Toyota has accelerated its ‘Green Wave Project’ commemorating this year’s environment month. It is aimed at enhancing its nature conservation activity in the community with the company distributing saplings to its employees, under its sixth challenge that is termed as ‘Establishing a Future Society in Harmony with Nature’ and looks to contribute to the Toyota Environmental Challenge 2050.
While the eco campaign continues to drive active community involvement to promote greenery, through employee engagement, Toyota Kirloskar Motor (TKM) has successfully distributed over 7000 saplings to its employees, marking significant progress towards its 8,000-sapling target set under its plantation activity.
With TKM employees encouraged to plant and nurture the distributed saplings within their neighbourhoods and submit periodic reports on plant growth, the it is noteworthy to mention about Toyota’s tree plantation activities that are strongly driven by adopting a unique concept namely the ‘Miyawaki Method of Afforestation’ since 2009, and TKM was the first corporate in India to implement such plantation methodology. TKM’s steadfast commitment to sustainability and ecological restoration is yielding remarkable results, as evidenced by the numerous advantages of the Miyawaki approach. A comprehensive study conducted in collaboration with experts from Bangalore University revealed that the Miyawaki method excels in carbon sequestration, capturing an impressive 30.86 tonnes of carbon per acre.
By doing so, TKM not only restored native habitats but also created self-sustaining ecosystem that contribute to a healthier planet. Under the guidance of Late Dr Akira Miyawaki himself, TKM initiated its maiden Miyawaki plantation drive, way back in 2009, marking a significant milestone in its journey towards conservation of greenery and eco-consciousness. Since that momentous day, TKM's plantation drives have continued to evolve and expanded to 112 acres of green cover within the factory premises, out of which 32 acres of afforestation has been developed using Miyawaki method. Today, Toyota’s manufacturing facility, located in Bidadi (on the outskirts of Bengaluru) proudly boasts more than 328,000 trees of over 790 native species planted within its premises. The results have been truly awe-inspiring with a remarkable increase in biodiversity observed over the years.
From a mere 181 plant species, the count has surged to an impressive 790, while the number of faunal species has risen from 76 to 284. The vibrant ecosystem now encompasses 88 bird varieties, 38 butterfly species, 107 insects, 17 reptiles, 8 mammals, and 6 amphibians, reflecting the successful development of a thriving native forest ecosystem.
In addition, TKM has created an experiential environmental learning centre ‘Ecozone’ (spread across 25 acres with 17 theme parks and home to 65,000 trees with 650 native species) for children, teachers, community members and other stakeholders, within its manufacturing facility aimed at creating the environment leaders and change champions for the future, to usher in desired behavioural change in the communities. This green zone depicts the creation of dense forest within the plant facility using the ‘Miyawaki Concept’ of plantation. The forests are dominantly planted with species of 4 major forest types such as Dry Deciduous, Moist Deciduous, Semi-evergreen and Evergreen Forest, covering 21 different sub-concepts such as Pollination meadows, herbal garden, plants for spices etc. So far, more than 42,000+ students & other stakeholders have been covered through ecozone initiative.
B Padmanabha, Executive Vice President and Director of Manufacturing - Toyota Kirloskar Motor, averred, “At Toyota Kirloskar Motor, we recognise that environmental and social sustainability are just as crucial as economic progression. Guided by Toyota’s Global Environmental Challenge 2050 (six challenges announced in 2015), our sustainability efforts are far reaching that go beyond product zero emissions. While the first three challenges seek to achieve zero carbon emissions covering the entire life cycle of our products, across manufacturing operations as well as our value chain, the last three challenges focus to achieve water conservation, establishing recycled based society and living in harmony with nature.”
“We believe that a sustainable future is built through collective action and community involvement, as exemplified by one of our eco initiatives - Green Wave Program that covers afforestation (plantation drives, distribution of saplings), sharing best practices (e.g. Miyawaki plantation methodology), creating awareness on nature conservation and imbibing good eco behaviour (Toyota Ecozone – Experiential Eco Learning). Together with our employees and other stakeholders, we aim to catalyse positive change in the community to safeguard the environment to the future,” he added.
Horse Powertrain Launches V20 Engine Via Aurobay Technologies
- By MT Bureau
- May 21, 2026
Horse Powertrain, a leading supplier of powertrain solutions, has launched the V20 engine through its Aurobay Technologies division with production already underway at its Skovde, Sweden, manufacturing facility.
The V20 engine aims to assist automakers in meeting emission regulations for 2026 and 2027 with units destined for customers in Europe, the US and Asia. The 2.0-litre, 4-cylinder engine features a single architecture offered in two variants: a 400-volt plug-in hybrid and a 48-volt mild hybrid. The plug-in version provides a reduction in fuel consumption of seven per cent compared to the predecessor.
The platform design intends to reduce material costs. Hardware for the plug-in variant includes a crankshaft-mounted starter-generator, a mechanical water pump, and a re-routed cooling system. Additional updates include a multi-injection fuel system, an engine management system, and an air induction system.
Ingo Scholten, Managing Director, Aurobay Technologies Sweden and Deputy CTO of Horse Powertrain, said, “Designing one engine to meet three different regulatory regimes is harder than designing three separate engines. As the regulatory map is fragmenting, one engine that meets all three sets of rules delivers greater value to our customers, ensuring we can offer greater economies of scale. Pulling that off requires serious engineering. Further, the Skovde team also successfully changed production lines while keeping current production running.”
The Skovde plant integrated a final assembly line with the base assembly line to improve material flow. This transition occurred during ongoing operations. Output is scheduled to increase through 2026 and 2027 to meet demand.
AEye And MoveAWheeL Ink MoU For Automotive Sensing Collaboration
- By MT Bureau
- May 21, 2026
AEye, Inc. and MoveAWheeL have signed a Memorandum of Understanding to explore the integration of their sensing technologies for use in Advanced Driver Assistance Systems (ADAS) and autonomous driving applications.
The partnership aims to combine AEye’s lidar perception with MoveAWheeL’s road-surface sensing to assist vehicles in interpreting surroundings and road conditions.
The collaboration will evaluate the pairing of AEye’s Apollo LiDAR sensor with MoveAWheeL’s friction-coefficient prediction technology. Apollo is a 1550-nanometer LiDAR sensor capable of detecting objects at distances of up to one kilometre. MoveAWheeL’s sensor uses acoustic sensing to estimate the friction of road surfaces, providing data to inform decisions regarding acceleration, braking and stability control.
Matt Fisch, Chairman and CEO of AEye, said, “Physical AI depends on giving machines the ability to accurately perceive and understand the real world. Apollo was designed to deliver long-range, real-time 3D perception that helps systems see farther and react earlier in complex environments. By exploring the integration of Apollo with MoveAWheeL’s road-surface intelligence, we have the opportunity to create an even deeper understanding of the driving environment, particularly in the adverse conditions where advanced safety systems are needed most.”
Dr. Min-Hyun Kim, Founder and CEO, MoveAWheeL, said, “While LiDAR provides the ‘eyes’ for a vehicle to see obstacles, MoveAWheeL provides the ‘tactile sense’ to feel the road. By integrating our Physical AI with AEye’s long-range perception, we are creating a complete safety stack that remains robust even in the most treacherous weather conditions.”
L&T Technology Services Opens Engineering Intelligence Centre Of Excellence In Europe
- By MT Bureau
- May 21, 2026
L&T Technology Services (LTTS), a leading ER&D sevices company, has inaugurated its first Engineering Intelligence Centre of Excellence (EI CoE) in Munich, Germany. The facility marks a step in the company's Engineering Intelligence (EI) strategy, which focuses on embedding AI across the engineering lifecycle to support intelligent products, autonomous operations and manufacturing systems.
The centre aims to assist global enterprises in transitioning from AI experimentation to industrial transformation by combining domain engineering expertise with technologies such as GenAI, Agentic AI, multimodal AI, Physical AI and edge intelligence. LTTS states that it has filed over 237 patents in AI and GenAI during FY2026.
Located within a technology ecosystem, the Munich EI CoE will function as a collaborative hub for clients in the mobility, industrial products, sustainability and technology sectors. Its work will focus on: Applied AI solutions, Intelligent manufacturing, Software-defined products, Predictive operations and Connected engineering ecosystems.
At present, LTTS serves more than 60 clients in Europe with a team of over 4,500 engineers. The new centre is intended to improve local collaboration with clients, partners and academic institutions, facilitating outcome-driven innovation.
Amit Chadha, Chief Executive Officer & Managing Director, L&T Technology Services, said, “LTTS’ first EI Centre of Excellence in our Munich design centre is a milestone as it brings our deep-tech and EI-based solutions closer to the clients’ R&D hubs across the region. The centre will act as a focal point for innovation, R&D and new product development, redefining how products, platforms and manufacturing are engineered and optimised in the AI era.”
Stellantis Partners Accenture And Nvidia To Deploy Manufacturing Digital Twins
- By MT Bureau
- May 19, 2026
European automaker Stellantis has announced a strategic initiative with Accenture to deploy artificial intelligence (AI)-enabled digital twin capabilities across its global manufacturing network using Nvidia technologies. The project focuses on creating virtual manufacturing environments powered by real-time data and physical AI.
The collaboration integrates Stellantis's automotive infrastructure, Accenture’s digital manufacturing engineering and Nvidia’s accelerated computing platforms and Omniverse libraries.
The system uses virtual factory replicas to validate manufacturing processes prior to physical installation, track metrics for quality control and conduct predictive monitoring.
Initial testing and deployment of the digital twin infrastructure are scheduled to begin with pilot programmes in North America in 2026. The long-term objective is to evaluate scalability across the carmaker's international plant footprint to establish a predictive manufacturing model.
Francesco Ciancia, Head of Manufacturing, Stellantis, said, “We are laying the foundation for the next generation of manufacturing at Stellantis. By combining digital twins, AI and advanced simulation, we are rethinking how we design, operate and continuously improve our production systems. This initiative is designed to work hand in hand with our teams, enhancing their ability to anticipate issues, enabling faster decisions and continuous improvement. Together with Accenture and NVIDIA, we are exploring new ways to drive more scalable and intelligent operations.”
Tracey Countryman, Supply Chain and Engineering Global Lead, Accenture, added, “The opportunity in manufacturing today is to scale AI across complex industrial operations in ways that deliver measurable business value. By partnering with Accenture and harnessing Nvidia’s compute and simulation technologies, Stellantis is positioned to accelerate manufacturing reinvention and lead the industry into a new era of intelligent, high-performance operations.”
The computational framework is built to enable closed-loop optimisation, a process where physical assembly lines and virtual systems continuously exchange data to improve performance. The architecture supports automated throughput adjustment, maintenance scheduling and software-defined factory operations.
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