To help keep drivers’ eyes on the road and reduce the spread of bacteria and viruses in a post COVID-19 world, Jaguar Land Rover develops new contactless touchscreen technology along with the University of Cambridge. This is part of the vehicle maker’s Destination Zero vision – a desire to make its vehicles safer and the environment cleaner and healthier.

The patented technology, known as ‛predictive touch,’ uses artificial intelligence and sensors to predict a user’s intended target on the touchscreen – whether that’s satellite navigation, temperature controls or entertainment settings – without touching a button.

Lab-tests and on-road trials showed the predictive touch technology could reduce a driver’s touchscreen interaction effort and time by up to 50 percent, as well as limiting the spread of bacteria and viruses.

Uneven or poor road surfaces can often cause vibrations that make it difficult to select the correct button on a touchscreen. This means drivers must take their attention away from the road, increasing the risk of an accident.

The technology uses artificial intelligence to determine the item the user intends to select on the screen early in the pointing task, speeding up the interaction. A gesture tracker uses vision-based or radio frequency-based sensors, which are increasingly common in consumer electronics, to combine contextual information such as user profile, interface design and environmental conditions with data available from other sensors, such as an eye-gaze tracker, to infer the user’s intent in real time.

Lee Skrypchuk, Human Machine Interface Technical Specialist, at Jaguar Land Rover, said: “As countries around the world exit lockdown, we notice how many everyday consumer transactions are conducted using touchscreens: railway or cinema tickets, ATMs, airport check-ins and supermarket self-service checkouts, as well as many industrial and manufacturing applications. Predictive touch technology eliminates the need to touch an interactive display and could therefore reduce the risk of spreading bacteria or viruses on surfaces.

“The technology also offers us the chance to make vehicles safer by reducing the cognitive load on drivers and increasing the amount of time they can spend focused on the road ahead. This is a key part of our Destination Zero journey.” (MT)

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Honda Cars India (HCIL), a leading passenger vehicle manufacturer, has recorded total sales of 8,082 units in October 2026, supported by domestic dispatches of 7,609 units and export volumes of 473 units.

Domestic sales grew 19 percent YoY compared to 6,394 units recorded in October 2025. Export dispatches for the month stood at 473 units against 4,124 units exported in the corresponding month of the previous year.

The company attributed its domestic volume performance to demand for the updated Honda Elevate SUV alongside its existing passenger vehicle portfolio.

Kunal Behl, Vice-President of Marketing & Sales, Honda Cars India, said, "We are delighted with our strong sales performance in October, driven by robust festive demand and positive customer sentiment across our model line-up. The highlight of the month has been the outstanding performance of the New Honda Elevate, which has received an overwhelming response from customers following its recent launch. Its bold new styling, enhanced features and strong SUV appeal have translated into excellent market demand, making it a key contributor to our October sales momentum. The encouraging performance across our portfolio reinforces customer confidence in the Honda brand. We look forward to sustaining this positive momentum in the coming months."

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Toyota Kirloskar Motor (TKM), a leading passenger vehicle manufacturer, has registered total sales of 30,360 units in October 2026, comprising 29,521 units in domestic sales and 839 units in exports.

For the calendar year-to-date period of January to October 2026, the automaker reported cumulative sales of 325,274 units, marking a 3 percent increase compared to 315,716 units recorded in the corresponding period of 2025.

Domestic sales during the 10-month period expanded 4 percent to 299,140 units, up from 287,338 units in 2025. Exports for the January to October 2026 period stood at 26,134 units compared to 28,378 units in 2025. The company noted initial customer response following the recent launch of the updated Toyota Glanza.

Sabari Manohar, Executive Vice-President of Sales-Service-Used Car Business, Toyota Kirloskar Motor, said, "The festive season has continued to generate encouraging customer interest across markets, reflecting the trust in Toyota's products and services. While market conditions continue to evolve, our focus remains firmly on creating value for customers through a diverse product portfolio, enhanced ownership experiences and customer-centric initiatives. We share the joy of festivities with our customers and dealer partners, whose continued confidence in the Toyota brand motivates us to further strengthen our efforts towards delivering reliable, sustainable and accessible mobility solutions."

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Maruti Suzuki India, the country’s largest passenger vehicle manufacturer, attains its highest-ever monthly sales volume in October 2026, delivering 276,120 units across domestic and export markets. The total sales expanded from 220,894 units recorded in October 2025.

Domestic vehicle dispatches reached an all-time high of 216,789 units for the month, compared to 180,675 units in the corresponding period of the previous year. Passenger car dispatches across the mini, compact and mid-size sub-segments – comprising the Alto, Baleno, Celerio, Ciaz, Dzire, Ignis, S-Presso, Swift, and WagonR – rose to 100,877 units from 85,210 units in October 2025.

SUV dispatches, including the Brezza, Ertiga, e Vitara, Fronx, Grand Vitara, Invicto, Jimny, Victoris and XL6, reached 97,787 units against 77,571 units in the previous year. Sales of the Eeco van accounted for 13,720 units, while Super Carry light commercial vehicle dispatches stood at 4,405 units.

Sales to other original equipment manufacturers (OEM) (Toyota Kirloskar Motor) reached 9,459 units in October 2026, up from 8,915 units in October 2025. Export volumes grew to 49,872 units from 31,304 units recorded in the same month last year.

For the cumulative April to October period of FY 2026-27, Maruti Suzuki reported total sales of 1.65 million units, compared to 1.29 million units in the corresponding period of the previous financial year.

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Kia India, one of the leading passenger vehicle manufacturers, recorded its highest-ever monthly wholesales since entering the Indian market, delivering 33,462 units in October 2026.

This marks a 13.22 percent YoY growth compared to 29,556 units sold in October 2025, surpassing its previous monthly record of 32,017 units set in September 2026.

Interestingly, cumulative wholesales for the company reached 286,470 units between January and October 2026, marking a 21.31 percent increase over the corresponding period in 2025 and exceeding full-year CY2025 sales of 280,286 units.

The Seltos recorded dispatches of over 13,000 units during the month, maintaining an average monthly dispatch above 10,000 units since its update in January 2026. The Sonet, Carens, Carens Clavis and Sorento variants further supported monthly totals.

Electric vehicle dispatches, consisting of the Syros EV and Carens Clavis EV, expanded 31 percent MoM, while CNG models accounted for approximately 10 percent of overall sales in October.

At present, Kia India operates a network of 925 touchpoints across 438 cities, alongside 144 pre-owned vehicle outlets.

Atul Sood, Senior Vice-President of Sales & Marketing, Kia India, said, "Surpassing our previous monthly sales record within just a month to achieve our highest-ever sales of 33,462 units in October reflects the growing trust customers place in Kia and the strength of our products. We were able to ride the positive festive demand momentum, supported by the strong performance of our established models and the encouraging response to our newer offerings, driving the overall growth. The Kia Sorento has received an encouraging market response, with customers appreciating its advanced technology, sophisticated features and the fuel efficiency offered by its Hybrid powertrain. The contribution of our CNG models to overall sales, alongside our highest-ever monthly EV sales, further demonstrates that our multi-powertrain strategy is translating into tangible results. This reinforces our commitment to offering differentiated products and powertrain choices that respond to the diverse mobility needs of Indian customers."

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