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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Bengaluru-based electric vehicle maker Ultraviolette Automotive has secured USD 45 million from Zoho Corporation and Lingotto, one of Europe's investment management companies as part of its ongoing Series E investment round.

The investment from Zoho Corporation was led by Sridhar Vembu, Mani Vembu and Kumar Vembu.

This growth capital will accelerate the domestic and international scale-up of current products F77 and X-47, as well as future product platforms Shockwave and Tesseract.

Ultraviolette has built a design and technology-led enterprise with the F77 and the recently launched X-47.

The company has expanded to 30 cities across India in a short span of 12 months and is expanding to 100 cities by mid-2026. The F77 motorcycles were recently launched in the United Kingdom, bringing Ultraviolette's presence to 12 countries across Europe.

Narayan Subramaniam, Co-Founder & CEO, Ultraviolette Automotive, said, “We are glad to announce our Series E investment from Zoho and Lingotto. Lingotto's legacy of backing iconic performance and mobility brands, combined with Zoho's long-term commitment to fostering cutting-edge Indian innovation, aligns perfectly with Ultraviolette's mission to build category-defining electric mobility solutions for India and global markets.”

Niraj Rajmohan, CTO & Co-Founder, Ultraviolette, said, "With the ongoing Series E investments, we are doubling down on growth and expanding our production to meet increasing demand. Our focus is on advancing breakthrough battery technology, elevating performance capabilities and expanding production to support upcoming product platforms. This investment will accelerate our journey towards scaling into India and global markets."

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Agentic AI platform Disseqt AI has announced a partnership with Tata Technologies and Infosys. As per the agreement, Disseqt AI will assist both companies' IT and DevOps teams in developing and fast-tracking the production of tailored Agentic AI applications for automobile and FinTech companies globally.

The partnership aims to help auto and FinTech firms embrace customised Agentic AI faster and in a secure manner.

Disseqt AI, which has operations in Bengaluru, San Francisco and Dublin, provides an enterprise-grade platform for IT and DevOps teams. The company claims its platform cuts down Agentic AI testing and operations cost by 70 percent and improves productivity by up to 80 percent. The platform allows these teams to test, simulate and monitor their Agentic AI systems tailored across industries, ultimately enabling enterprises to operationalise tailored Agentic AI faster and at scale, without sacrificing ethics, governance and compliance.

Apoorva Kumar, Founder and CEO, Disseqt AI, said, “This is a landmark announcement for us as we further embed Disseqt into enterprise workflows for testing, simulation, monitoring and auditability purposes. We are already working closely with both Tata and Infosys on several projects and are proud to be part of their innovation initiatives”

Last month, Disseqt AI announced a strategic collaboration with HCLTech and Microsoft to guide financial services institutions with Agentic AI adoption.

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Battery and Energy Storage Europe has announced a programme focused on the EU Battery Passport, a regulatory milestone that becomes mandatory in February 2027. The Barcelona-based event will address the compliance gap for applications beyond the electric vehicle (EV) sector, which have dominated the conversation to date.

The event, taking place on 8th and 9th September 2026 at Fira de Barcelona's Gran Via venue, will focus on solutions and talks for applications that fall within the regulation's scope: stationary energy storage, industrial batteries, grid-scale systems, long-duration energy storage and emerging applications in aerospace, maritime and rail electrification.

With the February 2027 legal requirement date approaching, the programme will bring together industry leaders, technology providers, and policy experts to address the compliance challenges facing these diverse sectors.

The Battery Passport is a digital record documenting a battery's entire lifecycle, from raw material sourcing to production, performance and eventual recycling. From February 2027, it becomes mandatory for all rechargeable EV, industrial and LMT batteries over 2 kWh sold in the EU.

Linked via QR code, the passport will track each battery's complete lifecycle, including composition, carbon footprint and recycled content, fundamentally transforming supply chain transparency and sustainability practices across Europe.

The programme will explore implementation topics including digital infrastructure requirements, data management systems, supply chain integration, verification processes and recycling traceability.

Ken Davies, Conference Programme Director at Battery and Energy Storage Europe, said, "The Battery Passport represents one of the most significant regulatory shifts our industry has faced, yet many companies are still grappling with what implementation actually means for their operations. While the EV sector has dominated the conversation, there's a critical need to address how this regulation applies to stationary storage, industrial applications and the innovative battery technologies powering Europe's energy transition. With the clock ticking toward February 2027, Battery and Energy Storage Europe will shine a light on the practical implementation requirements for these often-overlooked sectors, connecting stakeholders with actionable solutions and bringing together the expertise, technology providers, and collaborative spirit needed to turn compliance into competitive advantage across the full spectrum of battery applications."

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Horse Powertrain has been selected by Scania to provide its range-extender system for a pilot vehicle, currently operating as a heavy-duty timber truck in Sweden. The collaboration is a step in testing hybrid powertrain solutions for demanding transport applications such as forestry logistics.

The pilot is part of the Scania Pilot Partner program and is currently operating in Sweden under SCA, one of Europe’s forestry companies.

The vehicle is built to handle Sweden’s timber routes, transporting heavy loads through remote terrain where access to charging infrastructure remains scarce. By combining a battery-electric drivetrain with the generator designed in Sweden by Horse Powertrain’s division Aurobay Technologies, the truck achieves both long-distance capability and reduced CO2 emissions.

The test route covers approximately 16 km, with an operational target of completing 7–8 rounds per day, comparable to a diesel truck.

The configuration supports the truck’s battery packs with a 120 kW range-extender unit based on Horse Powertrain’s 2.0 litre multi-fuel engine. Acting purely as an onboard charger, the unit supplies electric energy when required during long hauls, temperature extremes, or delays.

Matias Giannini, CEO, Horse Powertrain, said, "Forestry logistics represents one of the toughest challenges for electrification. The forest roads of northern Sweden demand strength, range and reliability. Charging stations are few, but the timber never waits. You can think of our range-extender as a powerbank for a heavy-duty truck: silent, efficient, and always there when you need it. By partnering with Scania and drawing on our engineering excellence, we’re proving how a compact, high-efficiency range-extender enables electric trucks to operate reliably in the most demanding environments. It’s a technology that cuts CO2 now.”

Tony Sandberg, Vice-President at Scania Pilot Partner, added, "What we’re doing in Sweden with Horse Powertrain and SCA builds directly on the 100-day trial we ran together with a logistics partner in Germany earlier this year. That vehicle logged almost 22,000 kilometres and drove more than 90 percent of the time on pure electric power, only using the range-extender when no charging was available. The result was a CO2 reduction of over 90 percent compared with a diesel truck. Those learnings give us a strong foundation as we tailor the system for demanding Nordic timber operations."

Ingo Scholten, Chief Technology Officer, Horse Powertrain and Managing Director Sweden, Aurobay Technologies division, said, “Electrifying heavy-duty routes means understanding what drivers and operators face hour by hour. Long stretches without charging, variable loads and rapidly changing weather. This pilot lets us study those realities directly in day-to-day timber operations. The range-extender’s role is simple. Provide a stable, efficient energy supply so drivers can complete their full shift without interruption and with far lower greenhouse-gas emissions than a traditional diesel truck. The data we gather here will guide how we refine the technology and scale it for wider use across demanding transport applications.”

Horse Powertrain’s modular range-extender architecture builds on the core technology used in its passenger-car and light-commercial hybrid systems, adapted for the higher power output and durability demands of heavy-duty applications. Unlike conventional fixed-speed generator sets, the engine can operate across its full power band, allowing the system to deliver the required output efficiently while keeping fuel consumption, noise and vibration low.

The pilot truck is now undergoing testing in regular operations, carrying full timber loads to gather performance and efficiency data in real-world conditions. The results will guide future deployments of electrified powertrains in the forestry sector and other heavy-duty applications.

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