The Gurgaon-based tyre major has received accreditation for the wet grip and coast by noise tyre tests on the track. It has already been aggressive in the European market with two manufacturing plants and one R&D centre. With investments, Apollo Tyres is ramping up its testing capabilities to develop tyres for across the segments, including premium passenger, commercial vehicles, high-end motorcycles and off-highway tyres. “The tyre manufacturers are depending on the international labs for advanced characterisation and labelling tests specific to tyres. Thus, investment in both advanced tyre testing as well as labelling infrastructure is needed in this country for quick product development, not only for compliance to latest Indian regulations but also to meet the stringent regulations in other countries and thereby promoting tyre export,” says Daniele Lorenzetti, Chief Technology Officer, Apollo Tyres Ltd in an interview with Motoring Trends.

Last month, Apollo Tyres became the first Indian tyre manufacturer to get the coveted accreditation from NABL for outdoor labelling tests in India. The company has now been accredited with ISO/IEC 17025 for the wet grip and coast by noise tyre tests on the track. This accreditation is extended for testing different tyre categories for vehicles such as passenger, light truck, commercial (C1, C2 & C3) classes, farm and motorcycle. This testing capability is linked to the Indian government’s plan to implement the ‘Star Rating’ of tyres, in line with the tyre labelling regulation in Europe.

According to Daniele Lorenzetti, Chief Technology Officer, Apollo Tyres Ltd, the growing focus of the automobile manufacturers on fuel efficiency, higher performance on ride and comfort, and safety is fuelling demand for more tyre component level testing. “Light-weighting in automobiles can alter transfer path for noise and vibration into the cabin, calling for corresponding modification in tyre design. Along with the introduction of AIS 142 standard, similar to EU R117 for labelling of the tyre, huge outdoor testing infrastructure is required, especially in proving grounds,” said Lorenzetti.

Electric Vehicle (EV) related challenges of higher weight, NVH concern, higher torque requirement and subsequent wear rate and battery life would be substantial concerns to tackle during the development process, stated the Apollo Tyres executive. “Similarly, for reducing the number of physical tests, simulation and modal development need to be evolved. Adequate testing infrastructure for validation of simulation and advanced characterisation is also simultaneously required. Hence, more indoor advanced testing infrastructure is required for NVH (Noise, Vibration and Harshness), F&M (Force and Moment) and traction performance validation,” added Lorenzetti.

Today, safety and convenience features are not limited to premium vehicles but are also provided in mid-level and entry-level vehicles, and the same trend is evident in India. Hence, while increasing capability, testing capacity also needs to be enhanced, thinks Lorenzetti.

Indian tyre manufacturers and testing services have basic levels of testing capacity such as safety requirements, durability, braking strength and dimensions. With the Indian government’s NATRIP (National Automotive Testing and R&D Infrastructure Project), vehicle and component level testing facilities have improved. “The tyre manufacturers are depending on the international labs for advanced characterisation and labelling tests specific to tyres. Thus, investment in both advanced tyre testing and labelling infrastructure is needed in this country for quick product development, not only for compliance to latest Indian regulations but also to meet the stringent regulations in other countries and thereby promote tyre export,” explained Lorenzetti.

Like the automobile industry, the tyre industry’s evolution at a broader level depends on economic, social, cultural, technological and climatic changes. The Indian tyre Industry is also evolving with the Indian macro-economic growth, advancements in technology, increasing emphasis on sustainable environmental practices and policy, and institutional and regulatory requirements.

Currently, the tyre industry is going through a highly challenging period, with lockdowns across Indian states owing to the second wave of the Covid-19 pandemic. While this impacts the demand side, pressure on the margin front is also felt due to the rising raw material prices.

However, with the Indian government’s reinvigorated policies and programmes such as “Atmanirbhar Bharat”, localisation push, EV subsidy, economic stimulus package to thwart pandemic crisis and vehicle scrappage policy, the automotive industry in India is poised to grow at a higher trajectory. “Shift in customer preference to private vehicles from public transport and shared mobility owing to Covid might also generate an uptick. We are optimistic with the and its positive effect on the tyre industry,” said Lorenzetti.

Tyre technology is also evolving in tandem with the automobile industry to pursue higher fuel efficiency, higher performance, driver safety, vehicle stability, light-weighting and heavy load carrying capacity. Additional advanced features such as vehicle connectivity and electrification of functions are also taking place at OEMs, which calls for intelligent talking tyres.

“Unlike in the past, the Indian vehicle market is now fast evolving. Earlier, customers had very few variants/choices available. Now, many models are introduced that call for higher bandwidth of resources. The premium segment is also poised for faster growth, and so comfort, without compromise on traction and durability, is added into the performance requirement list for tyres,” said Lorenzetti.

Indian government’s policies and regulations for sustainable growth are now major drivers for evolution in India. It has already issued a draft notification proposing new tyre norms as a part of the Automotive Indian Standards (AIS) 142:2019. The proposal states that tyres of all cars, buses and trucks shall meet the requirements of rolling resistance, wet grip and rolling sound emissions, in line with the limits of the European regulations.

Virtual testing is also gaining traction in the auto industry as it saves development time and money and gives flexibility to engineers. Global launches, stiff competition, legal compliance to emissions, demand for more electrification and self-driven vehicles push the development process shorter than ever. The time available for development is becoming shorter and shorter. At the same time, the demands set for the characteristics of a car are becoming increasingly stringent, as is the bandwidth required for various models and variants of vehicles. So, virtual proving is the key to faster product development while tackling tyre testing capacity constraints.

“However, simulation is as good as its verification and validation. Verification is the process of determining that a model implementation and its associated data accurately represent the developer’s conceptual description and specifications. Validation is the process of determining the degree to which a simulation model and its associated data are an accurate representation of the real world from the perspective of the intended uses of the model. Hence, adequate characterisation testing capability is also simultaneously required for wide-spread application of simulation,” said the CTO of Apollo Tyres.

Apollo Tyres is an Indian company that has been expanding aggressively in the European market. Today, the company has seven manufacturing plants – five in India and two in Europe (Hungary and the Netherlands).

Being a preferred partner for global OEMs, Apollo Tyres is continuously enhancing testing capabilities at its state-of-the-art R&D centres. With the two global R&D centres at Chennai, India and Enschede, Netherlands, the company aims to meet discerning OEM needs. “With the synergies between the two R&D centres, and its advanced testing capabilities, we continuously develop winning products and new technologies while also being at the forefront of meeting new regulatory requirements,” said Lorenzetti.

The company’s extensive investments in tyre testing not only help it in developing tyres for premium luxury passenger and commercial vehicles but also high-end motorcycles and off-highway tyres (OHT). “At our R&D centre, characterisation capabilities are continuously developed for the determination of traction, NVH, F&M, ride and handling, comfort, tread wear, fuel efficiency, durability and footprint,” added Lorenzetti.

Automotive test centres with large proving grounds funded by the Indian government are already evolved in India. Its NATRIP project aims to create core global competencies in the automotive sector in India by facilitating seamless integration of the Indian automotive industry with the world through setting up of state-of-the-art automotive testing, homologation and R&D infrastructure facilities.

Collaborations at various levels are also taking place to further enhance the vehicle test centres to tyre-specific test facilities. Earlier, Apollo collaborated with one of the test centres of the Indian government to pioneer the indigenisation of tyre labelling and certification tests in India. Similar collaboration would be beneficial for the industry to evolve faster.

“While large vehicle OEMs have their own limited proving grounds, the massive investment and maintenance requirement for this kind of infrastructure may be challenging for tyre companies to set up. Though collaboration among leading tyre companies would be a welcome scenario, the scale and size of the industry need to be evolved for such a tie-up,” said Lorenzetti.

The EV segment brings its own challenges with the higher weight of vehicles, NVH concern due to fewer and lesser noisy components, higher torque requirement and subsequent wear rate, and battery life. Apollo Tyres is gearing up for the same with capital intensive testing facilities such as “flat track” for traction, F&M tests and hemi-anechoic chamber for NVH tests. Apollo Tyres’ test machines are specially designed with multiple features, such as the very high torque ramp-up rate to match the futuristic EV requirements.

“It is heartening to note that major premium OEMs wholeheartedly partner with Apollo Tyres for joint development of products, featuring advanced technologies and engineering. We are committed in our endeavour to be the trusted partner for our esteemed customers and society at large by enhancing value with best-in-class efficiency through sustainable models for environment conservation,” said Lorenzetti. (MT)

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German luxury automotive brand BMW India is set to increase prices across its entire model range by up to 3 percent beginning 1 September. The company cites continued foreign exchange impacts and rising material and logistics costs as the primary reasons for the price adjustment.

Vikram Pawah, President and CEO, BMW Group India, said the company has seen significant sales growth in the first half of the year.

“BMW India’s growth and sales momentum in the first half of the year has been remarkable. However, factors like continued forex impact and global supply chain dynamics have been leading to increased material and logistics costs. Our commitment to offer best value and experience throughout customer journey is steadfast. In the festive season, we are geared to introduce several new power-packed profiles of our cars. As the strong demand for BMW’s luxurious, pioneering cars continues, we will deliver exceptional performance and innovation to our valued customers,” he said.

At present, BMW sells the locally produced the BMW 2 Series Gran Coupe, BMW 3 Series Long Wheelbase, BMW 5 Series Long Wheelbase, BMW 7 Series, BMW X1, BMW X3, BMW X5, BMW X7, BMW M340i and BMW iX1 Long Wheelbase.

in India. The company also offers a wide selection of imported models, including the BMW i4, BMW i5, BMW i7, BMW i7 M70, BMW iX, BMW Z4 M40i, BMW M2 Coupe, BMW M4 Competition, BMW M4 CS, BMW M5, BMW M8 Competition Coupe and BMW XM (Plug-in-Hybrid) as completely built-up units (CBU).

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In a joint effort to improve road safety, Skoda Auto Volkswagen India (SAVWIPL) and the SaveLIFE Foundation have successfully completed a two-year project on a high-risk section of National Highway 19 in Uttar Pradesh.

The initiative, named ‘Surakshit Sadkein, Surakshit Bharat’ (Safe Roads, Safe India), has resulted in a 7.5 percent reduction in road crash fatalities on the Agra–Etawah–Chakeri corridor since its launch in November 2022.

The program benefited over 720,000 commuters and focused on a comprehensive, evidence-based approach to road safety, addressing four key areas:

Engineering: Over 7,000 engineering hazards were fixed, with the addition of crash barriers, speed-calming measures and improved pedestrian facilities.

Enforcement: Electronic enforcement tools and new signage were deployed to improve traffic management.

Emergency Care: More than 300 first responders were trained in Basic Trauma Life Support.

Education: Awareness campaigns, including billboards and local outreach, reached a wide audience and commercial vehicle drivers received training in anticipatory driving.

This project was a collaboration with several government bodies, including the National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) and the Uttar Pradesh Police. The partners hope this successful model can be replicated in other high-risk areas across the country.

Piyush Arora, Managing Director & CEO, SAVWIPL, said, “For us, progress in the automotive sector is as much about building safer communities as it is about innovation. The Group takes safety seriously – our Made-in-India models have achieved full 5-star safety ratings, and we are committed to extending that safety beyond our cars to the roads we share. The NH 19 Zero Fatality Corridor with SaveLIFE Foundation shows that when engineering, enforcement, training, and awareness come together, lives are saved. This measurable impact strengthens our vision of a self-reliant India, where independence also means the freedom to travel without fear.”

This is the second Vision Zero Fatality Corridor project supported by SAVWIPL, following the Mumbai–Pune Highway initiative, which achieved a 61 percent reduction in fatalities.

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The Indian automotive industry has again shot back in the green with wholesales of 1.97 million vehicles sold in July 2025, which is 7 percent higher compared to 1.84 million units sold last year. This also marks a 2 percent growth over last month, when a total of 1.93 million vehicles were sold in the country.

Interestingly, the passenger vehicle segment has reported a slight decline with 340,772 units sold, as against 341,510 units sold last for the same period last year. On the other hand, compared to the previous month, the segment clocked a 9 percent growth. SUVs continue to power the segment with a total of 192,763 units sold last month.

The three-wheeler segment, with wholesale of 69,403 units, reported a healthy 17 percent growth YoY and 12 percent growth MoM.

The two-wheeler segment witnessed a total of 1.56 million units being sold last month, which was 9 percent higher compared to last year, but a flat growth over June 2025. While scooter and motorcycle sales grew at 16 percent and 5 percent on a year-on-year basis, respectively, the motorcycle segment witnessed a 10 percent decline over last month.

Going forward, the automotive industry is expecting the healthy monsoon, rural sentiment and the beginning of festival season to drive growth further.

Rajesh Menon, Director General, SIAM said, “All vehicle segments posted stable performance in July 2025, though overall sentiments in the Passenger Vehicles segment has remained subdued so far. Three Wheelers posted their highest ever sales of July in 2025, with a growth of 17.5 percent as compared to July 2024. With the advent of the festive season beginning with Onam festivities in the latter part of August, the Indian auto industry remains cautiously optimistic for the demand momentum to pick up in the coming months.”

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Tata Motors (TML) has announced its financial results for the quarter ending June 30, 2025. The company's consolidated revenue was INR 10,440 billion, a 2.5 percent decrease from the previous year.

The company shared was a challenging quarter for the company, as it was impacted by a decline in volumes across all its businesses and a drop in profitability, particularly at Jaguar Land Rover (JLR).

The consolidated reported a net profit of INR 40.03 billion, which was supported by a sharp reduction in finance costs. The free cash flow for the automotive sector was a negative INR 1,230 billion, primarily due to adverse working capital from seasonality and tariffs.

JLR delivered its 11th consecutive profitable quarter, despite challenging global economic conditions. JLR's revenue was GBP 6.6 billion, a 9.2 percent decrease compared to Q1 FY2025. The company's profitability and cash flow were directly and materially impacted by the application of 27.5 percent US trade tariffs on UK- and EU-produced cars exported to the US. The decrease in profitability was also influenced by foreign exchange headwinds. However, a newly signed UK-US trade deal, effective from 30 June2025, is set to reduce tariffs on UK-produced vehicles exported to the US from 27.5 percent to 10 percent. The EU-US trade deal, announced on 27 July 2025, will also reduce tariffs on JLR’s EU-produced vehicles exported to the US from 27.5 percent to 15 percent. The company's PBT for the quarter was GBP 351 million.

Adrian Mardell, JLR Chief Executive Officer, said, “Thanks to our talented people and the robust foundations we have built at JLR, we delivered an 11th successive profitable quarter amid challenging global economic conditions. We are grateful to the UK and US Governments for delivering at speed the new UK-US trade deal, which will lessen the significant US tariff impact in subsequent quarters, as will, in due course, the EU-US trade deal announced on 27 July 2025. Looking ahead, we remain focused on delivering our transformational Reimagine Strategy, including investing GBP 3.8 billion this financial year to support the development of our next-generation vehicles, including our stunning new electric Range Rover and Jaguar models.”

The Tata Commercial Vehicles (Tata CV) business saw its revenue decrease by 4.7 percent to INR 170 billion. Despite lower volumes, the business maintained double-digit EBITDA margins of 12.2 percent, an improvement of 60 bps. This was a result of better realisations and cost savings. Domestic sales volumes were down by 9 percent YoY, while exports increased by 68 percent. The business reported a net profit of INR 16.17 billion.

Girish Wagh, Executive Director Tata Motors, said, “Q1 FY26 was a challenging quarter for the commercial vehicle industry, with subdued demand across key segments impacting overall performance. We also witnessed a decline in domestic sales volumes, reflecting broader market softness and delayed fleet replacement cycles, while segments like Buses and Vans showed resilience and our International Business delivered growth. Our commitment to product innovation and customer-centricity remained strong. The launch of the Ace Pro mini-truck in multiple powertrain options received encouraging initial market response, reaffirming our focus on delivering relevant and affordable mobility solutions. Despite adverse volumes, the business delivered 12.2 percent EBITDA and healthy ROCE of about 40 percent. The acquisition of IVECO Group is a strategic leap forward in our ambition to build a future-ready commercial vehicle ecosystem. By integrating the strengths of both organisations, we will be unlocking new avenues for operational excellence, product innovation and customer-centric solutions.”

Tata Passenger Vehicles (Tata PV) revenue declined by 8.2 percent to INR 1,090 billion, reflecting softness in industry demand and the transition to new models. As a result, the EBITDA was 4 percent, down by 180 bps. The net loss for the quarter was INR 870 million, with profitability impacted by adverse volumes, realisations and the effect of leverage. However, these negative impacts were partially offset by continuous efforts to save on variable costs.

Shailesh Chandra, Managing Director TMPV and TPEM, said, “Q1 FY26 was a subdued quarter for the passenger vehicle industry, with volume pressures persisting across most segments. Demand softness weighed on overall performance, although the Electric Vehicle category remained a bright spot, supported by new launches and growing customer interest. Our continued focus on customer engagement and portfolio renewal remained strong during the quarter. New launches – Altroz and Harrier.ev –received encouraging initial market response, with their full impact expected to unfold in the coming months. Looking ahead, while the overall industry growth is expected to remain muted, we are confident that our recent and forthcoming series of launches – across ICE and EVs – will enable us to outperform the market and strengthen our position across key segments.”

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