OEMs are facing new challenges to improve the existing technologies and develop next-generation ones for the new mobility in shorter times. Reducing market responding time along with new complexities are paving the way for virtual simulation, which displaces physical tests and prototypes by virtually replicating product development, testing and manufacturing with simulations. Emmanuel Leroy, Executive Vice-President Industry Solutions at ESI Group, explains, “We enable our customers to drastically reduce every additional physical prototype by using our solutions. In the end, only one physical prototype is required to validate the whole concept. We envision that one day we may be able to virtually certify a product from end to end.” Excerpts:

Q) How did the Covid impact the software and services businesses of ESI Group?

The Covid pandemic has accelerated the need for more digitalisation within the industrial market. It has also somehow accelerated the readiness level of our customers and made solutions such as virtual prototyping even more relevant. Indeed, we enabled the continuity of our clients’ business. The use of virtual prototyping allowed them to continue designing, testing and prototyping their products. Our human-centric approach – one of ESI Group’s four outcome solutions – was particularly used by our customers to ensure the continuity of their businesses: using virtual reality to experience the product from home.

During pandemic times, we also provided our CFD (computational fluid dynamic) solutions to help investigating different scenarios to demonstrate the effect of occupant proximity, ventilation systems and contamination avoidance unique to each office and plant environment. ESI Group developed different virtual scenario, based on its facilities in India, to optimise the return to offices and on plant – especially on a car assembly line.

How the growing complexity of part process is influencing the virtual testing?

We notice that the automotive industry is facing more and more draconian regulations, disruptive technologies, intensifying competitions and shortening response time. Coupled with these, customers are getting more demanding on quality, reliability, safety and production deadlines in the business. Indeed, end users are no longer looking for products but for results (flight hours instead of engines, number of possible kilometres instead of electric car, etc.) and they seek for committed and responsible automakers to motivate their buys. At ESI Group, we have understood these preoccupations and we have defined four primary solutions answering our customers’ expectations.

The first one is the Pre-certification and Validation, enabling gains in performance and productivity. The purpose is double: meeting certification and validation requirements like crash, safety and fatigue issues in the first attempt and then increasing productivity with predictive models and process automation.

The second outcome is Smart Manufacturing, which enables to establish the right manufacturing processes to meet the performance indicators for industrial products and processes.

The Human-Centric Product and Process Validation, our third outcome, focuses on humans by implementing an operator-centric approach to ensure the efficiency of assembly, maintenance operation and the safety of human interactions.

The last one, Pre-experience, is the most advanced solution of ESI Group. Here, our customers and the operators do not look at the product itself, but virtually experience a product, component, subsystem or system under numerous conditions and environments.

Using these approaches, we identify industry challenges from the customer’s perspective and support them in achieving their results.

Finally, as products are getting more complex, one of our strengths is our end-to-end multi-material assembly solution with modelling of different materials (steel, aluminum, composite) and manufacturing processes, covering all the product development cycle.

What will be the growth drivers for the internal combustion engine-driven vehicles business?

Safety is essential and will remain a key driver in the future. Today, the active safety is gaining traction owing to the regulations and overall trends. There is an increasing demand for smart integrated safety, which caters to both active and passive what?

Alongside there are regulations on Co2. In Europe, the Worldwide Harmonised Light Vehicle Test Procedure (WLTP) Norm is challenging and will eventually be implemented in other countries. Regarding Co2 reduction, we focus part of our research and innovation around engine efficiency, aerodynamics and light-weighting, as we did with Bentley for instance.

OEMs are also looking to reduce the manufacturing cost and development time which are leading demand for virtual prototyping, digital twin and shifting OEMs’ investment from hardware to software. The end-to-end value and the digital continuity from the early design to the production is essential to achieve these goals.

OEMs are exploring possibilities to manufacture ICE vehicles and EVs on the same line. Being a solution provider for the smart manufacturing process, how do you see this as a challenge?

Some OEMs assemble EV and ICE vehicles on the same line and look for flexibility, while others use completely dissociated platforms. We, consequently, must find the right strategy regarding their requirements. The new upcoming challenges in CASE mobility manufacturing will bring even more complexities from components to manufacturing. We have to consider the complexity to train the operators: our virtual reality solutions are key here. We help our customers by providing training, on both ICE vehicles and EVs manufacturing processes to their team, even from different place around the world, gathered on the same interface. This solution gathers all stakeholders (from operators to QHSE officers and plant managers) around the same product. This immersive tool helps getting complementary feedbacks early on in the process.

Where do you find more competencies or comfortability — in the complete vehicle design or component design?

Clearly, we are positioning ourselves on the whole vehicle design as it gives the most significant benefit for the OEM and other customers. We are talking about an end-to-end value that we can demonstrate on full scale CAE demonstrators. When it comes to a standalone component, the complex interactions between components and environment are not well taken into account and can lead to reduced predictiveness. In this case, we come up with a holistic view of the problem itself. It is how we defined the four outcome solutions introduced earlier.

Do you think that virtual prototypes will, at a 100 percent, completely replace physical ones ?

Virtual prototypes are step by step replacing physical prototypes. Nevertheless, I think physical prototypes remain today essential to certify the product at the very end of the development phase. To give an example, in 2019 Renault succeeded a 5-star rating of its Clio 5 on the Euro NCAP safety certification test with a single physical prototype, the one needed for the consumer test. Virtual certification is a topic discussed within the automotive ecosystem, allowing to solely relying on the simulation from end to end. But we are not at that point right now.

Which is your largest market for automotive business?

The automotive industry is the most significant contributor to our total revenues. Today, Japan is the largest market for our automotive business. However, India has been an important market for ESI, and it has been growing quite well over the years.

Most of our engineering developments teams, for both our software and our platforms, are based in India.

What are the challenges in the business?

The increasing complexity I mentioned before is definitely a challenge, but it also brings opportunities to us. Our end-to-end multi-material, multiprocess solutions and chaining capabilities are key to overcome the challenges of the automobile market. Due to the ever growing content of electronics, system simulations and systems of systems techniques are improving as well. Our focus is to strengthen our collaboration with partners in the ecosystem to support the customers in solving their complex problems. (MT)

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BASF Coatings has released its latest Color Report for Automotive OEM Coatings, revealing a shift in global vehicle colour preferences for 2025. The data indicates that green has become the fastest-growing chromatic colour, while gray has increased its share within the achromatic category.

The report finds that while white remains the dominant choice in India, there is a growing shift towards individual expression. Globally, the report identifies green as the fastest-growing chromatic colour and gray as a primary riser in the achromatic category.

According to the report, Indian consumers continue to favour white for its traditional appeal and resale value, yet nature-inspired aesthetics are gaining traction. Green now ranks among the top three chromatic colours globally, trailing only blue and red. While blue dropped by one percentage point and red declined to 3 percent of the total market, green continued a steady rise. Gray recorded an increase of two percentage points worldwide, whereas white saw a slight decline in other markets despite its stronghold in India. Solid finishes have also decreased globally, now representing 18 percent of the total market.

Florina Trost, Head of Design EMEA, BASF Coatings, said, “The green trend was already making waves in EMEA a few years ago. Different shades have been featured in our Automotive Color Trends collection, hinting at the huge variety of shades we see fitting to this movement today.”

The Americas showed an increase in chromatic paints by nearly two percentage points. While red and blue remain historically significant in this region, colours such as green, beige, brown and violet are gaining momentum.

Mark Gutjahr, Global Head of Automotive Color Design, BASF Coatings, said, “In 2021, brown and beige have been key colours of our trend collection. The sales now validate these early predictions and illustrate, how long-term trends continue to shape the market.”

In the Asia Pacific region, gray is trending upwards as white declines. Green is expanding its presence with a range extending from light tones to natural shades.

Chiharu Matsuhara, Head of Automotive Color Design for Asia Pacific, BAF Coatings, said, “In our past trend forecast, we have introduced a solid-like gray with subtle colour interference and highlighted an urban nuance green for adaptability. Today, gray strengthens while green expands across the region.”

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The Society of Indian Automobile Manufacturers (SIAM), in partnership with the Delhi Traffic Police and Maruti Suzuki India, has completed road safety refresher workshops in New Delhi. The sessions were organised as part of National Road Safety Month and targeted commercial vehicle and three-wheeler drivers.

The initiative, part of the ‘सुरक्षित सफर (Safe Journey)’ programme, involved over 200 participants. Workshops took place on 12 January 2026 at the Institute of Driving Training & Research (IDTR) in Loni/Burari and on 15 January 2026 at IDTR, Sarai Kale Khan.

The workshops provided health check-ups for drivers, including blood pressure, blood sugar, and eye examinations. Eyewear was distributed to drivers through support from the Eicher Group Foundation and Dr. Shroff's Charity Eye Hospital.

Following the medical checks, faculty from IDTR and the Delhi Traffic Police delivered training on traffic regulations, defensive driving, and on-road behaviour. The curriculum focused on safety messages through participant engagement and learning.

Prashant K Banerjee, Executive Director, SIAM, said, “Road safety is a shared responsibility, and sustained awareness among drivers is critical to reducing road accidents. Through our ‘सुरक्षित सफर" initiative, SIAM, along with its member companies and enforcement authorities, remains committed to promoting safer driving practices and strengthening road safety culture across the country.”

Vinay Dhingra, Vice-President, SAFE, said, “Drivers are the lifeline of our nation. It is through their hard work and dedication that we are able to support and strengthen our country. Consistent training and awareness programmes are crucial in building a strong culture of road safety. These initiatives equip drivers with a better understanding of traffic regulations, encourage safer driving habits, and help create safer roads for everyone.”

Officials from the Delhi Traffic Police and representatives from Honda Motorcycle & Scooters India also attended the sessions to interact with the drivers.

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Road safety crusader Piyush Tewari, Founder and CEO, of SaveLIFE Foundation (SLF), has been named a winner of the 2026 Social Entrepreneur of the Year Award by the Schwab Foundation and the World Economic Forum.

Tewari is the sole awardee from India this year and will be honoured at the World Economic Forum Annual Meeting in Davos, Switzerland, on 20 January 2026.

Since 2008, SaveLIFE Foundation has operated as a scientific organisation focused on road safety and trauma care. The Schwab Foundation’s recognition endorses the foundation’s systemic approach to road safety, which addresses a leading cause of death globally. The foundation’s work supports the State’s obligation to provide safe transport systems, a right interpreted by Indian courts under Article 21 of the Constitution.

SaveLIFE Foundation has collaborated with governments and industry to implement science-based solutions. Its advocacy contributed to the Good Samaritan Law (2016) and the Motor Vehicle (Amendment) Act, 2019. Since 2015, the organisation has deployed Zero-Fatality programmes in ‘Corridors’ and ‘Districts’ across India.

These programmes utilise data analytics for ambulance deployment and engineering fixes, such as closing median gaps and installing crash barriers. The not-for-profit also applies tactical urbanism to redesign intersections for the protection of vulnerable road users, including pedestrians and cyclists. These interventions have resulted in a 30 percent to 60 percent reduction in road crash fatalities on target stretches. The Ministry of Road Transport and Highways (MoRTH) has recently directed states to implement these solutions nationally.

The foundation also focuses on the ‘chain of survival’ in post-crash response. At present, delays in medical attention contribute to 30 percent of road victim deaths. SavLIFE Foundation proposes a national framework for trauma care that includes standalone funding for the maintenance of emergency facilities and mechanisms for free, timely treatment to enable early stabilisation.

Piyush Tewari holds an MPA from Harvard University and received the Skoll Award for Social Innovation in 2024. He was appointed to the National Road Safety Council by the Government of India in 2019. Prior to founding SaveLIFE, Tewari was the Managing Director (India) of the Calibrated Group, a private equity fund.

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The Indian automotive landscape is witnessing a sustained period of robust growth as the industry enters the latter half of FY2026. This momentum is being fuelled by a strategic double engine of favourable fiscal policy and aggressive corporate manoeuvring.

Industry analysts point to the recent reduction in Goods and Services Tax (GST) as a primary catalyst, significantly lowering the barrier to entry for consumers across multiple segments. Coupled with a feverish pace of new product launches, automakers are successfully stimulating replacement demand and capturing new market share. This synergy has resulted in a marked uptick in wholesale volumes, signalling a high-octane finish for the fiscal year.

As per the latest sales data released by the Society of Indian Automobile Manufacturers (SIAM), the apex body representing the automotive industry in the country, more than 2 million vehicles were sold in the last month of 2025, which marked a 36 percent YoY growth. During the period, passenger vehicle sales came at 399,216 units, up 27 percent YoY, three-wheelers at 61,924 units, up 17 percent YoY and two-wheelers at 1.54 million units, up 39 percent YoY.

Furthermore, for Q3 FY2026, a total of 7.47 million vehicles were sold in the country, which was 18 percent higher compared to same period last year. The passenger vehicle segment led by SUV demand saw over 1.2 million units sold, up 21 percent YoY. Three-wheeler segment registered 14 percent YoY growth with 215,211 units wholesales.

The commercial vehicle segment witnessed 22 percent growth with a total of 290,085 units sold, as compared to 238,666 units sold a year ago. Two-wheeler sales at 5.69 million units, registered a 17 percent YoY growth, as compared to 4.87 million units for the same period last year.

Shailesh Chandra, President, SIAM, said, “2025 has been a landmark year for the Indian Auto industry. The year began with a subdued first half, and the industry continued to navigate supply side challenges. With multiple structural policy reforms including the income tax relief, successive repo rate cuts and the rollout of GST 2.0 laid the foundation for a positive demand environment. The reduction of GST rates made vehicles more affordable and injected fresh momentum into the sector. Growth during the year has been broad-based across segments, with passenger vehicles, commercial vehicles and three-wheelers recording their highest ever sales and two-wheelers posting the 2nd highest sales ever, in a calendar-year.”

He further mentioned that two-wheeler sales crossed the 20-million-mark for the 2nd time in a calendar year with more than 20.50 million units wholesales, clocking 4.9 percent YoY growth in 2025.

“This was still behind the peak it had achieved in 2018. In addition, exports witnessed double-digit growth across vehicle segments in 2025, compared to calendar year 2024. Looking ahead, the industry expects the positive momentum to continue well into 2026, supported by stable macro-economic conditions, improving affordability and continued policy support. The industry will also continue to monitor geopolitical developments to ensure resilience in supply chain and export volumes,” said Chandra.

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  - Ajaykumar illa January 19, 2026 15:47 PM

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