Returning for the 2025 season and 75th anniversary year this weekend, the Formula 1 sport has released a round-up on the progress made towards its sustainability and social commitments last year. In the form of 2024 Impact Report, which will be released later this year, the progress made towards its sustainability and social commitments with Net Zero as the goal for 2030, the Formula 1 sport has – on the environmental front – made significant investments in Sustainable Aviation Fuel (SAF) as part of its ultra-efficient logistics strategy. 
It has invested significantly in SAF as it delivers an estimated 80 percent reduction in associated carbon emissions per flight compared to the use of conventional aviation fuel. The combined investment in SAF with Global Partners DHL and Qatar Airways reduced total related emissions by more than 8,000 tCO2e (tonnes of carbon dioxide equivalent), an approximate 19 percent reduction in related emissions– compared to traditional aviation fuel – for the air freight charter programme operated by Formula 1 across the flyaway events of the 2024 season.
The delivery of innovative low-carbon energy generation systems using renewable sources such as hydrotreated vegetable oil (HVO), biofuel, solar panels, and battery began testing in 2023. Last year, they were used at the Red Bull Ring, the Hungarian Grand Prix and the Italian Grand Prix in Monza. For the 2025 season, a programme will be rolled out to reduce more than 90 percent of carbon emissions at all European Grands Prix in key areas such as the Paddock, Pit Lane, and Event Technical Centre. 
As part of the sport’s ongoing efforts to reduce carbon emissions associated with travel and logistics, improvements were made to the geographical flow of races around the world in 2024. This included agreement from the Promoter in Japan to move the Suzuka race back from September to April to fit with the Asia Pacific segment of the schedule, while Azerbaijan took its slot to align with Singapore. The organisers of the Qatar Grand Prix also approved a move to the penultimate spot in the schedule, back-to-back with Abu Dhabi. From 2026 the Canadian Grand Prix will be hosted earlier in the year and the Monaco Grand Prix will take place on the first full weekend in June, consolidating the European leg of the F1 season into one period, removing an additional transatlantic crossing and delivering significant associated carbon reductions. 
Last year, F2 and F3 cars ran on 55 percent Aramco advanced sustainable fuel and the FIA medical and safety cars operated on 40 percent of it. In 2025, the F2 and F3 cars will move to 100 percent use of it, ahead of the Formula 1 cars adopting the fuels in 2026 in the new hybrid engines that will take to the circuit next year. 
The technology has implications for the automotive industry and existing petrol cars, as the fuel developed by Formula 1 will be a ‘drop-in’ that can be used in road cars without modification and will serve as a sustainable alternative of global benefit. 
Throughout the 2024 season, the cars all operated with FSC approved Pirelli tyres, which means the natural rubber in the type complies with the FSC’s strict standards for sustainable forestry. Some 80 percent of promoters powered aspects of their events using alternative energy sources such as solar panels, green tariffs, and biofuels. Over 90 precent of promoters began offering greener ways to travel to the race.
On the social commitments front, the Formula 1 sport – in 2024 season – marked the fourth year of its F1 Engineering Scholarships programme, which would support 50 underrepresented students by the end of 2025. The Scholarship covers the entire cost of the student’s tuition, together with living expenses for the full duration of their degree, enabling them to focus on their studies. It also offers them support to set them up for their careers, including work experience with one of the ten Formula 1 teams, as well as career workshops and mentoring. 
Formula 1 also launched the global education programme ‘Learning Sectors’ in collaboration with the British Council to inspire young learners in Brazil, India, South Africa, and the UK to pursue STEM subjects. The year long programme kicks off this year with 130,000 students in 700 schools. 
F1 Academy, the sport’s female-only series, competed alongside Formula 1 at seven events last year, completing 21 races. Through F1 Academy’s partnership with the international karting series, Champions of the Future, female participation in racing increased from five percent in 2023 to 25 percent in 2024. 
The sport also continued with hosting apprenticeships and workshops, such as The Next Grand Prix challenge in association with the Social Mobility Business Partnership (SMBP) charity, which challenges students aged between 16 and 18 from a breadth of backgrounds to assume a business leadership role and deliver a fictional bid for a new Formula One World Championship location. 
Ellen Jones, Head of ESG at Formula 1, said, “Innovation and community drove Formula 1's work in 2024. We are thrilled to outline our progress and continued work in this space. Formula 1 as a sport is uniquely positioned to take action through our global reach and technological leadership.”
 
 
 

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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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  - Paul Fijnvandraat March 30, 2026 10:56 AM

  Dear Giovanni, It’s great to see everything coming together under your strong leadership. I’m confident you'll not only meet this target but exceed it. I look forward to continuing our powerful co‑creation partnership with this new structure.

  Reply

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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