As per a recent post on X (earlier Twitter) by China’s official newspaper Global Times where it shared a list of world’s top 10 nations in terms of their manufacturing output, India ranked among the top five with a manufacturing value add of USD 456 billion. 

Not forgetting to underscore China as the world’s manufacturing powerhouse, the post is of importance because of the nation where it originates from. China is not only a neighbour of India, it is also the largest trading partner with USD 118.4 billion two-way commerce in FY2023-24, according to the economic think tank GTRI’s data.

China’s per capita GDP USD 12,174 in 2023 as compared to the per capita of India at USD 2,239 USD. Against this economic difference, it is interesting that China’s newspaper has in its post acknowledged India’s rising manufacturing prowess. 

This is certain to change the way India as well as its manufacturing sector is perceived. There are tailwinds and plenty of headwinds the Indian manufacturing sector continues to experience. Its performance is however a reflection of its abilities and grit. 

The manufacturing sector in India is emerging as an integral pillar of the country’s economic growth. The key industries that are contributing to its stellar performance are auto, chemicals, consumer durables and engineering. 

The manufacturing sector’s consistent performance as also indicated by the PMI figures. With government policies and changing world markets – not to exclude geopolitical and regulatory challenges for industries like auto in particular – an important factor is the rise of respective sector, there’s clearly more to be done. 

With that, it wouldn’t take long to move up the ladder. 

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Tata Motors, one of the leading commercial vehicle manufacturers, has reached a new innovation peak, filing 144 patent applications in FY2025-26, which it claims is the highest annual count ever recorded by its commercial vehicles (CV) division.

The surge in intellectual property activity reflects the company’s shift toward ‘future-ready’ technologies. Beyond traditional mechanical engineering, the new filings focus heavily on sustainable mobility, including electric vehicle (EV) architectures and hydrogen-based internal combustion engines (H2-ICE).

In addition to the record-breaking patent applications, the company expanded its broader IP footprint, which includes 21 design applications and 35 copyright applications; secured 15 new patent grants during the year and now holds a total of over 650 granted patents.

The engineering teams have focused their innovation efforts on four core pillars: Vehicle Safety – advanced driver assistance and structural integrity, Reliability – enhancing the lifecycle of heavy-duty components, Total Cost of Ownership (TCO) – optimising fuel/energy efficiency to improve profitability for fleet operators. And Occupant Comfort – ergonomic and cabin climate innovations for long-haul drivers.

A significant portion of the recent innovation is tied to Tata Motors' leadership in the hydrogen ecosystem. In February 2026, the company signed an MoU with the V.O. Chidambaranar Port Authority to deploy 40 hydrogen-powered heavy-duty trucks (Tata Prima 55-tonne).  

The patent filings support a multi-fuel strategy, encompassing Battery Electric Vehicles (BEVs), Hydrogen ICE, and Hydrogen Fuel Cell technologies, as confirmed by Chairman N Chandrasekaran earlier this month.

Aniruddha Kulkarni, Vice-President and Head of Engineering, Tata Motors, said, “Innovation is at the heart of everything we do at Tata Motors Commercial Vehicles. The record number of patent applications filed in FY26 is a testament to the passion, creativity, and technical excellence of our engineering teams. It reinforces our vision of establishing Tata Motors as a global benchmark for innovation in commercial mobility. As we look ahead, we remain committed to harnessing our innovation capabilities to serve the long-term interests of our customers, communities, and the nation.”

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MathWorks has announced Release 2026a (R2026a) of MATLAB and Simulink, headlined by the introduction of AI-powered ‘copilots’ designed to streamline embedded systems development and software verification.

The release focuses on ‘grounded AI’ – integrating generative AI directly into existing engineering environments to improve productivity without compromising the rigour and traceability required for complex systems.

MathWorks is expanding its AI ecosystem by embedding assistants into specific development stages. The Simulink Copilot is for model-based design, it provides context-aware guidance by generating model explanations, answering behaviour-related questions and helping users navigate complex subsystems.

Polyspace Copilot assists in interpreting static analysis results. It helps engineers understand coding vulnerabilities and suggests remedies based on Polyspace analysis findings.

MATLAB Copilot now integrated into MATLAB Test to help engineers generate starter tests and equivalence tests from command history.

Beyond AI assistants, R2026a introduces new products and workflows for software quality:

Polyspace as You Code: A new tool for C and C++ developers that identifies defects and security vulnerabilities in real-time as code is written.

Polyspace Enhancements: Includes a new unified desktop application and ‘software-sanitising’ capabilities in Polyspace Test for dynamic analysis of runtime errors.

Simulink FMU Builder: A new standalone product that creates Functional Mockup Units (FMUs) to facilitate model exchange and integration across different simulation environments.

Avinash Nehemiah, Head of Product Management, MathWorks, said, “In engineering design and software verification, productivity improvements cannot come at the expense of rigor, traceability, or trust. MathWorks is committed to delivering grounded AI tools that help teams move faster while preserving the discipline required to develop complex engineered systems.”

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Battery Smart (Upgrid Solutions) has raised USD 15 million in debt funding from Mirova, a sustainable investment affiliate of Natixis Investment Managers.

The facility is intended to accelerate the expansion of the company’s Battery-as-a-Service (BaaS) infrastructure across India. The capital will specifically support the growth of partner-led swap stations in urban and semi-urban markets, enhancing service for high-usage segments such as last-mile delivery and passenger mobility.

Since launching its first station in New Delhi in 2020, Battery Smart has developed one of India's largest battery-swapping networks. It has setup more than 1,600 stations across 50 cities, wherein EV drivers can swap a depleted battery for a fully charged one in approximately two minutes, significantly reducing the downtime associated with traditional plug-in charging. By separating battery costs from vehicle ownership, the model reduces upfront vehicle purchase prices and improves daily earnings for gig economy drivers.

This transaction marks Mirova’s third investment in the Indian market, following previous commitments to companies like Revfin. The investment is part of Mirova's broader strategy to support high-impact climate solutions in emerging economies.

Pulkit Khurana, Founder and CEO, Battery Smart, said, “This financing marks an important step for us as we continue to scale our battery-as-a-service network across India. With Mirova’s support, we aim to accelerate network expansion and further our focus on making electric mobility more accessible, affordable, and inclusive for drivers across the country.”

Priyanka Mehrotra, Investment Director, Mirova, added, “This transaction marks our third investment in India, thus reflecting continued commitment to supporting high-impact climate solutions in emerging markets. We are pleased to support the next phase of Battery Smart’s growth, rooted in a scalable and operationally efficient model that addresses both environmental and economic challenges, particularly in last-mile mobility.”

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China-headquartered PATEO Connect Technology has announced two major strategic partnerships – AUMOVIO and NVIDIA – during the Beijing International Automotive Exhibition, focusing on the global expansion of artificial general intelligence (AGI) and high-performance computing in the automotive sector.

The leading Chinese provider of intelligent vehicle connectivity solutions, specialising in AI-enabled, cloud-based infotainment, Operating Systems (PATEO OS) and hardware for automakers

PATEO entered into a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with AUMOVIO Holding China Co. The parties intend to jointly develop cross-domain integration and AGI technologies. The agreement focuses on leveraging high-computing SoC platforms and integrated cockpit-driving domain controllers for R&D. It will utilise global supply chains, OEM resources and manufacturing capabilities. Promoting Software-Defined Vehicle (SDV) domain control and AGI automotive application projects.

The partnership aims to establish a ‘channel + product’ alliance, combining joint investment with technology collaboration to address future market demands for intelligent mobility.

PATEO also confirmed deep collaborations with NVIDIA and a leading New Energy Vehicle (NEV) OEM. To address the demand for computing power in Level 3 and Level 4 autonomous driving, PATEO is developing on-vehicle solutions powered by the NVIDIA DRIVE AGX Thor platform.

As per the understanding, the partnership will implement PATEO’s AI Box on the NVIDIA platform to support vehicle-side deployment of next-generation models. PATEO has received a nomination for a model project representing an integrated ‘software and hardware’ solution. The project marks a commercial application coupling ByteDance's general large model with PATEO’s edge model.

PATEO and its partners have initiated deployment for vehicle-side scenarios, including physical AI, AI agents, and AI emotional agents. The company is also exploring business models such as computing power charging and vehicle-mounted tokens billing.

As automotive intelligence shifts toward being ‘AI-defined,’ PATEO said it continues to execute its ‘AI + Globalisation’ strategy, transitioning large-scale models from verification to mass production.

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