Saietta Group, a specialist in Axial Flux Technology (AFT) electric motors and Padmini VNA, one of India’s premier Tier 1 automotive suppliers, have entered into a commercial agreement to develop new and exciting opportunities in India’s fast-growing electric two-wheel market.

With this partnership, the company aims to fast-track AFT in India.  Padmini’s customer base includes many of India’s revered two-wheeler OEMs, including Hero MotorCorp, TVS, Bajaj Auto and Royal Enfield.

Saietta’s innovative axial flux technology (AFT) is the ideal motor solution for the electrification of the Indian 100cc+ motorbike and last-mile transportation sector in mega-cities. AFT electric motors are designed to efficiently deliver high torque, high power and high efficiency at low voltage and low rpm.

Commenting on the new partnership, Wicher Kist, Chief Executive Officer at Saietta Group, said: “We are thrilled to be partnering with Padmini as we introduce our axial-flux motor technology to the strategically important Indian market. The Indian two, three and four-wheel mobility market is at a critical crossroads. It’s time for the democratisation of zero-emissions mobility in India, starting with their most popular form of mobility – motorbikes and scooters.

“Our axial-flux technology offers a winning combination of class-leading performance at the price required for the Indian market and is exceptionally durable and robust. This makes the AFT electric motors the go-to zero-emissions powertrain for 100cc+ motorbikes, the next sector that will go electric in India.

“We were introduced to Padmini VNA by the UK Government’s Department of International Trade and, from that moment onward, we knew we had found the right partner.”

Established in 1991, Padmini has grown into a leading Indian Tier 1 automotive supplier for OEMs worldwide, specialising in advancing and innovating emissions-reduction technologies. 

Kabir Bhandari, Managing Director and Founder of Padmini VNA, said, “We are super excited to bring our engineering and manufacturing capabilities, and with the Saietta AFT motors, we intend to develop an affordable and scalable ecosystem that will accelerate the adoption of electric mobility.”

The next generation in electric motor design

AFT is designed to deliver the power and torque required by 100cc+ two-wheelers at just 48V-120V. It’s liquid-cooled which means it has a significantly higher continuous power than air cooled e-motors in the hot and humid Indian ambient temperatures.

By being fully sealed, the AFT motors are totally protected from the elements and means that minimal maintenance is needed, reducing the cost of ownership.

Such is Saietta’s AFT motors; they are not only well-suited to two-wheel applications and present viable sustainable mobility solutions for three and four-wheel transport all the way up to trucks and buses, said the company. (MT)

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Greaves Cotton has appointed Santosh Singh as Chief Strategy and AI Officer. He will be based in Mumbai and will lead strategy, transformation, AI-led enterprise capability building and business excellence for the Greaves Cotton Group.

Singh comes with over two decades of experience in strategy, business excellence, innovation, and AI-led enterprise transformation. He joins Greaves Cotton from Tata Technologies (TTL), where he served as Global Head – Marketing and Business Excellence. During his tenure there, he co-led the enterprise GenAI roadmap and developed use cases focused on customer engagement and productivity.

His primary mandate is to drive the Greaves.NEXT strategy, the company’s roadmap for growth across the energy, mobility and industrial solutions sectors.

In his new role, Singh will focus on accelerating growth for Greaves Technologies (GTL), developing an enterprise-wide AI roadmap, and establishing partnerships with hyperscalers and AI labs.

Parag Satpute, Managing Director & Group CEO, Greaves Cotton, said, “We are pleased to welcome Santosh to the leadership team. His extensive expertise in strategy, digital transformation, and AI will play a significant role in shaping Greaves’ next phase of growth. His global experience will further strengthen our innovation roadmap and support our long-term business priorities.”

Singh will also work across business units to incubate and scale growth vectors and lead business excellence initiatives.

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Luminar Technologies, Inc., a global technology company advancing safety, security and autonomy across various sectors, has announced it has agreed to sell its wholly owned subsidiary, Luminar Semiconductor, Inc. (LSI), to Quantum Computing Inc. (QCi) for USD 110 million in an all-cash transaction.

QCi is an integrated photonics and quantum optics technology company focused on photonics-driven technologies and sensing applications. LSI's innovation platform and engineering depth align with QCi’s strategic priorities in optical systems, chip-scale innovation and photonic architectures. The acquisition is expected to position LSI to grow and capitalise on the demand for photonics solutions.

Paul Ricci, CEO, Luminar, said, "We are pleased to partner with QCi as they continue to accelerate their photonics roadmap. QCi’s focus on photonics-driven technologies provides an aligned platform for LSI to expand its customer base, accelerate growth opportunities, and invest in markets where long-term demand for high-reliability optical systems is increasing. We are incredibly proud of the LSI team for the progress they have made to reach this milestone, and we are excited for the opportunities ahead for LSI under QCi’s ownership.”

Yuping Huang, CEO, Quantum Computing Inc, said, "I’m excited about the opportunity to partner with the exceptional team and valued customers of LSI. There is clear strategic alignment and shared vision between our organizations, creating strong momentum from day one. Following the closing, we will move quickly to invest in and scale LSI’s existing business, while bringing our teams together to accelerate our quantum photonics roadmap. This is a powerful combination, and I’m energized by what we will achieve together.”

In a separate announcement, Luminar announced that it has initiated voluntary chapter 11 cases in the U.S. Bankruptcy Court for the Southern District of Texas. LSI is not a debtor in the chapter 11 cases and is operating in the ordinary course. Because LSI is a subsidiary of Luminar, the transaction will require the approval of the bankruptcy court via a Section 363 sale process, which the parties expect to receive by the end of January 2026, subject to closing conditions.

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Chinese technology company Neusoft Corporation and Mappls MapmyIndia have signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to leverage their strengths in software and data resources to collaborate deeply.

The companies will engage in joint technological development, ecosystem collaboration and resource integration to provide navigation products and intelligent mobility solutions tailored to localised needs in emerging markets such as Southeast Asia and India.

The partnership is a response to the fact that while global auto brands are expanding into Southeast Asia and India, they face challenges in these regions due to complex road conditions, unique traffic rules, extensive addressing systems and high localisation adaptation costs. These issues limit the ability of automakers to deliver a complete intelligent user experience.

Under the collaboration, Neusoft will adopt its OneCoreGo Global Intelligent Mobility Solution 6.0 Plus as the core technology carrier, deeply integrating MapmyIndia's map data, real-time traffic information and multi-dimensional value-added services. MapmyIndia is noted as the largest local mapping company in India, holding more than 90 percent market share in in-vehicle navigation.

The integration is intended to strengthen a full capability loop of ‘navigation + payment + interaction + connectivity + operations’.

Through API integration and technological convergence, the two parties will jointly develop navigation products and mobility solutions highly adapted to Southeast Asia, India and similar regional markets. These solutions will deliver precise route planning and real-time traffic guidance, address local user needs and continuously enhance product experience and scenario-based services. This will help automotive partners rapidly launch intelligent vehicle models with competitiveness in local markets.

The partnership enables Neusoft to combine the global end-to-end strengths of its solution with localised ecosystem resources, paving the ‘last mile’ for automakers entering the Southeast Asian and Indian markets and delivering comprehensive intelligent mobility experiences.

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Bengaluru-based electric vehicle maker Ultraviolette Automotive has secured USD 45 million from Zoho Corporation and Lingotto, one of Europe's investment management companies as part of its ongoing Series E investment round.

The investment from Zoho Corporation was led by Sridhar Vembu, Mani Vembu and Kumar Vembu.

This growth capital will accelerate the domestic and international scale-up of current products F77 and X-47, as well as future product platforms Shockwave and Tesseract.

Ultraviolette has built a design and technology-led enterprise with the F77 and the recently launched X-47.

The company has expanded to 30 cities across India in a short span of 12 months and is expanding to 100 cities by mid-2026. The F77 motorcycles were recently launched in the United Kingdom, bringing Ultraviolette's presence to 12 countries across Europe.

Narayan Subramaniam, Co-Founder & CEO, Ultraviolette Automotive, said, “We are glad to announce our Series E investment from Zoho and Lingotto. Lingotto's legacy of backing iconic performance and mobility brands, combined with Zoho's long-term commitment to fostering cutting-edge Indian innovation, aligns perfectly with Ultraviolette's mission to build category-defining electric mobility solutions for India and global markets.”

Niraj Rajmohan, CTO & Co-Founder, Ultraviolette, said, "With the ongoing Series E investments, we are doubling down on growth and expanding our production to meet increasing demand. Our focus is on advancing breakthrough battery technology, elevating performance capabilities and expanding production to support upcoming product platforms. This investment will accelerate our journey towards scaling into India and global markets."

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