The Autonomous BAJA SAEINDIA 2024 (aBAJA) kicked off with great fanfare, marking the first day of the one-of-a-kind student competition centred on autonomous all-terrain vehicles (AATV).

This 3-day competition (from 4 to 6 October 2024) is hosted by the Automotive Research Association of India (ARAI), Pune, and marks a milestone for BAJA SAEINDIA as autonomous vehicle technology was introduced to the engineering competition. Five teams from throughout the country compete in the event, each of which must complete a unique set of tasks meant to evaluate the performance of their vehicles and teamwork.

Pre-event preparation tests were carried out at ARAI, Kothrud, Pune, from 30 September to 3 October, in the run-up to the tournament. Among these were comprehensive technical examinations, in which vehicles' electrical, mechanical and autonomous systems were carefully assessed to make sure they complied with competition regulations. Assessments of team preparedness and safety briefings were also conducted. To help teams test and improve their autonomous vehicles and make sure they matched the competition's rigorous requirements, trial run tracks were built up for the dynamic events such as Object Detection, Classification and Tracking (ODCT) and Remote Driving System (RDS).

On the first day, static events like the design evaluation and business presentation took main stage. These occasions gave the teams a chance to showcase their creative approaches and intricate designs, emphasising the intricacy and foresight required to create autonomous systems. Teams will test their vehicles' capabilities in real-world scenarios on the second day, which is expected to feature exciting activities that highlight engineering ingenuity and expertise.

Highlighting the significance of hosting the event at ARAI during the welcome address on behalf of ARAI, Ujjwala Karle, Joint Convener, Phase 3 of aBAJA SAEINDIA 2024 & Deputy Director, Technology Group, ARAI, said, “It is an honour for ARAI to host Phase 3 of aBAJA SAEINDIA 2024. This event highlights our commitment to bridging academia and industry. It is inspiring to witness students exhibit the passion and boldness necessary to tackle the complexities of the automotive landscape. BAJA SAEINDIA serves as a vital ‘Introduction to Industry’ (i2i), providing hands-on experience with real-world challenges. Furthermore, initiatives like the iNTELLIMOBILITY Ideathon empower participants to address pressing mobility issues with innovative solutions. We at ARAI are proud to support BAJA SAEINDIA and wish all participants great success in this year’s event.”

Emphasising the importance of technological innovation in shaping the future of mobility, the Chief Guest for the event, Umesh Shah, Managing Director, Autoliv, said, “aBAJA represents a confluence of creativity, engineering, and technology. It is through such initiatives that we inspire the next generation to think beyond conventional solutions and tackle real-world problems with courage and a spirit of innovation. I congratulate the participants for taking up this challenge and encourage them to bring forward their passion and ideas that will shape the mobility landscape in India and beyond. The efforts of the organising committee and all those involved in this competition are commendable. Their dedication ensures that aBAJA continues to be a platform where emerging engineers are not only tested but also encouraged to innovate and grow. I wish all the participants the very best in their endeavours and extend my best wishes to BAJA SAEINDIA as they continue to break new ground with aBAJA SAEINDIA 2025."

Shahkar Abidi, Assistant Editor at Autocar, graced the occasion as the Guest of Honour. Stressing the importance of continuous learning and practical exposure for engineering students, he said, “Autonomous driving and intelligent mobility are no longer just concepts; they are the future. BAJA SAEINDIA has always been ahead of the curve in providing hands-on experiences to students, and aBAJA is a testament to this vision. The passion and drive I see among these students will surely propel them to become future leaders in the automotive industry.”

The grand inaugural ceremony also saw the presence of esteemed dignitaries from both industry and academia, including Ganesh Rao, Director of R&D at Continental; Shantanu Sonar, DGM at Daimler Truck Innovation Centre India (DTICI); Dr P Rajalakshmi from TiHAN, IIT Hyderabad; Balraj Subramaniam, Chairman of the Organising Committee of BAJA SAEINDIA and Saurabh Chitnavis, Joint Convener of aBAJA SAEINDIA 2024.

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  - Dr Kamal Vora October 06, 2024 06:55 AM

  Autonomous BAJA SAEINDIA 2024 is a great initiative of SAEINDIA and I would like to congratulate BAJA Committee members, ARAI, Ajeenkya DY Patil University and all the sponsors & supporters for this initiative. The registration of BAJA SAEINDIA 2024 with early bird incentive starts on 6th Oct 2024 from 8 to 10 pm. For sponsorship or registration, please contact vorakc04@gmail.com

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Cautio, a leading Indian AI-powered fleet safety and mobility intelligence platform, has announced the appointment of Nitin Chadha as Senior Vice-President of Growth & Strategy.

In this leadership role, Chadha will oversee business growth, strategic corporate partnerships and enterprise market expansion as the company accelerates deployment across the commercial mobility sector.

Chadha brings over 21 years of experience across mobility, consumer technology, automotive, insurance and the startup ecosystem. He has previously held senior executive positions at prominent mobility and fintech platforms, including Acko, Spinny and Park+. Additionally, he is an entrepreneur who co-founded sRide, one of India’s earliest carpooling and shared mobility networks.

His appointment coincides with an increased push by commercial fleet operators toward AI-driven data intelligence to enhance driver accountability and fulfil strict risk-prevention goals. Tightening state and national regulatory standards surrounding road safety and continuous driver monitoring are moving fleet management workflows away from reactive accident tracking toward real-time prevention.

This transition is also mirroring larger updates to public infrastructure. The National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) recently introduced plans to deploy AI-powered dashcam analytics across approximately 40,000 kilometres of national highways to systematically elevate road monitoring, predictive maintenance, and general motorist safety.

Founded by Ankit Acharya (CEO) and Pranjal Nadhani (CTO), the video telematics platform combines intelligent dual-lens hardware with its proprietary operating system to track driver fatigue, distraction, and unsafe on-road behaviour. Within a short 15-month operational span, the startup has built a substantial data footprint across the country, which secures and monitors over 15,000 live vehicles daily across more than 130 Indian cities. The company has been instrumental in enabling over 150 million safe kilometres while triggering over 60 million AI alerts on active driving patterns.

Cautio claims it has successfully intervened in more than 3,000 real-world safety events, helping operators avert over 2,400 potential accidents, flagging 550+ cases of impaired driving and defeat more than 500 fraudulent or false claims.

It has established itself as a safety infrastructure provider for over 80 major institutional and transport clients, including RedBus, Zingbus, Euro Cars, Cityflo, Infants, Shoffr, G4S and the Indian Army.

Ankit Acharya, Co-Founder & CEO, Cautio, said, "Nitin brings a rare combination of operating depth, mobility-sector understanding and growth leadership. His experience gives him a strong perspective on how large mobility ecosystems function and scale. As Cautio enters its next phase of growth, his leadership will be instrumental in expanding our partnerships, strengthening our revenue engine and bringing our fleet safety platform to more operators across India."

Nitin Chadha added, "Mobility in India is undergoing a fundamental transformation. Operators today want technology partners that can help them improve safety, accountability and operational efficiency at scale. What drew me to Cautio is its long-term vision of building safety infrastructure, not simply selling technology products."

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Basemark, a provider of real-time graphics and augmented reality (AR) software, has announced a strategic collaboration with KPIT Technologies, a global mobility solutions provider. The partnership aims to accelerate the development and large-scale deployment of next-generation, multi-screen Human Machine Interface (HMI) solutions for automotive original equipment manufacturers (OEMs).

As a primary milestone of this agreement, KPIT officially joins Basemark’s Rocksolid ecosystem as its first certified partner. The alliance is structured to help automotive manufacturers transition HMI concepts into production-grade series deployment faster while meeting stringent industry standards for safety, reliability and performance.

As modern vehicles transition into software-defined platforms, advanced HMIs have become critical differentiators for brand identity and consumer experience. However, scaling immersive, context-aware interfaces across multiple vehicle segments and varied display domains remains a significant engineering challenge.

This collaboration addresses those complexities by pairing specialised software hardware with global engineering scale:

Basemark's Rocksolid Platform: Provides a high-performance software environment tailored for advanced HMI and AR development. The platform is designed to support modern development workflows, including artificial intelligence (AI)-assisted creation, modification, and debugging of HMI assets and application logic.

KPIT's Integration and Engineering Scale: Brings nearly two decades of automotive software expertise, having supported more than 20 million vehicles globally. KPIT provides end-to-end capabilities across infotainment, digital cockpits, connectivity, embedded platforms, systems integration, validation, and global delivery.

The Rocksolid Certified Partner Program is designed by Basemark to ensure that OEMs can execute high-volume, safety-critical HMI programs with verified partners who have demonstrated technical excellence on the platform.

Under the agreement, KPIT will directly leverage Rocksolid Studio and Rocksolid Engine to design and deploy integrated automotive software architectures, including advanced HMI, AR Head-Up Displays (HUD), digital cockpits, and multi-display experiences.

Tero Sarkkinen, Founder & CEO, Basemark, said, “KPIT becoming the first Rocksolid Certified Partner is an important milestone for the Rocksolid ecosystem. With KPIT’s automotive software expertise and delivery scale, OEMs can accelerate their journey from HMI concept to reliable series production.”

Omkar Panse, CTO, KPIT Technologies, added, “Our collaboration with Basemark strengthens our ability to help OEMs deliver advanced HMI experiences with production readiness and scale. By combining Rocksolid’s high-performance platform with our solutions, and software and systems expertise, we enable customers to deploy differentiated user experiences across vehicle programs efficiently.”

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German luxury automotive company Audi has officially introduced the Audi Nuvolari, its first-ever supercar featuring a high-performance hybrid powertrain. The company believes it is destined to become the fastest and most powerful production vehicle in the history of the brand. Production of the vehicle will be strictly limited to 499 units with customer deliveries scheduled to commence in the first half of 2027.

Named after the legendary, fearless pre-war racing driver Tazio Nuvolari, the pre-production prototype represents a monumental shift for the manufacturer. It serves as the pioneering production model to debut Audi’s brand-new, visceral design philosophy.

The technical core of the Audi Nuvolari features a complex hybrid system sporting four distinct drive units that push out a combined maximum system output of 736 kW (1,001 PS).

It uses a mid-mounted 4.0-litre V8 biturbo engine that generates 588 kW (800 hp) and 730 Nm of torque. Heavily derived from motorsports, it revs up to an impressive 10,000 rpm. The engine is further complemented by three axial flux electric motors, which include two oil-cooled axial flux motors on the front axle, outputting up to 2,150 Nm of torque and enabling fully variable torque vectoring. A third electric motor is sandwiched between the mid-mounted engine and the transmission. The system relies on a lithium-ion battery with a gross capacity of 7.3 kWh.

The Audi Nuvolari has a claimed acceleration of zero to 100 kmph in under 2.6 seconds, upto 200 kmph in 6.8 seconds and a top speed exceeding 350 kmph.

To safely manage extreme velocities, Audi worked closely with its Formula 1 drivers to refine the car's aerodynamics. The vehicle features an S-duct – a vented front end that channels air to increase front-axle downforce while reducing lift – and a deployable adaptive rear wing. The wing automatically morphs through three operational configurations: Closed (minimising drag), Low Downforce (LD) and High Downforce (HD).

In its peak HD setting, the aero package generates more than 400 kg of downforce. Drivers can also manually deploy a steering-wheel-mounted Drag Reduction System (DRS) on straights to lower the wing and bleed off drag.

Structurally, the supercar utilises the renowned Audi Space Frame (ASF) technology but pairs it with an all-carbon fibre exterior for the first time in brand history. Virtually all body panels are built using high-tech prepreg autoclave technology to ensure maximum rigidity with minimal mass. Forged centre-lock wheels also make their production debut on this vehicle.

Quattro Predictive Ride

The vehicle premieres quattro predictive ride, an advanced evolution of Audi's signature all-wheel-drive system. Using a highly responsive vehicle state model fed by real-time telemetry (including yaw rate, steering angles and grip levels), the car proactively calculates traction thresholds.

Before a tyres-slip event can occur in a corner, the car seamlessly modulates longitudinal and lateral torque vectoring, tweaks active aero downforce and applies targeted brake interventions to stabilise the chassis.

Through physical rotary dials on the steering wheel, drivers can select from four core modes, plus a dedicated track setting:

• E-Hybrid: For fully electric, emissions-free urban driving.
• Balanced: Prioritises everyday driving comfort, efficiency and baseline performance.
• Dynamic: Optimises throttle response and sharpens cornering precision.
• Dynamic+: Focuses the entire hybrid powertrain on delivering maximum emotional performance.
• Track Mode: Tailors traction control behaviour to specific track environments, allowing drivers to manually step settings across Wet, Dry, Race, or completely Traction Control Off (TC Off).

The Nuvolari employs a motorsport-derived brake-by-wire system with an energy absorption capability of up to 2.8 megawatts. It permits purely electric regeneration up to 0.3 g before seamlessly engaging its hydraulic anchors.

The physical hardware consists of the new Audi Ceramic Pro braking system, utilising Formula 1 long-fibre carbon brake discs and a custom internal cooling design that boosts thermal dissipation by 21 percent over conventional carbon-ceramic brakes. Massive 10-piston fixed calipers clamp down on 420x40 mm discs at the front axle, while 4-piston calipers handle 410x32 mm discs at the rear.

The cockpit layout strips away secondary digital clutter, keeping all vital human-machine interface (HMI) menus directly inside the driver's primary line of sight. The visual identity features anodised aluminium accents and premium lightweight carbon-fibre bucket seats.

The interior is cleverly split into two distinct colour zones: a dark, muted front cabin designed to optimise high-speed driving concentration and a lighter Shadow Dune layout in the rear.

In a historic nod to Audi's rich racing heritage, the colour accents utilised across the digital HMI screens are styled as a direct tribute to the legendary 1930s Auto Union Type C speed-record race cars.

Gernot Dollner, Chairman of the Board of Management, Audi AG, said, “With the Audi Nuvolari, we are accelerating technological progress. It shows what is possible when the focus is on technology, performance, and execution through teamwork – and when we achieve progress together.”

Rouven Mohr, CTO, Audi, added, “With the Audi Nuvolari, our entire team has once again demonstrated its technical expertise, innovative strength, and dedication. This is reflected not only in the vehicle’s performance and its Formula 1-inspired technologies, but also in the ability to transfer innovations quickly and precisely into a production vehicle.”

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French tier 1 supplier Valeo has expanded its presence in the electric vehicle ecosystem with the introduction of its advanced smart charging product range. The new lineup is being showcased at the Drive to Zero event at Paris Expo Porte de Versailles.

For the first time, the company is demonstrating its new Ineez AC charging station, which features native integration of bidirectional Vehicle-to-Grid (V2G) technology and the ISO 15118-20 communication protocol. The implementation transforms the traditional vehicle charging point into an active hub capable of optimising local energy flows and reducing user costs by allowing real-time interaction between electric vehicles and the power grid.

The core software and hardware architecture powering Valeo's V2G charging equipment utilises a technology platform originally engineered by IoTecha, which is now owned by Valeo.

This system combines updated communication networks with a cloud-based IoT.ON management platform to secure baseline interoperability between the EV, the charger and the local utility provider.

It utilises ISO 15118-20 protocol, which serves as a secure, universal digital interface between the vehicle and the hardware to guarantee ultra-secure data transfers and support bidirectional energy flows. Embedded software stacks allow for localised implementation of varying international grid codes, optimising hardware functionality according to specific geographic requirements.

The autocharge feature streamlines the consumer charging process by incorporating automatic, cardless user authentication upon plug-in. The bidirectional power flow enables electric vehicles to feed stored energy back into power grids or localised buildings during peak energy demand periods, serving as a functional tool for asset monetisation.

At the event, Valeo is exhibiting its full Ineez commercial portfolio, structured to target residential, commercial, industrial and fleet applications including – Smart Unidirectional (V1G) AC Stations, Advanced Bidirectional (V2G) AC Stations, Energy Management Systems and Ancillary Hardware.

Isabelle D’Ambrosio, Vice-President of Smart Mobility, Valeo, said, “At Valeo, we are combining our industrial excellence and software protocols, to make advanced energy flexibility both accessible and future-proof for our customers, expanding our reach beyond the traditional automotive technology. We are proud to present our latest Ineez AC charging station that offers Vehicle-to-grid technology as well as the latest communication protocol that secures a safe interface between the vehicle and the charging station.”

Oleg Logvinov, Founder, IoTecha, added, “As EV infrastructure becomes woven into the fabric of daily life – from the driveway to the highway – the potential for asset monetisation scales exponentially. IoTecha’s platform, now a part of Valeo’s global ecosystem, bridges the gap between simple charging and smart monetisation. We aren’t just charging vehicles; we are providing a one-stop shop to turn every EV into a high-performance revenue engine.”

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