Toyota Kirloskar Motor has concluded the 24-hour Toyota Hackathon 2025 in Mumbai engineered to empower young innovators to drive road safety solutions. It has been a part of the automaker’s commitment to education and road safety. 
Held at Vidyalankar Institute, Wadala (East), Mumbai, and coinciding with ‘Road Safety Month’ (January 18 – February 17, 2025), the event brought together over 400 talented students from over 100 schools across Mumbai, turning in turn into an effective platform to develop actionable solutions to critical road safety challenges.
Attracting the presence of Atul Moreshwar Save, Minister for OBC Welfare, Dairy Development, and Renewable Energy, Government of Maharashtra; Arprit Save, President Chamber of Marathawada Industries and Agriculture, and Senior leadership from TKM (including Vikram Gulati, Country Head and Executive Vice President, Corporate Affairs and Governance, TKM, and Sudeep Dalvi, Chief Communication Officer, Senior Vice President and Head State Affairs, TKM), the event – a key pillar of TKM’s comprehensive Road Safety Initiative designed to address this critical issue by integrating road safety education into school and college curriculums – began with team selection and idea submissions, progressed through a boot camp, culminated in a 24-hour final hackathon, and concluded with incubation support for the top one winner per city. 
Fostering critical thinking, innovation and a sense of responsibility, the Hackathon – structured in five phases – saw participants tackle key road safety themes such as ‘Road Safety Awareness and Education’, ‘Community Engagement for Safety’, ‘School Zone Safety’, ‘Road Infrastructure and Pollution’, ‘IoT/ICT in Road Safety’, ‘Traffic Easement’ and ‘Making Roads Inclusive’. 
Out of 100 initial teams, 28 advanced to post- boot camp, 10 teams completed in the final hackathon out of which 3 emerged as winners, earning continued support to bring their innovative ideas to life.
Following the success in Mumbai, the Toyota Hackathon 2025 will move to Bangalore on 14 February 2025. For the 2024-25 academic year, TKM aims to expand the initiative to 300 institutions across key cities, with over 400 innovative concepts already submitted.
Speaking at the event, Vikram Gulati, Country Head and Executive Vice President, Corporate Affairs and Governance, Toyota Kirloskar Motor, said, “At Toyota Kirloskar Motor, we are driven by the belief that empowering the younger generation with the right tools, mentorship, and opportunities can lead to transformative change. The Toyota Hackathon 2025 serves as a testament to our unwavering commitment to road safety and innovation, as it brings together young minds to ideate, collaborate, and develop solutions for safer roads. This initiative reflects our holistic approach to fostering a culture of safety and sustainability, aligning with Toyota’s global vision of zero traffic fatalities.”
 

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Hyundai Motor India, one of the leading passenger vehicle manufacturers, has announced the introduction of a Usage-Based Insurance (UBI) program for customers owning vehicles equipped with Bluelink connected-car technology.

The initiative allows eligible vehicle owners to access potential savings on the own-damage portion of their insurance premiums based on recorded driving behaviour.

The program evaluates vehicle usage and driving metrics captured over a three-month period through the Bluelink platform, assessing parameters such as rapid acceleration, rapid deceleration, rapid braking, speed management and engine idling duration.

Drivers with an insurance renewal due within 90 days and a driving score of 70 or above out of 100 may qualify for savings of up to 15 percent on own-damage premiums, subject to the underwriting criteria of participating insurance partners.

Hyundai India Insurance Broking acts as the intermediary facilitating consent-based score sharing between vehicle owners and insurance companies. The initial phase of the program includes Cholamandalam MS General Insurance, Go Digit General Insurance and ICICI Lombard General Insurance as participating partners. Customers can track their driving score and view eligibility directly within the Hyundai Bluelink mobile application.

Tarun Garg, Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer of Hyundai Motor India, said, "Hyundai Motor India’s connected car ecosystem continues to witness strong growth, with over 0.8 million connected cars already on Indian roads, a target of 1 million cumulative connected car sales by 2027 and an ambition to reach 2 million connected car sales by 2030 through its Bluelink platform. Leveraging this expanding connected-car ecosystem, the Usage-Based Insurance (UBI) program extends the value of connected mobility beyond convenience and safety by rewarding responsible driving with personalised insurance benefits. In certain cases, customers may save up to 15 percent (basis insurers underwriting rules) on the own-damage component of their insurance premium, making vehicle ownership safer, smarter and more rewarding."

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Honda Cars India, one of the leading passenger vehicle manufacturers, has announced 'Honda Alpha' as the official name of its upcoming electric SUV, which is scheduled to make its global debut on 2 December 2026.

The model marks the company's first manufactured electric SUV in India, with the country serving as the global production base for the model.

The e-SUV was previously shown as a concept prototype at the Japan Mobility Show 2025 with India to serve as the initial market for the model's rollout. The announcement also marks the debut of Honda's new H mark in the company's official communication in India, reflecting the corporate brand transformation. The revised badge will be applied to the Honda Alpha as its first model in the country.

Toshiyuki Yanagisawa, President and CEO, Honda Cars India, said, "We are delighted to announce Honda Alpha as the official name of our upcoming electric SUV. Honda Alpha represents our ambition to bring advanced electric mobility to our customers in India while delivering the quality, reliability and joy of driving that Honda is known for. With India serving as the global production base for this model in future, it is an important step in Honda’s electrification journey and reflects our strong commitment to the Indian market. We look forward to ushering in a new chapter for Honda in India with this exciting new offering."

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Skoda Auto India has expanded its retail and service footprint to over 350 customer touchpoints across 193 cities, following the inauguration of its 350th outlet in Imphal on 30 October 2026, which marked the brand's entry into Manipur.

The company claims its network has grown by nearly 85 percent over a five-year period, increasing from 191 touchpoints in 2021 to 325 outlets in 2025 and exceeding 350 touchpoints across 29 States and Union Territories by October 2026.

Supported by 79 dealer partners, the current infrastructure comprises 270 sales touchpoints and 203 aftersales touchpoints. Between January 2025 and October 2026, the carmaker added 58 showrooms across 38 new cities and 45 workshops across 34 new cities.

Outlets established during the expansion period generated over 25 percent of the brand's total sales volume between January and October 2026. In 2026 alone, Skoda entered 11 new cities, including Balasore, Baramati, Bathinda, Bikaner, Guna, Imphal, Jorhat, Kaithal, Khammam, Sri Ganganagar and Vasai.

The brand's dealer partner in Bengaluru secured the top position for dealership customer experience in the CarPhD survey, which evaluated 16 cities, 18 automotive brands, and 88,000 customer reviews. Ownership propositions are further supported by Skoda Super Care, providing a four-year standard warranty, roadside assistance, and complimentary service labour, alongside Skoda Express Care for expedited service turnaround times.

Ashish Gupta, Brand Director, Skoda Auto India, said, "Surpassing 350 Customer Touchpoints across 193 cities demonstrates our commitment to bringing Skoda closer to customers across India. Our dealer partners, both existing and new, are central to this journey, and I thank them for sharing our vision of building a stronger Skoda brand in India. As we enter new markets, our priority is clear - to deliver a consistent, enriching customer experience across sales and aftersales. Together with our expanding product portfolio and customer-first initiatives, this growing network will help us strengthen customer trust and deepen our relevance across the country."

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Nissan Motor India, one of the leading passenger vehicle manufacturers, has recorded domestic wholesale dispatches of 3,600 units in October 2026, marking a 50 percent YoY increase compared to 2,402 units in October 2025.

This also marked the company's eighth consecutive month of YoY domestic volume growth.

For YTD (January to October) 2026, the company registered total wholesales of 85,124 units across domestic and export operations. Export dispatches for October 2026 stood at 4,710 units. Volume performance was driven by customer response to the product lineup, including the Tekton, Magnite, and Gravite models, alongside dealer network expansion.

Saurabh Vatsa, MD, Nissan Motor India, said, "Our 50 percent YoY growth in domestic wholesales in October reflects continued customer confidence in Nissan and the progress we are making in India. With 85,124 units wholesaled across domestic and export markets between January and October, we continue to build on the strength of our expanding portfolio and dealer network. As we approach Dhanteras and Diwali, we remain focused on serving customers through distinctive products and enhanced ownership experiences. We also value the continued support of our international dealers, distributors and customers, who contribute to Nissan’s export performance."

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