Innovation and sustainability in design took centerstage at the 19th Styling & Design Conclave 2025 organised by the Society of Indian Automobile Manufacturers (SIAM). The event saw participation from designers and professionals from organisation such as Hero MotoCorp, Maruti Suzuki India, Honda Motorcycle & Scooter India, Stratasys and Autodesk among others.

G Sathiyaseelan, Chairman, SIAM Styling and Design Group and Vice-President, Ashok Leyland, shared his views on empathetic, inspirational and innovative approach towards technology and design,

Anuj Prasad, CEO and Founder, Desmania, expressed confidence in the bright future for automotive designers.

The event saw speakers acknowledging that automotive styling has become an old word, while design and sustainability are the modern buzzwords that indicate the direction in which the automotive sector must head.

“The level of design happening in India holds tremendous potential. We are at the threshold of a new era in design and innovation. Today, international organisations are looking to India for designs that cater to both local and global markets. Automotive design will help build the nation in a responsible manner,” said Prasad.

Prashant Banerjee, Executive Director, SIAM stated that “Indian automotive designs today are as good as Italian designs.”

Samarth Gupta, Senior Technical Specialist & Mobility Lead APAC, Autodesk, said, “Everyone wants to own a vehicle because it is an expression of independence. The urban population landscape is changing due to climate change. New developments in geopolitics and the evolution of consumers’ trends and preferences are impacting the mobility landscape. We will need to evolve our auto design thinking amidst disruptions.”

Teofilo Plaza Garcia, Industrial Studio Head, Hero MotoCorp, said “Motorsports-based designs can be used for road-based vehicles, as indicated through Hero XPulse 210. These vehicles will no longer be as expensive as before.”

Rahul Pandita, Regional Head, Stratasys, stated that 3D block printing is a useful technique that has helped companies like McLaren bring racing designs to life quickly. “As design processes such as 3D block printing decrease the time taken, companies can quickly decipher whether a design is feasible or not,” said Pandita.

Dinesh Raman, Director, Transportation Design, KISKA Shanghai, opined that “As the years go by, greater use of AI will be made for design, thereby freeing up time for creative pursuits by automotive designers.”

VS Deka, Group Manager, Royal Enfield, said, “AI innovation is coming into our lives and we need to adopt the evolving technology. AI can be customised through training and then be scaled up as per requirements.”

Ferdinand Klauser, Global Partner & MD, Asia, KISKA Shanghai said, “India has a lot of potential in bringing about the transformation in mobility designing landscape.”

He also mentioned that though the future is unpredictable, it is possible to plan for it by understanding that consumer needs are transforming faster than the market.

Professor Kaustuv Sengupta of NIFT Chennai, stated, “Colour represents around 20 percent of the design language. Every 300 miles in our country, you see a new colour context. Human beings see a small spectrum of colours. Colours affect us psychologically. We see what we want to see.”

Rajesh Gogu, Vice-President (Design), Maruti Suzuki India, revealed that the company decided to create a completely new design for the fourth generation of the Dzire. The design became a success despite a 55 percent market share for SUVs.

“The trends on the road are changing, as demand for sedans have reduced while that of SUVs have grown. Designing can reinvent declining segments or products to make them popular again. Innovation is not just about technology, it is also about shape, form, aerodynamics, performance and more. We can design our vehicles that can reduce the carbon footprint offering better fuel efficiency and value to customers,” averred Gogu.

While describing the role of AI in automotive designing, Harikrishnan AK, Delivery Manager, TCS Design, said, “AI image generators can be used for inspiration, exploration and for happy accidents but there are challenges of confidentiality and originality. We need to harness the full potential of AI by customisation and fine-tuning.”

Speaking about designing in the commercial vehicle segment, Pravin Gaikwad, Head of CV Design, Tata Motors, said, “We have adopted multi-powertrain strategy. It is possible for the form to get you the trust of the customer. Form is actually helping us to define many ideas. We are leveraging tech intelligence like telematics to design something very unique.”

He shared an insight on how Tata Motors was using space intelligence as a new design direction for making Tata Prima trucks and a new space-saving concept called Tata YU.

The SIAM Styling and Design Conclave also presented automotive design students of MIT (Maharashtra Institute of Technology), ADYPU (Ajeenkya DY Patil University) and NID (National Institute of Design) an opportunity to present their design prototypes. Vedant Barve, a student at MIT, won the first prize for an electric cruiser scooter concept.

“When we began, India had only two design schools. Today, there are over 1,500 design schools producing a strong talent pool for automotive design. We need to be transformative and move toward defining automotive design that is human-centric and sustainable,” added Prasad of Desmania.

“To make India into a global design hub, change that helps India use aspects of its culture while competing at a global level is needed in the academic curriculum,” concluded Sumer Singh, Associate Professor, IIT Delhi.

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Chinese technology company InfiMotion presented its latest electric drive technologies at the 5th International Forum on Automotive Power Systems held in Songjiang. The event gathered industry experts to discuss the theme of ‘dual carbon drive, diversified win-win.’

The company showcased a dual motor assembly featuring a magnesium aluminium alloy shell, which it identifies as a world first for mass production. The assembly uses a patented 360-degree bidirectional, full oil cooling technology for heat dissipation. According to the organisation, the magnesium aluminium alloy housing reduces weight by 25 percent compared to traditional aluminium versions while maintaining hardness, aiding vehicle range and energy consumption.

InfiMotion also showcased magnetic field adjustable motors, which is intended to reduce no-load drag losses and optimise power consumption.

Furthermore, it also displayed ultra-high speed motors capable of 36,000rpm for high-performance applications and 9-in-1 electronic control units designed to integrate power domain control and reduce drive weight.

During the forum, Xu Zhe, a technology expert at InfiMotion, delivered a speech titled ‘The Era Wave of Cross Integration of Electric Drive Calibration and Data Science.’

The presentation addressed the integration of product technology with data science during the research and development process.

The exhibition resulted in exchanges between InfiMotion and several domestic and international enterprises regarding the production and application of future power systems.

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Bengaluru-headquartered AI fleet safety and performance solutions company Netradyne has announced the acquisition of Moove Connected Mobility, a European fleet intelligence and mobility company with presence across European markets.

The acquisition is part of Netradyne’s expansion and its strategy for the European region. By combining Netradyne’s platform with Moove’s presence, customer relationships and experience, the company aims to serve customers across the continent.

Moove will join Netradyne Europe, serving as a hub for regional sales, customer engagement, partnerships and market development. This structure allows Netradyne to increase growth in Europe while remaining close to customers, regulators, and partners.

Avneesh Agrawal, CEO and Co‑Founder, Netradyne, said, “Europe is a critical pillar of our global strategy. This acquisition reflects a clear commitment to building long‑term presence, leadership, and trust in the region. By bringing together Moove’s local expertise and relationships with Netradyne’s AI platform, we are uniquely positioned to support European fleets at scale while staying deeply anchored in the region.”

Moove’s leadership team has experience in the European regulatory and operational landscape for mobility. Jeroen Bruinooge, Former CEO of Moove Connected Mobility, will become SVP & GM, Europe at Netradyne. He will lead the European strategy, partnerships and customer success.

The teams will focus on solutions to help fleet operators with safety outcomes, driver performance, and operational insights. The acquisition also increases Netradyne’s ability to support customers seeking a platform across North America, Europe, and Asia. This move is part of Netradyne’s mission to build an AI company with investment in the markets it serves.

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Italian technology company Brembo has announced that its intelligent braking platform, Sensify, has entered commercial production for a major global vehicle manufacturer. The system is being fitted as standard across the entirety of the vehicles in the initial programme, representing the platform's first full industrial deployment.

Sensify is designed as a fluid-free architecture that replaces centralised hydraulic circuits with distributed intelligence at the wheel level. This design allows for the precision control, wherein the system enables continuous and accurate modulation of braking forces to maintain vehicle stability in variable driving conditions. The platform integrates with software-defined vehicle architectures, allowing manufacturers to deploy advanced functions across different vehicle segments. It is engineered to be adaptable with the technology supporting a range of applications from driver assistance systems to fully autonomous vehicles.

Following this production milestone, Brembo has secured additional contracts with new customers for the Sensify platform. The company expects to equip hundreds of thousands of vehicles annually, moving toward large-scale deployment of by-wire braking systems.

Daniele Schillaci, CEO, Brembo, said, “Sensify translates our vision of an intelligent, integrated braking platform into industrial reality. Designed to orchestrate the entire corner ecosystem, it supports safer mobility, while paving the way for the next generation of software-defined vehicles, reflecting our long-term purpose of shaping a Zero Accident Future”.

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Bengaluru-based technology company Tsuyo Manufacturing has been granted two patents for electric vehicle motor designs, increasing its portfolio to 29 innovations.

The company claims it has supplied 300,000 powertrains to 25 manufacturers across the commercial vehicle, agriculture and industrial sectors.

The first patent covers a bridge design for synchronous reluctance motors. This architecture increases torque density and efficiency whilst reducing energy losses and the requirement for rare-earth materials. The second patent focuses on a five-phase permanent magnet motor using a dual inverter system. This technology allows the motor to switch between modes for startup and torque demands and maintains operation if a phase failure occurs.

These technologies were developed through research and collaboration with the Visvesvaraya National Institute of Technology, Nagpur. The company recently received approval from the Government of Karnataka for a manufacturing expansion to increase powertrain production.

Vijay Kumar, Founder and CEO, Tsuyo Manufacturing, said, "These patents mark a significant milestone and recognition in our mission to develop and promote Design-In-India technology for both domestic and global EV markets. At Tsuyo, we are not merely creating components; we are engineering a comprehensive design approach, crafting fundamental technology to drive sustainable and impactful innovation. Our goal is to offer a resilient powertrain system that addresses real-world performance challenges in electric mobility. Our commitment to deep-tech innovation, supported by a strong in-house R&D team and robust academic collaborations, enables us to challenge conventional construction and topology in hardware. This approach allows us to create niche, modular designs that are manufacturable and scalable, delivering solutions that enhance efficiency, reliability, and cost-effectiveness for OEMs. We take pride in being India's fastest research and engineering startup, consistently advancing our research from TRL1 to TRL9 levels. As India moves towards electrification, we are proud to contribute to the 'Design in India, for the world' vision while expanding our IP portfolio with numerous innovations in the pipeline."

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