NXP Semiconductors has introduced the SAF8444, an automotive radar system-on-chip designed to enable advanced driver assistance systems (ADAS) processing on the sensor itself.

Manufactured using 28-nanometre RFCMOS technology, the single-chip solution operates across the 76–81 GHz automotive radar band to support short-, medium- and long-range sensing. The chip is intended for vehicle platforms, including electric vehicles, where it reduces system costs by simplifying thermal management and vehicle integration.

The system addresses entry-level and economy vehicle lines by integrating hardware components to lower overall bill-of-materials costs. It combines an Arm Cortex-A53 applications processor, an Arm Cortex-M7 real-time core, and NXP’s proprietary Signal Processing Toolbox radar accelerator with digital signal processor support. This architecture allows perception-level processing to occur directly on the radar sensor, reducing the data-load reliance on centralised vehicle compute resources.

The technology is optimised for standard automated safety functions, including adaptive cruise control, autonomous emergency braking, blind-spot detection and park assist. To meet safety criteria such as the Euro NCAP 2030 requirements, which include low-light pedestrian detection, the chip fuses camera and radar data.

Additionally, it features a dual-threaded accelerator to run anti-jamming algorithms and mitigate radio frequency interference in congested environments.

NXP supports the device with an enablement ecosystem that includes radar software development kits, safety frameworks, security components, power management integrated circuits, and networking solutions.

Meindert van den Beld, Senior Vice-President and General Manager, Radar & ADAS, NXP Semiconductors, said, “SAF8444 strengthens our one-chip radar portfolio with a solution that balances performance, power efficiency, and cost. It allows customers to meet tightening safety requirements while reducing system cost—an essential step toward democratizing ADAS adoption.”

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German technology company Bosch has officially introduced its third-generation Silicon Carbide (SiC) semiconductors to the Indian market. The strategic rollout targets the next phase of India's electric vehicle (EV) expansion, shifting the market focus from early adoption toward cost efficiency, longer ranges, and mass-market scaling.

Silicon carbide technology has become a cornerstone of modern EV drivetrains, acting as the primary control mechanism for energy flow within the power electronics system – specifically the inverter. By optimising the conversion of direct current (DC) from the battery into alternating current (AC) for the electric motor, SiC chips directly dictate a vehicle's overall electrical efficiency.

The Gen 3 SiC chips bring several structural and performance improvements over legacy silicon and previous-generation components by delivering around 20 percent higher performance, enabling electric vehicles to achieve extended driving ranges without requiring automakers to increase physical battery pack sizes.

The SiC chips are manufactured using an advanced substrate, which reduces switching energy losses and improves thermal performance. This allows for less complex, more lightweight cooling architectures within the engine bay.

Enhanced miniaturisation allows Bosch to harvest more individual chips per semiconductor wafer, lowering manufacturing cost barriers and making advanced power electronics financially viable for mass-market budget EVs, two-wheelers and commercial fleets.

To date, Bosch has delivered more than 60 million SiC chips worldwide. The multinational engineering firm continues to funnel billions of euros into expanding its global semiconductor fabrication plants to reinforce supply line resilience against global automotive chip shortages.

By introducing the third-generation lineup locally, Bosch aims to establish an end-to-end semiconductor ecosystem in India, backing the government's localized advanced manufacturing and vehicle electrification goals.

Sandeep Nelamangala, Joint Managing Director, Bosch and President of Bosch Mobility India, said, “Our advanced SiC technology is designed to deliver the tangible benefits that Indian consumers demand - longer driving range, faster charging, and lower long-term costs. By making high-efficiency power electronics more accessible, we are helping to unlock the full potential of the EV market, making clean, efficient mobility a reality for everyone in India."

Markus Heyn, Member of the Bosch Board of Management, and Chairman, Bosch Mobility business sector, said, “Our ambition is clear: we want to be a globally leading manufacturer of SiC chips. With our next generation SiC chips, we are helping our customers put even more powerful and efficient electric vehicles onto the road.”

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BYD India, a subsidiary of the world’s largest New Energy Vehicle (NEV) manufacturer, has showcased its DM-i (Dual Mode Intelligent) plug-in hybrid technology in India. Positioned as a transitional bridge between internal combustion engines and pure battery electric vehicles (BEVs), the incoming powertrain technology targets long-haul efficiency with a combined cruising range exceeding 1,200 km.

With a global plug-in hybrid history starting with the F3DM in 2008, BYD has amassed over 8 million cumulative PHEV sales, capturing a 35 percent global market share in the segment. The technology's introduction in India is intended to expand BYD's domestic portfolio beyond its current pure-EV lineup, which serves a growing base of 14,000 customers via 48 showrooms across 40 cities.

Unlike conventional hybrids that rely on a petrol engine as the primary mover with electric motors acting as secondary support, BYD's DM-i architecture reverses this layout to operate as an Electric-First system.

The vehicle relies primarily on battery power across everyday urban commutes. The petrol engine operates secondary to propulsion, working as a silent generator to maintain battery state-of-charge or engaging directly only during high-load, high-speed scenarios.

The system manages energy distribution via three intelligent operating modes:

• EV Mode: The vehicle relies entirely on the electric motor and battery pack, mimicking a standard BEV for zero-emission city driving.
• HEV ‘Series’ Mode: For mid-range driving, the onboard engine acts strictly as a generator, supplying electricity to charge the battery while the electric motor continues to turn the wheels.
• HEV ‘Parallel’ Mode: Under heavy acceleration or high-speed cruising, the petrol engine mechanically couples to the drivetrain, providing direct propulsion to the wheels alongside the electric motor.

The DM-i platform pairs advanced electric motor hardware with a highly specialised internal combustion engine optimised for thermal cycling:

• Xiaoyun 1.5L Engine: The platform utilises a dedicated 1.5-litre naturally aspirated petrol engine that achieves an industry-leading thermal efficiency of 43.04 percent.
• Super Hybrid Blade Battery: Power is stored in a specialised iteration of BYD's proprietary Lithium Iron Phosphate (LFP) Blade Battery, engineered for structural safety, puncture resistance and high thermal stability.
• Fuel Economy: Under standard test conditions, the powertrain achieves a low consumption rate of 4.8-litre per 100 km (approximately 20.8 kmpl).
• Acceleration: The Electric Hybrid System (EHS) delivers seamless, single-speed acceleration, enabling a zero to 100 kmph sprint time of under 5.5 seconds in its high-performance configurations.

Initially entering India in 2007 to build electric buses and commercial chassis, BYD India has scaled its passenger vehicle presence with models including the e6, Atto 3, Seal, eMax 7 and Sealion 7. The company supports its local assembly operations through two manufacturing facilities spanning over 140,000 square meters, representing an investment of more than USD 200 million.

Rajeev Chauhan, Head of the Electric Passenger Vehicles Business, BYD India, said, "The introduction of DM-i technology marks a pivotal step in our commitment to making sustainable mobility more versatile and accessible for Indian consumers. By enabling electric-first driving for daily use while seamlessly supporting long-distance travel, DM-i addresses some of the most pressing barriers to the adoption of sustainable motoring in India. With this innovation, we are bringing a new technology to Indian consumers, and also shaping a smarter, more flexible pathway towards sustainable transportation."

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Astemo Americas, Inc. has announced its collaboration with NVIDIA as a DRIVE Hyperion Tier-1 partner. The company will focus on developing electronic control units (ECUs) utilising dual NVIDIA DRIVE AGX Thor systems-on-a-chip (SoCs) to support the automotive industry's ongoing shift toward software-defined, Level 4-ready autonomous vehicles.

NVIDIA DRIVE Hyperion serves as a production-ready reference architecture and ecosystem designed to help automakers streamline the deployment of highly automated and fully autonomous driving technologies.

Astemo Americas' engineering integration focuses on building a dual-SoC compute engine capable of handling the severe data workloads required by next-generation vehicle platforms. The collaboration pairs specialised high-performance artificial intelligence (AI) computing with optimised thermal and power management.

The partnership expands Astemo Americas' traditional footprint as a tier-one component supplier, shifting it into a primary integration partner for advanced autonomous system infrastructure. By combining its existing background in electric powertrains, active chassis systems and engine management with NVIDIA’s AI processing units, the company aims to provide global automakers with scalable, production-ready central computing nodes that bridge the gap between experimental development and high-volume vehicle production.

Mathieu Devillard, Executive Vice-President and Head of the Electrification Business Division, Astemo, said, “Astemo’s electrification and software-defined vehicle capabilities are central to where mobility is headed. By joining the NVIDIA DRIVE Hyperion ecosystem, we can help accelerate the development of advanced autonomous vehicle technologies while supporting automakers with scalable, cost-effective solutions.”

Rishi Dhall, Vice-President – Automotive, NVIDIA, added, “As a DRIVE Hyperion Tier-1 ecosystem partner developing dual NVIDIA DRIVE AGX Thor ECUs for automotive OEMs, Astemo is helping bring scalable autonomous driving platforms closer to production.”

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American technology company Lucid Group has announced the commercial rollout of its latest over-the-air (OTA) software update for the Lucid Gravity SUV. The digital update introduces hands-free driving functionality alongside upgraded navigation capabilities, thermal management indicators and active headlight technology.

The cornerstone of the software package is the deployment of hands-free driving capabilities through the DreamDrive 2 Pro hardware and software suite. The Hands-Free Drive Assist feature manages active steering, acceleration and braking inputs on pre-mapped, compatible divided highways across North America. The system enforces continuous driver attention monitoring to ensure safety compliance.

By activating the turn signal indicator, drivers can trigger Hands-Free Lane Change, allowing the vehicle's sensor suite to guide the SUV into an adjacent lane once an appropriate gap is verified. Furthermore, the system includes Automatic Lane Change, which can independently initiate passing manoeuvres to overtake slower traffic flow.

The update replaces legacy point-of-interest data with an integrated Google Maps Places API directly inside the native Lucid Navigation interface.

The software patch provides contextual search results, allowing operators to view real-time business ratings, hours, crowdsourced photographs and localised parking data. For electric vehicle (EV) route planning, charging station listings now populate with real-time stall availability metrics and recent user imagery to verify site conditions.

Furthermore, to optimise charging efficiency, the instrument cluster adds two transparency tools:

• Advanced Preconditioning View: Displays real-time traction battery pack temperature metrics as it prepares for high-speed DC fast charging.
• Predictive Charging Power: Forecasts the exact peak kilowatt (kW) charging performance the vehicle will accept before the driver plugs into a charging station.

The update is available for Lucid Gravity trims outfitted with DreamDrive Premium and DreamDrive 2 Pro, it activates Adaptive Driving Beam functionality. The matrix headlight technology improves low-light visibility by maintaining high-beam illumination across dark roads while utilising dynamic dimming zones to automatically mask out surrounding oncoming vehicles, preventing glare for other drivers.

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