Formula 1 and the Dutch Grand Prix promoter have agreed a one-year contract extension that will keep Circuit Zandvoort on the Formula 1 calendar until the 2026 season. The promoter has decided not to continue on the schedule after 2026, following extensive thought and debate.

The resumption of the Dutch Grand Prix in 2021 coincided with an era of dominance for local star Max Verstappen, who has won the race three times and been named World Champion in each of the event's four editions. The event has become well known for its experience, with Dutch and foreign tourists alike converging to see the thrill of Formula 1, Formula 2, Formula 3, F1 Academy and other teams battle around the circuit's famed banked bends. It has also established itself as a premier sustainable sports event, pioneering technology that are now utilised throughout the Formula One season.

The 2025 edition of the event is scheduled to take place from 29 to 31 August. The date for the last race in 2026, which will feature a Sprint for the first time at the Dutch Grand Prix, will be confirmed next year. Tickets for the 2025 race are already being sold, and details on the 2026 final event will be released soon.

Stefano Domenicali, President and CEO, Formula 1, said, “I am incredibly grateful for the work that the team at the Dutch Grand Prix have done in recent years. They raised the bar for European Grands Prix in terms of event spectacle and entertainment, supported the development of young talent by hosting F2, F3 and our F1 Academy series and have also pioneered sustainable solutions that have inspired our events around the world as we drive towards being Net Zero by 2030. All parties positively collaborated to find a solution to extend the race, with many options, including alternation or annual events on the table, and we respect the decision from the promoter to finish its amazing run in 2026. I want to thank all the team at the Dutch Grand Prix and the Municipality of Zandvoort who have been fantastic partners to Formula 1.”

Robert van Overdijk, Director, Dutch Grand Prix, said, “The Dutch Grand Prix is the result of a unique collaboration between SportVibes, TIG Sports and Circuit Zandvoort, who shared the ambition of bringing the race back to the Netherlands. What we have achieved so far is undoubtedly a huge success. The appreciation from our visitors, drivers and teams has been unprecedented, and we are incredibly proud of that. While today’s announcement signals the end of a monumental era, we are confident there is plenty more for fans to look forward to at the Dutch Grand Prix in 2025 and 2026, including the Sprint in 2026. We are a privately owned and operated business, and we must balance the opportunities presented by continuing to host the event, against other risks and responsibilities. We have decided to go out on a high with two more incredible Dutch Grands Prix in 2025 and 2026. We wanted to take this step while our event is adored and supported by passionate fans, residents and the Formula 1 community. I want to thank Stefano Domenicali and all the team at Formula 1 for the hard work that has seen multiple contract extensions realised and the Dutch Grand Prix be such a success.”

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Maruti Suzuki India Limited has formalised an agreement with Gujarat’s Directorate of Employment and Training to establish Advanced Manufacturing Labs within five Industrial Training Institutes located in Palanpur, Bhavnagar, Surendranagar, Godhra and Dahod. This partnership is structured under the company’s corporate social responsibility framework and directly supports the national Skill India mission.

These specialised labs are engineered to mirror actual shop-floor conditions, offering trainees practical exposure to critical automotive processes including assembly, welding, painting, machining, mechatronics and safety protocols. The overarching goal is to elevate the employability of ITI graduates and cultivate a workforce that is immediately adaptable to the demands of modern manufacturing.

This educational initiative coincides with a massive production scale-up in Gujarat. Maruti Suzuki is preparing to activate a fourth production line at its Hansalpur facility this year, which will boost annual capacity to one million units from the current 750,000. Concurrently, a new manufacturing plant with an additional one-million-unit capacity is under construction in Sanand, positioning the state to eventually host a total annual production volume of two million vehicles.

The company’s commitment to skill development is already extensive, supporting 31 ITIs nationwide in manufacturing trades. The addition of the five Gujarat labs will increase the total count of Advanced Manufacturing Labs to 23 across seven states and union territories. Furthermore, the automaker sustains four Japan-India Institutes for Manufacturing in Gujarat and Haryana, a bilateral initiative designed to generate a robust talent pipeline for the industry.

Rahul Bharti, Senior Executive Officer, Corporate Affairs, Maruti Suzuki India Limited, said, “Maruti Suzuki aligns with the Government of India’s flagship Skill India mission to impart the relevant skill training to create livelihood opportunities for the youth. Through Advanced Manufacturing Labs, we are equipping students with experiential learning and confidence in modern equipment, nurturing professionals who can seamlessly integrate into the evolving automotive ecosystem. We have a robust plan to expand manufacturing operations in the State. Each expansion brings with it a new industrial ecosystem, one that demands skilled and future-ready workforce. The Advanced Manufacturing Labs will play a pivotal role in meeting this latent need and ensuring that talent is ready to meet the industry demands.”

Stuti Charan, IAS, Director, DET, Government of Gujarat, said, “Maruti Suzuki, while being the market leader, has consistently demonstrated its commitment to skill development in India. By setting up Advanced Manufacturing Labs in Gujarat’s ITIs, Maruti Suzuki is bridging the gap between classroom learning and industry requirements. This initiative will empower our youth and strengthen Gujarat’s position as a hub for the automotive sector, in line with Hon’ble Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi’s vision of Viksit Bharat and Hon’ble Chief Minister of Gujarat Shri Bhupendrabhai Patel’s guidance toward Viksit Gujarat 2047. The momentum and support from Hon’ble Cabinet Minister Shri Kunwarjibhai Mohanbhai Bavaliya, Labour, Skill Development & Employment, Hon’ble State Minister Shri Kantibhai Amrutiya Labour, Skill Development and Hon'ble Secretary Shri Lochan Sahera, Labour, Skill Development are paving the way for future-ready learning skills that match the pace of global development.”

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Spiro, an African electric vehicle (EV) and energy infrastructure platform, has closed its latest funding round at USD 270 million, following a USD 55 million investment from Chinese growth-stage fund NewTrails Capital.

The platform currently operates across seven African markets, with 100,000 electric vehicles deployed and 2,500 smart-swap stations in operation. This capital injection will support the expansion of Spiro's battery-swapping network, industrial footprint and EV infrastructure.

Gagan Gupta, Founder of Spiro and Chairman of Equitane, said, "I would like to thank NewTrails Capital for believing in Spiro’s model and supporting our unique tech, energy and innovation journey. Having deployed 100,000 electric vehicles and 2,500 smart-swap stations across seven active markets, Spiro has firmly moved past the proof-of-concept phase. Partnering with NewTrail Capital’s deeply experienced team marks a powerful new chapter for Spiro as we prepare for the next steps of our pan-African and international expansion."

Yufan Zhang, Founding Partner, NewTrails Capital, added, “We believe Spiro is driving a profound “energy revolution” across mobility use cases in Africa. This represents not only a vast and highly imaginative market opportunity, but also the potential to grow into an infrastructure-like business that creates meaningful commercial, social, and environmental value. In our view, Spiro’s core strengths lie in its deeply localized operating capabilities, vertically integrated supply chain, digitally enabled ecosystem, sound unit economics, and strong ability to scale rapidly. More importantly, Spiro has systematically integrated vehicles, batteries, energy replenishment, payments, and service networks into a solution that is truly tailored to the needs of African users, effectively addressing long-standing structural pain points in the local market.”

Spiro’s consortium of investors also includes FEDA, Impact Fund Denmark, Equitane, Nithio and the Africa Go Green Fund.

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US-headquartered vehicle cockpit and technology company Visteon Corporation has announced the appointment of Gary Hicok to its board of directors, effective 1 July 2026, who is also set to serve on the company’s Technology Committee.

Hicok has nearly 25 years of experience at Nvidia, where he served as Senior Vice President and led the company's automotive, mobile (Tegra) and PC core logic businesses and directed Xbox chip development. He was also involved in developing infrastructure for AI platforms, robotics and real-time computing.

Before his tenure at Nvidia, he held senior positions at Trident Microsystems, Cirrus Logic and VLSI Technology, focusing on PC audio, 3D graphics and system-on-chip (SoC) architectures. He holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Electrical Engineering from Arizona State University and holds 40 U.S. patents.

Francis Scricco, Chair of Visteon's Board, said, "We are delighted to welcome Gary Hicok to Visteon's board of directors. Gary brings a unique combination of automotive, semiconductor and systems leadership experience gained over decades at the forefront of technology innovation. His leadership in building NVIDIA's automotive business and advancing complex computing platforms will provide valuable perspective as Visteon continues to accelerate innovation for software-defined vehicles and next-generation cockpit solutions."

Hicok stated, "Visteon's leadership in digital cockpit technologies, software-defined architectures and AI-enhanced solutions provides a strong foundation for growth. Beyond automotive applications, the company's AI and software capabilities have the potential to address opportunities across a range of intelligent, connected systems markets. I am excited to join the board and contribute to Visteon's continued innovation, growth and value creation."

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Flying Flea, the newly established urban electric mobility brand from Royal Enfield, has officially commenced retail deliveries of its debut electric motorcycle, the FF.C6, in Bengaluru. Alongside the vehicle rollout, the brand has introduced an integrated connected ownership ecosystem and a localised service framework.

The FF.C6 is available in two colour configurations – Storm Black and Flea Green. Flying Flea is utilising a city-by-city rollout strategy, establishing its initial commercial footprint in Bengaluru before expanding to other markets.

The vehicle is positioned with two distinct ownership pricing structures – INR 279,000 (ex-showroom) for the complete motorcycle and the integrated battery pack infrastructure. It can be had as Battery-as-a-Service (BaaS) Tier at INR 199,000, which lowers the initial acquisition cost by unbundling the battery pack from the vehicle chassis, allowing owners to pay for energy utilisation separately.

To support the product rollout, Flying Flea has deployed a decentralised hub-and-spoke service network across Bengaluru to manage both routine maintenance and specialised technical repairs. The Primary Hub located in BTM Layout has a specialised facility that is equipped to handle complex electrical diagnostics, battery health management and advanced technical support.

The spoke centres will act as distributors across various sectors of the city. These touchpoints are optimised for high-throughput routine service, software recalibrations and minor wear-and-tear maintenance.

Flying Flea is leveraging Royal Enfield's existing corporate footprint by establishing dedicated ‘shop-in-shop’ formats inside operational Royal Enfield showrooms and service bays. This integration grants the new brand immediate scaling advantages and extensive service reach.

Additionally, all FF.C6 units are backed by a standard 24x7 Roadside Assistance (RSA) program to provide continuous emergency support to riders.

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