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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Geely Auto Group has announced the formation of Geely Technology Europe (Geely Tech Europe), a unified research and development centre integrating its engineering facilities in Gothenburg, Sweden and Frankfurt, Germany. The hub will serve as a strategic link to the Geely Research Institute (GRI) in China to develop vehicle platforms for international markets.

Geely Tech Europe aims to provide engineering support for the Zeekr, Lynk & Co and Geely brands. A primary operational goal is to reduce the time gap between Chinese and international product launches to less than 6 months. The organisation plans to double its managed European vehicle projects by 2027 to meet global sales targets.

The hub focuses on three technical pillars:

• Architecture Development: Co-creating mechanical and electronic/electrical (E/E) architectures.
• Market Optimisation: Integrating international regulatory requirements and customer needs into vehicle programmes.
• Digital Innovation: Developing software-defined vehicles using Agentic AI, advanced driver-assistance systems (ADAS) and smart cockpits while maintaining European data privacy standards.

The formation of Geely Tech Europe follows the evolution of China Euro Vehicle Technology (CEVT), established in 2013 and the subsequent Zeekr Technology Europe. The combined teams have previously developed the Compact Modular Architecture (CMA), used in over four million vehicles, and the SEA-S platform, which features a 900-volt high-voltage system.

Giovanni Lanfranchi, CEO, Geely Technology Europe, said, “Europe is more than a key market; it is a global benchmark for automotive excellence and demanding customer expectations. To succeed, it is essential to anticipate and incorporate the needs of all regions from the start of development. Establishing Geely Technology Europe creates a genuinely borderless R&D setup -- a strategic edge that allows us to not only meet global standards, but help set them.”

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American component major Tenneco India is no longer just manufacturing for the domestic market; it is transforming into a high-tech global export hub.

Under the leadership of CEO Arvind Chandra, the company is shifting from a ‘local-for-local’ strategy to a sophisticated ‘India for the World’ mandate that integrates Indian engineering into the global automotive lifecycle.

While current exports sit at approximately 6 percent, Tenneco’s future order book reveals a dramatic shift, with exports accounting for 20 percent of projected growth. This strategy leverages not only India’s competitive labour cost, but also high-quality innovations to bolster the margins of Tenneco’s sister divisions in Europe and the US.

"The addressable market just within Tenneco is huge," Chandra explains, noting that at present 70 percent of exports are currently directed to internal Tenneco entities. To support this, the company is earmarking USD 2 million for FY2026 to expand its R&D capabilities, creating a state-of-the-art centre to attract top-tier talent.

"When you become the export hub for the world, you should also become the R&D export hub," says Chandra.

Disrupting Ride Quality

On the domestic front, Tenneco is betting on ‘premiumisation’ in the passenger vehicle segment to disrupt the market. The company’s patented ‘DaVinci DCX’ suspension technology is at the heart of this push, aiming to bridge the gap between vehicle cost and ride comfort.

Chandra is candid about his goal to challenge the status quo of Indian roads: "My aspiration as CEO is to make sure that we completely disrupt the market. Because the comfort in the mass market passenger vehicle segment has been the same for the last 60-70 years".

Tenneco is also insulating itself against the uncertainty of electrification by remaining powertrain agnostic. Whether the market moves toward EVs, which can increase Tenneco's content per vehicle by over 4x for hybrids, the company remains positioned for growth. By ‘wrapping’ themselves around customer needs rather than protecting rigid revenue streams, Tenneco has secured a dominant 52 percent market share in shock absorbers.

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JSW Motors Limited, the electric and new energy vehicle subsidiary of the JSW Group, has entered into a long-term strategic agreement with Dassault Systèmes. The collaboration centres on transforming how the automaker will design, engineer and build its forthcoming models, with the DELMIA: 3DEXPERIENCE platform serving as the foundational digital framework for its entire lineup of new energy vehicles.

A key focus of the initiative is strengthening domestic capabilities. By merging local production expertise with globally recognised technology, the company aims to establish an automotive ecosystem that sets a new benchmark for India. This dual focus is designed to produce vehicles that meet international quality standards while being specifically calibrated for the domestic market, ultimately bolstering local supply chains and industrial resilience.

To advance this vision, the manufacturer is deploying the 3DEXPERIENCE platform to create a unified Product Lifecycle Management environment that spans design, engineering and validation. This effort is complemented by the integration of a sophisticated Manufacturing Execution System on the same platform, which ensures seamless digital continuity and full traceability from initial concept to final assembly.

Through this integrated approach, the partnership solidifies the company’s readiness to deliver competitive, future-ready vehicles. The unified digital infrastructure not only accelerates product development but also reinforces the organisation’s commitment to building a self-reliant, world-class automotive presence in India.

Ranjan Nayak, CEO, JSW Motors Limited, said, “At JSW Motors, we are building a technology-led future mobility ecosystem which is engineered in India and world class. We are delighted to partner with Dassault Systèmes from France to embed its state-of-the-art, digital platform across the vehicle lifecycle, from design to manufacturing at JSW Motors. We are also in advanced discussions with several additional domestic suppliers to further deepen localisation and strengthen India’s automotive supply chain. By leveraging the best global technologies, we aim to accelerate development timelines while enhancing quality.”

Deepak NG, Managing Director – India, Dassault Systèmes, said, “The Indian automotive industry is at a pivotal inflection point, and JSW Motors is well positioned to lead this transformation. Our 3DEXPERIENCE platform will empower JSW Motors to manage the growing complexity of software-defined vehicles while enabling end-to-end integration across their entire value chain, from design and engineering to manufacturing and lifecycle management. By building virtual twins of their products and processes, we will help drive greater innovation, efficiency and agility, ensuring scalability and sustained competitiveness in a rapidly evolving market.”

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Tensor, a Silicon Valley-based artificial intelligence firm, has introduced the Tensor Robocar to the United Kingdom at the 5th annual European AV Summit. The vehicle is the first production-ready Level 4 autonomous car designed for personal ownership.

The Robocar features a dual-mode strategy, allowing for both manual and fully autonomous operation. A key hardware innovation is the world's first foldable steering wheel, co-developed with automotive safety supplier Autoliv.

The vehicle architecture is built for full-stack redundancy to meet regional safety and reliability standards. Tensor's engineering utilises agentic AI and adaptive design to manage complex driving environments. The company has established a technical ecosystem through several strategic partnerships:

• Compute and AI: Collaboration with Arm for power-efficient compute platforms and Nvidia for AI processing.
• Infrastructure: Integration with Oracle for cloud systems.
• Manufacturing and Insurance: Partnerships with VinFast for scalable production and Marsh for insurance frameworks.

The UK appearance follows a global launch announcement in August 2025. The European AV Summit served as a platform to engage with regulators, insurers and city planners regarding the implementation of personal Level 4 ownership.

Tensor plans to commence production this year. Initial commercial availability is targeted for the UAE, EU and US markets.

Jay Xiao, Chief Executive Officer, Tensor, said, "Showcasing Tensor at the European AV Summit offered a vital opportunity to demonstrate a production-ready Level 4 vehicle to the policymakers, insurers and industry partners who shape Europe's AV future. Our purpose-built Robocar is engineered for full-stack redundancy providing a level of safety and reliability that combines agentic AI and adaptive design to meet rigorous regional safety standards. Tensor, showing for the first time in the UK, helped translate our technical evidence into practical pathways for safe, consumer ownership across European cities and soon - globally.

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