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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Honda Motorcycle & Scooter India (HMSI) Director of Sales and Marketing Yogesh Mathur has exited the company after more than two decades, sources familiar with the matter have confirmed.

Mathur joined the Japanese two-wheeler major in June 2001 and rose through the ranks to become one of its longest-serving senior leaders. At the time of his departure, he held end-to-end responsibility for sales, distribution, logistics, customer service and business planning across HMSI’s network of more than 6,500 dealer and customer touchpoints nationwide. Under his oversight, the company managed annual volumes exceeding 5 million units and a turnover of approximately INR 500 billion, spanning rural, semi-urban, urban, metro, premium and electric vehicle segments

Mutsuo Usui, Director – Sales at Honda Motorcycle & Scooter India, has succeeded Mathur, according to people aware of the development. The company has not issued any official statement on the leadership change.

Mathur’s career at HMSI progressed from executive roles to regional head across every geography in India, followed by stints as division head for marketing and business planning, operating head of sales and marketing, and ultimately senior-level expert. He also served on the company’s CSR Committee, Business Ethics Committee and Information Security Management System (ISMS) Committee.

As HMSI’s official spokesperson, he represented the company in national media for over five years.

At present, there are no further details on Mathur’s next move or the exact effective date of the transition were immediately available.

The move comes at a time when Honda Motorcycle & Scooter India is gearing up to unleash one of its most aggressive product launch roadmap compromising of 10 motorcycles and scooters, which includes 7 models and 3 refreshed variants.

The lineup spans internal combustion engine, electric and flex-fuel mobility, featuring models such as the ADV 160, CB 500, Rebel 300, Rebel 500, XR 300L, XR 300 Rally and QC3 EV. Production utilises local sourcing and manufacturing capabilities to support market expansion

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German automotive supplier Brose has appointed Chetan Lagu as the President of its Indian operations, effective 1 August 2026.

Lagu brings over three decades of experience in the automotive and supplier sector to the role. Prior to joining Brose, he served as Country Manager for Adient in India, a position he held from May 2019. His previous career history includes positions at American Axle & Manufacturing and over a decade of tenure at SKF Group, where he held roles including General Manager of the Car Chassis Business Unit in India.

In his new role, Lagu will oversee the execution of Brose's strategy in India, manage market expansion and direct regional business operations. He succeeds Vasanth Kamath, who served as the head of Brose India from June 2019.

‘India is an important growth market for our company. In his new role, he will drive the execution of our India strategy, strengthen our market presence, and support the continued development of our business in the region. We welcome him to the Brose team and wish him every success in his new role. We look forward to working together and driving the next chapter of growth in India,’ said the company in a statement.

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The automotive industry in India continues to reap the benefits of the revised GST 2.0, new product launches and positive consumer sentiment to drive sales growth in the country.

As per the latest wholesale data shared by the Society of Indian Automobile Manufacturers (SIAM), a total of 2.47 million vehicles were sold in July 2026, marking a 25 percent YoY growth, as compared to 1.97 million units sold a year ago. Interestingly, even compared to the previous month, the industry wholesales grew by 7 percent YoY.

In segment-wise performance, passenger vehicle sales grew by 34 percent YoY to 457,810 units, registering double-digit growth across categories.

Three-wheeler sales at 92,560 units were 33 percent higher YoY, as compared to 69,403 units sold a year ago.

Two-wheeler sales at 1.92 million units managed a 23 percent uptick, as compared to 1.56 million units sold last year.

Rajesh Menon, Director General, SIAM, said, “India’s auto industry delivered its strongest-ever July sales, with robust double-digit growth across Passenger Vehicles, Three Wheelers and Two Wheelers. Passenger Vehicle sales rose 34.3 percent to 458,000 units, Three-Wheeler sales grew 33.4 percent to 93,000 units and two-wheeler sales increased 22.6 percent to 1.92 units compared with July 2025. This positive momentum, sustained over several months, has continued as the industry enters the festive season with expectations of strong consumer sentiment.”

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Kia India has reported that its Carens Clavis EV has surpassed 1,100 units deployed within corporate fleets since its market introduction in July 2025. The automaker underscored this milestone as evidence of the model’s increasing significance in the nation’s transition toward sustainable business transport solutions. Concurrently, the company confirmed a fresh deployment of 100 units for Refex Mobility, with the initial vehicles formally handed over during a ceremony attended by senior Kia India officials.

The vehicle’s combination of interior space, technological features and electric efficiency aligns with current corporate mobility needs, according to the manufacturer. Beyond vehicle production, Kia India is focused on developing a comprehensive ecosystem that includes charging infrastructure and dedicated aftersales support. The strategic partnership with Refex Mobility merges Kia’s electric vehicle capabilities with Refex’s operational fleet expertise, facilitating the integration of EVs into standard organisational transport routines.

This expanding corporate footprint exemplifies the brand’s overarching philosophy of inspiring movement that benefits both communities and the environment. Kia India remains committed to advancing the country’s adoption of cleaner transportation by ensuring that electric mobility solutions remain accessible, practical and prepared for future demands.

Atul Sood, Senior Vice-President, Sales & Marketing, Kia India, said, "Demonstrating how electric mobility can seamlessly integrate into everyday corporate transportation, our deployment with Refex Mobility is a meaningful step towards accelerating this change. The Carens Clavis EV is a capable and practical fit for fleet operations, offering a spacious cabin, comfortable seating for extended daily use, a range well suited to intensive fleet requirements and an advanced Battery Management System that supports efficiency and safety for fleet customers. Recognising this capability, we have expanded the Carens Clavis EV's reach from individual customers to fleet operations, and corporate fleets have an important role to play in this transition. At Kia India, we remain committed to expanding access to innovative electric mobility solutions and working with partners who share our vision of creating cleaner, smarter and more responsible mobility for India."

Anirudh Arun, CEO, Refex Mobility, Said, “At Refex Mobility, we are committed to building fleet solutions that are efficient, reliable and sustainable. Our collaboration with Kia India on this 100-unit Carens Clavis EV deployment brings together a strong EV product with the operational scale our customers need. The Carens Clavis EV's space, comfort and electric efficiency make it well suited to the demands of everyday fleet operations, allowing us to offer enterprises a dependable, zero-emission mobility solution without compromising on service quality. This is a meaningful step in our shared commitment to accelerating cleaner, more sustainable corporate mobility in India, and we look forward to building on this partnership with Kia India in the years ahead.”

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