the spokesperson said.

However, the average time to respond to customers’ call for repair/ service varied depending upon various factors. For service requests, customers could call the customer care number, where specialists were available to answer queries 24x7, he said. In the case of emergency roadside assistance, the company made arrangements that the services team reaches the location within 60 minutes under city limits and within 120 minutes on ghat roads and other places. The average time per service appointment depends on the type of job that needs to be done on the vehicle. For regular paid service it takes around three to four hours, and free services or minor check-ups are taken care of within 90 minutes, he said. “We have 633 workshops across the country, 444 dealer workshops and 189 TASCs (Tata Authorised Service Centres),” he added.

While these initiative are taken to cater to the requirements of the customers, the vehicle makers also face specific issues about increasing number of stock-keeping units, triggered by more models and variants being introduced. However, Tata Motors has been using a very sophisticated analytical tool to predict the consumption and stock accordingly. The planning for spare parts inventory is done at the dealerships to ensure that sufficient stock is available for all the models based on consumption pattern.

Skilling

Talking on the need to upskill the workforce at authorised service centres, the spokesperson said, upskilling is a continuous process to keep all the dealer workforce updated on the latest technological introductions in the new range of vehicles. “We have seven training centres across the country and are currently conducting regular online training sessions to ensure that our dealer manpower is well acquainted with the same,” he said.

With technological advancements in the cars increasing with every new model, the challenge is to match the service centres to cater to the emerging requirements. From a customer’s perspective, it is more convenient to operate any function with the click of a button or a touch screen. Therefore, from a service perspective, it has become easy to identify service requirements in the vehicle through the medium of a laptop, thereby resulting in faster repairs. “Tata Motors Passenger dealerships have a separate profile of DET (Diagnostic Expert cum trainer) who is skilled in identifying such service requirements and ensures that repairs take place faster and with accuracy. We do not see any challenges from a security perspective, as all technology and electronics in the vehicles undergo multiple tests before being launched,” he said.

Talking on sustainable initiatives, he said, “Earlier in September, the Tata Nexon became the first Indian car to be published on the prestigious International Dismantling Information System (IDIS) platform for End-of-Life Vehicles (ELV). With this achievement, Tata Motors reiterated its holistic commitment towards making the entire life cycle of its products sustainable, i.e. from the development of ultra-low/zero-emission vehicles to responsible dismantling and recycling of the vehicle at the final ELV stage. This milestone on the Nexon signifies the increasing commitment of Tata Motors to ‘End of Life’ across its range of vehicles and the beginning of sustained declaration of dismantling procedures across its entire range of vehicles that are complex with increasing technological content, though over the years commercial vehicles have achieved good levels of recyclability where dismantling procedures are better understood.” (MT)

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German luxury and high-performance vehicle manufacturing company Porsche is reducing its Executive Board divisions from 8 to 7 as part of a strategic realignment. The Car-IT division will be suspended and integrated into the Research and Development division effective 1 July 2026. Dr Michael Steiner, Member of the Executive Board for Research and Development, will lead the expanded department.

Sajjad Khan, who managed the Car-IT division for two and a half years, will step down from the Executive Board on 19 June. He will continue to work with the company through a software partnership model.

During his tenure, Khan led the development of connectivity and infotainment systems, including the introduction of the Porsche Digital Interaction design language in the Cayenne electric. These technologies are being rolled out to other models, with specific versions for the Chinese market being developed in Shanghai.

The restructuring is intended to adapt the company to current market conditions and increase the speed of software development.

Dr. Wolfgang Porsche, Chairman of the Supervisory Board of Porsche AG, said, “Porsche is in a challenging phase of transformation. We need to realign the company and are consistently adapting our structures under the leadership of Dr. Michael Leiters to the changed circumstances — including at Executive Board level. I would like to thank Sajjad Khan for taking on responsibility for the company. We will continue to benefit from his professional expertise and in-depth knowledge of our structures in the future.”

Sajjad Khan, stated, “I am proud of what we have achieved as a team over the past two and a half years. In a constantly evolving market environment, however, it is essential to continuously review and adapt structures and processes. Porsche’s outstanding engineering expertise, combined with agile, results-driven software development, provides an excellent foundation for the future development of software components.”

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The 47th International Vienna Motor Symposium concluded at the Hofburg Palace, gathering 1,000 industry professionals and 50 exhibitors to discuss the future of propulsion. The event featured 100 presentations focused on achieving carbon neutrality through a range of technologies rather than a single solution.

A highlight of the symposium was the European premiere of China SAE’s Roadmap 3.0, a strategy charting China's automotive direction through to 2040. Professor Xiangyang Xu of Beihang University detailed the plan, which anticipates that 1/3rd of new vehicle registrations in 2040 will still feature electrified combustion engines.

Madame Ruiping Wang of Geely Auto supported this view, stating that every technological solution is required to reach neutrality goals.

In the electric vehicle segment, Mercedes-Benz demonstrated the range of the new EQS, completing a 620-kilometre journey from Stuttgart to Vienna with 21 percent battery charge remaining.

PowerCo SE, the battery subsidiary of Volkswagen, reported that serial production of its ‘standard cell’ began in Salzgitter in December 2025.

Stefan Pischinger of RWTH Aachen University projected that battery electric vehicles (BEVs) could reach a 45 percent global market share by 2035 under favourable conditions.

The symposium also highlighted advances in internal combustion engine efficiency and alternative fuels:

AVL List presented an engine achieving 48 percent thermal efficiency.

Porsche detailed a direct oil-cooling system for high-output electric motors in the Cayenne Electric Turbo.

Horse Powertrain introduced a petrol engine platform designed specifically for range-extended electric vehicles (REEVs), a segment that saw 1.2 million sales in China last year.

Alpine CEO Philippe Krief discussed the potential revival of in-wheel motors.

Hydrogen remains a focus for both direct combustion and fuel cell applications. Professor Helmut Eichlseder of Graz University of Technology emphasised the importance of hydrogen research for industrial resilience.

Industry leaders expressed concerns regarding European competitiveness. Niklas Klingenberg of TRATON noted the need for harder work to remain competitive in Europe, while Matthias Zink of Schaeffler and CLEPA spoke on the challenges of navigating EU legislative environments. The 48th International Vienna Motor Symposium is scheduled for 21–23 April 2027.

Professor Bernhard Geringer, President of the organising Austrian Society of Automotive Engineers (OVK), and host for the annual symposium, said, “The big picture – from cradle to grave in terms of energy and propulsion – is what matters most.”

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Ferrari has secured the highest distinction from Germany’s Red Dot Award organisation, as the Ferrari SC40 earned the Red Dot: Best of the Best honour within the Product Design category. Additional triumphs for the Ferrari Amalfi, 849 Testarossa, 849 Testarossa Spider, 296 Speciale and 296 Speciale A further reinforced the manufacturer’s design prowess.

Now in its 72nd year, the Red Dot Award stands as a premier industrial design competition celebrating breakthrough work. Ferrari’s cumulative tally over the past 12 years has reached 35 Red Dot wins, a feat no other automaker has matched since the prize was established in 1955. Since 2015, the jury has presented Ferrari with 13 Best of the Best awards, including for the FXX-K, 488 GTB, Ferrari J50, Portofino, Monza SP1, SF90 Stradale, Daytona SP3, Purosangue, Vision GT, Roma Spider, 12Cilindri and 12Cilindri Spider, F80 and the SC40.

This year’s Best of the Best accolade also draws attention to the exclusivity and remarkable value of the Special Projects programme, where a limited number of clients work directly with Maranello’s designers and aerodynamicists to create a personalised One-Off Ferrari.

Visitors to the Museo Ferrari in Maranello can currently view the car’s full-scale styling buck, a key artifact from the design process. The display reveals how the model’s proportions and surfaces took shape before production, emphasizing the defining volumes and graphic details that give the vehicle its identity. The buck serves as a tangible bridge between the initial design phase and the final One-Off creation.

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Kia Europe has appointed Dante Zilli as Marketing Director, effective 1 May 2026. He will report to Pablo Martinez Masip, Vice President of Product, Brand and Customer Experience. The move supports Kia’s ongoing electrification transformation.

Zilli will lead brand strategy and integrated campaigns across key customer touchpoints. His responsibilities include product launches, brand consistency and customer engagement. He brings international leadership experience in marketing, commercial operations and customer experience, having worked in six countries and several regional headquarters, offering strong insight into European market dynamics.

Zilli joined Kia Europe in 2021 as General Manager of Communications and then Customer Experience. He succeeds David Hilbert, who returned to Kia UK as Sales Director. Hilbert helped implement Kia’s brand transformation and ‘Plan S’ strategy in Europe, including campaigns for the EV6, Car of the Year 2022, and the PV5, International Van of the Year 2025, which also set a Guinness World Record.

Zilli said, “I am honoured to take on the responsibility of continuing to build the Kia brand in Europe, building on a period of strong product launches and sustained momentum. I look forward to further advancing our ‘Movement that Inspires’ philosophy to strengthen customer engagement and deliver increased value and relevance across European markets.”

Masip said “Dante combines international marketing expertise with a strong record within Kia Europe. His proven leadership across communications and customer experience ensures continuity in our marketing approach while further strengthening the alignment between brand, product and customer engagement across Europe.”

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