Announcing that Prime Minister Modi’s message was motivating for the Indian auto industry to work together towards new age technology, world class manufacturing, and next generation infrastructure, Kenichi Ayukawa, President, SIAM and MD & CEO, Maruti Suzuki, in his address during the opening session, said that there was a need to achieve sustainable and productive growth with quality and safety, and protect our environment, resources and raw materials. Stressing on the need for focused efforts, Ayukawa mentioned that SIAM and ACMA have together worked out a localisation roadmap with a target of about 15 to 20 percent further localisation in the next 2 to 5 years. Revealing that SIAM has prepared an approach paper for long term regulation roadmap that takes care of all aspects and gives clarity on future investments, Ayukawa San said that the auto industry is working on new powertrain technologies. He appreciated the government’s announcement of the scrappage policy and PLI scheme. 

Amitabh Kant.

Recognising the contribution of the Indian automobile industry to the Indian economy, Dr Mahendra Nath Pandey, Union Minister of Heavy Industries, Government of India, said that his ministry is working consistently for the growth of the automotive sector. Acknowledging the rise in localisation supported by the PLI initiatives of government, Dr Pandey said that these efforts would make the industry more robust. He stressed on the need to develop EV charging infrastructure as well as manufacture quality products that would help the Indian automobile industry to be regarded as the best in the world. T V Narendran, President, CII and MD, Tata Steel Ltd, in his address, mentioned the need for the right policy support to make India a five-trillion-dollar economy by 2025-26. It is important that the Indian manufacturing sector is strong. He called on the auto industry to focus on six key areas – electric vehicles, circularity, urbanisation, resilient supply chain and an ability to reap in functionality and embed sustainability, going forward. 
 

R C Bhargava.

In his speech, Amitabh Kant, CEO, NITI Aayog, said that the future direction of the auto industry is in the area of shared, connected and electric mobility. He opined that there are four prominent growth drivers that the industry should focus on. These include the expansion of investment in R&D, more focus on innovation in small format mobility segment, establishment of massive charging infrastructure across the country and provision of export impetus to the industry. Kant said that EV should be an integral part in every OEM’s plans. Road Transport Minister Nitin Gadkari spoke about the government’s aim to increase the contribution of the automotive sector towards the nation’s GDP. Currently, the sector contributes roughly 7.1 percent towards the GDP, he said. Revealing that the government would like to see the contribution rise to 12 percent, the union minister stated that it would amount to a huge step towards making India a five-trillion-dollar economy. Expressing gratitude to the dignitaries for their presence, Vipin Sondhi, Vice President, SIAM and MD, Ashok Leyland Ltd, drew attention towards the effect of Covid-19 on sales. 
 

Appreciating the efforts of the Ministry of Heavy Industries to create world-class testing and R&D infrastructure in all the auto hubs of the country, he spoke about how the auto industry will take advantage of localisation, PLI scheme and EV charging infrastructure. These efforts, he added, will contribute to the government’s initiative of ‘Make in India’. In a session focusing on the outlook of the Indian auto industry and its role in the economic growth, Venu Srinivasan, Chairman and Managing Director, TVS Motor Company, and R C Bhargava, Chairman, Maruti Suzuki India Ltd., drew attention to the new policies introduced over the past few years. The duo stressed on the high taxation structure on automobiles and the mandatory insurance costs. These, they said, have hugely bumped up the pricing to make vehicles expensive. Srinivasan touched on two-wheelers being taxed at 28 percent despite being the most basic means of transport. This, he added, is almost equal to cars which are a luxury item. Opining that the prices of vehicles have risen over the past few years with the switch to BS IV and subsequently to BS VI, and the change in safety norms, R C Bhargava mentioned that mounting challenges have had an effect on the sales. 
 

Venu Srinivasan.

Revenue Secretary Tarun Bajaj said that the government is open to discussing a change in Goods and Services Tax (GST) rates on automobiles. Seeking to know from the auto industry whether it is the GST rate on cars that is preventing the sector from growing, Bajaj questioned the reason behind SUV sales going up and not that of the cars in economic terms. Stating that the tax rates were higher in some states before GST came into force, he suggested the auto industry to examine in detail the reasons behind the dip in sales. Covid-19 and other factors could be at play, he reasoned. Bajaj called on the industry to keep pace with the changing technology.

Kenichi Ayukawa.

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Bosch and Qualcomm Technologies, Inc. have announced an expansion of their strategic collaboration to include Advanced Driver Assistance Systems (ADAS). This move builds upon their established partnership in cockpit solutions and aims to address the automotive industry's requirement for scalable technology in automated and connected vehicles.

Bosch stated it has now delivered more than 10 million vehicle computers globally using Qualcomm’s Snapdragon Cockpit Platforms.

The extended agreement includes new production programmes for ADAS that utilise Bosch’s vehicle computer architecture powered by the Snapdragon Ride platform. A central component of this collaboration is the development of platforms that combine cockpit and ADAS functions on a single system-on-chip (SoC).

This integration is designed to align with the strategic shift towards software-defined vehicles, allowing automakers to reduce architectural complexity, power consumption, and manufacturing costs.

The Bosch ADAS integration platform is designed as a modular computer capable of fusing data from multiple sensors to create a 360-degree environment model. This system supports a range of functions from entry-level assistance, such as lane keeping and distance regulation, to higher-level automated driving. The joint engineering efforts have already secured several design wins in the East Asian market, with the first vehicles featuring these consolidated platforms expected to enter the market in 2028.

By migrating from numerous individual control units to a small number of high-performance computers, the partnership provides a path toward centralised vehicle architectures.

These solutions are engineered to meet safety standards up to ASIL-D while enabling consumer features such as hands-free driving and intelligent automated parking across various vehicle segments.

Christoph Hartung, Member of the Bosch Mobility business sector board, said, “By combining leading-edge compute technology with our system integration expertise – hardware, software, and safety – we enable automakers to meet the rising demand for personalised, safe and comfortable driving experiences. The growing success of our collaboration with Qualcomm Technologies underlines a central value Bosch brings to the industry: we provide the robust, high-performance computing platforms that form the backbone of today’s software-defined vehicle.”

Nakul Duggal, EVP and Group GM, Automotive, Industrial and Embedded IoT, and Robotics, Qualcomm Technologies, said, “Our collaboration with Bosch spans the full spectrum of vehicle compute – from high‑performance cockpit systems to scalable automated driving solutions and emerging centralised vehicle architectures – all powered by Snapdragon Digital Chassis automotive platforms. ADAS is where performance and safety must scale in the real world. By expanding our work with Bosch into production-ready ADAS platforms, we’re helping automakers bring advanced driver assistance across vehicle lines more efficiently, with a clear path to centralised compute.”

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Toyota Kirloskar Motor (TKM) has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with Wipro 3D to create a Centre of Excellence (CoE) for additive manufacturing. The facility will be located at the Toyota Technical Training Institute (TTTI) in Bidadi, Bengaluru. The partnership is intended to facilitate skill development and the integration of 3D printing technologies into production environments.

The centre will provide students with exposure to industrial applications of additive manufacturing, including rapid prototyping and the development of production aids. Wipro 3D will provide technical expertise and training modules covering internships, apprenticeships and workshops. The curriculum will also incorporate digital manufacturing and resource optimisation as part of an emphasis on Industry 4.0 technologies.

By leveraging these manufacturing capabilities, the initiative aims to reduce lead times and improve assembly line efficiency. The TTTI, which focuses on vocational education in trades such as mechatronics and welding, doubled its intake to 2,400 students in 2023. This collaboration aligns with the institution's objective to build technical talent for the automotive sector.

G Shankara, Chief Strategy Officer, Toyota Kirloskar Motor, said, "Our Human Resource Development philosophy at TKM follows core principles of Toyota such as, Continue the Quest for Improvement, Show Respect for People, under which we thrive hard to develop individuals in the Latest Technology of the New Age Era of automotive field. We are also committed to nurturing skilled talent and strengthening India’s manufacturing ecosystem. This collaboration will play an imperative role in nurturing future-ready talent, while contributing meaningfully to the Government’s Skill India Mission.”

Yathiraj Kasal, Business Head and General Manager, Wipro 3D, added, “This association reflects our commitment to strengthening India’s manufacturing ecosystem through capability building and innovation, while creating industry-relevant learning experiences.”

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TomTom has introduced Unified Speed Restrictions, a new service providing updated speed limit data for global regulatory compliance and Advanced Driver Assistance Systems (ADAS). The service is designed to help vehicle manufacturers exceed the minimum requirements of Intelligent Speed Assistance (ISA) regulations.

The service integrates multiple static and live data sources into a single output. By combining various inputs, the system provides continuous updates to vehicle software to ensure speed limit identification remains accurate across different driving environments.

Data sources utilised include:

• Unsigned speed limits: Based on regional road classifications.
• Roadside sign recognition: Camera-based detection of physical signs.
• Probe data: Aggregated information from connected vehicles.
• Variable speed limits: Real-time data from electronic overhead gantries.

Beyond safety compliance, the service supports automated driving functions by providing data for predictive path planning and smoother vehicle manoeuvres.

The solution is available as an API or pre-integrated within the TomTom ADAS SDK. The SDK is modular, allowing manufacturers and Tier 1 suppliers to incorporate the data into existing software stacks without vendor lock-in. This architecture is intended to reduce development costs and accelerate the deployment of predictive assistance features.

Manuela Locarno Ajayi, SVP of Product Engineering, TomTom, said, “Accurate and trusted speed information is foundational to road safety, regulatory compliance and automated driving at scale. With Unified Speed Restrictions, we are equipping automakers with a globally consistent, future‑ready foundation that reduces complexity, enabling higher levels of automation.”

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Detroit Engineered Products (DEP) has introduced DEP AIWorks, an engineering platform designed to integrate machine learning with physics-based simulation. The launch follows the conclusion of a five-city industry conclave held across Bengaluru, Delhi NCR, Hyderabad, Pune and Chennai.

DEP AIWorks is built as a physics-agnostic and tool-agnostic environment, allowing it to function across various datasets and engineering domains. The platform combines neural networks and physics-informed models with computer-aided engineering (CAE) solvers to provide predictive and generative capabilities within the product development lifecycle.

Core features of the platform include modular architecture, operational speed and ecosystem compatibility.

The platform is intended for use in the automotive, aerospace, energy, manufacturing and telecommunications sectors. It supports various stages of development, from early design exploration to manufacturing validation. By utilising data-driven learning alongside physics-based validation, the system aims to improve engineering productivity and accelerate decision-making cycles.

Radha Krishnan, President & Founder, DEP, said, “DEP AIWorks reflects the next step in how engineering organisations will adopt AI, not as a standalone tool, but as an integrated part of the product development lifecycle. By combining decades of simulation expertise with advances in AI, we are enabling teams to move faster while maintaining engineering rigor and reliability.”

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