Shriram Pistons & Rings Limited (SPRL) will be acquiring 75 percent shareholding in Takahata Precision India Private Limited (TPIL) through its wholly owned subsidiary, SPR Engenious. The purchase consideration for 75 percent equity is INR 850 million (enterprise value of INR 2,220 million). This will mark Shriram Pistons & Rings’ foray into the manufacturing of precision injection moulded components, the company states. Takahata Precision India is an ultimate subsidiary of Takahata Japan.

Commenting on the proposed investment, Krishnakumar Srinivasan, Managing Director and CEO, Shriram Pistons & Rings, said, “With this strategic investment, SPRL aims to diversify its product portfolio beyond the current pistons, rings, engine valves and EV components, to precision plastic injection moulded parts. With the operations and technology support of Takahata Japan to TPIL, we will be able to service the domestic and global customers requiring precision moulded parts, both for automotive and industrial applications. Takahata brings in their high technology expertise to develop complex parts for these applications. This acquisition combines two strong, technology-led manufacturing teams, allied in their pursuit of excellence to deliver world-class manufacturing and moulding technology, which will enhance relationships with existing customers while creating additional opportunities for growth and expansion.”

The acquisition is subject to customary approvals and conditions. EY acted as the exclusive financial advisor to SPRL on this transaction.

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Tokyo-headquartered deep-tech company TIER IV has announced that it has developed new software stacks for Level 4 autonomous driving powered by data-centric artificial intelligence. The software is available via Autoware, an open-source platform, and is designed to be hardware-agnostic, supporting various system-on-chip (SoC) and sensor configurations.

The software stacks are built on an end-to-end (E2E) architecture and offer two primary configurations to allow adaptability across diverse driving environments:

• Hybrid System: Utilises perception and planning AI. It employs diffusion models to capture temporal changes in surroundings and generates trajectories by combining machine learning models with environment perception.
• E2E System: Integrates perception, planning, and control into a single learning process. It uses world models to treat surroundings and driving status as vector representations, creating a pipeline from recognition to vehicle operation.

Automakers can use TIER IV’s machine learning operations (MLOps) platform to iterate AI models. The platform manages data-quality validation, anonymisation and tagging, while generating synthetic and real-world datasets for system evaluation.

TIER IV has commenced 60-minute test runs in three global hubs to validate the technology under distinct traffic conditions:

• Tokyo: Collaborating with the University of Tokyo using a Toyota JPN TAXI to evaluate urban hub-to-hub travel.
• Pittsburgh: Partnering with Carnegie Mellon University using a Hyundai IONIQ 5 for robotaxi tests between Pittsburgh International Airport and the university.
• Munich: Working with the Technical University of Munich using a Volkswagen T7 Multivan for safety evaluations in European urban scenarios.

While safety drivers remain on board to comply with local regulations, no manual intervention is expected during normal operation.

Shinpei Kato, Founder and CEO, TIER IV, said, “To achieve Level 4+ autonomy, we need technology that evolves autonomously alongside the environments it serves. Our new data-centric AI models and collaborative MLOps platform provide a common language and a shared foundation for the entire industry. By working with research institutions, industry leaders and the development community to advance autonomous driving technology through Autoware, we are creating an open, transparent environment that fosters continuous, collective innovation for the benefit of society.”

Yang Zhang, Chairman, Autoware Foundation’s Board of Directors, said, “Autoware serves as the global foundation where researchers, corporations and developers collaborate to advance autonomous driving software. Our collaboration with TIER IV strengthens the international framework for validating and refining E2E autonomous driving through real-world deployment. By testing across three continents, we are driving standards-based innovation and expanding an open ecosystem that lowers the barrier for a diverse range of partners to join and contribute.”

Yutaka Matsuo, Professor at the University of Tokyo, added, “The release of these software stacks and MLOps platform is a vital step toward deploying advanced AI models in industrial applications. By accumulating data from Japan’s distinctive traffic environments through our Tokyo testing and contributing those insights back to Autoware, we aim to further bridge the gap between academic research and real-world deployment.”

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Tier 1 automotive supplier Marelli has received the ‘Commendable’ honour in the ‘Engineering Product of the Year’ category at the Digital Engineering Awards 2026. The ceremony, hosted by L&T Technology Services in association with ISG and CNBC-TV18, was held in Boston, USA, on 12 March 2026.

The award recognises the role of Marelli’s Zone Control Unit (ZCU) in the transition towards software-defined vehicles.

The ZCU is designed to replace traditional domain-based architectures with a platform that delivers cross-domain control through a single Electronic Control Unit (ECU). This system simplifies vehicle electrical and electronic (E/E) layouts and enables communication across vehicle zones. By reducing the number of dedicated ECUs and streamlining wiring, the ZCU reduces wiring harness weight by 30 per cent compared to existing systems.

It is built on the EliteZone platform and supports ethernet capabilities, hardware accelerators, and remote-control protocols. It features processing performance up to 6 KDMIPS, two-port Gigabit Ethernet, and more than 20 CAN and LIN interfaces. The unit also includes an integrated hypervisor and data routing engine, supporting functional safety up to ASIL D standards.

For power management, the ZCU accommodates 48V system requirements with dedicated power input and efuse-protected output. The hardware uses a service-oriented architecture (SOA), which decouples software development from hardware. This approach allows modules to subscribe to services exposed by the ECU, supporting feature updates throughout the vehicle lifecycle and shortening development cycles for manufacturers.

Ravi Tallapragada, President, Marelli’s Electronics business, stated, “This recognition for our Zone Control Unit makes me and all of us at Marelli truly proud. It reflects the impact of our work on supporting the industry’s transition toward software-defined vehicles. By bringing cross-domain control into a single, scalable platform, our ZCU enables vehicle makers to innovate at speed. I want to congratulate our global engineering teams, whose dedication and expertise made this achievement possible.”

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drivebuddyAI has been awarded a patent for a facial recognition system designed for vehicle environments. The technology identifies drivers in moving vehicles to monitor duty hours and manage fatigue.

The system uses computer vision and artificial intelligence to recognise faces under varying lighting conditions and when drivers wear accessories such as caps or mufflers. This replaces manual or key-based identification methods to track driving time for wage calculations and safety compliance.

The patented technology is integrated into several areas of the company's product suite:

• Driver Profiling: Used in the 'CARDs' scoring method.
• Alert Systems: Provision of language-specific alerts based on driver identification.
• Performance Monitoring: Real-time tracking of duty time and driver behaviour.
• Compliance: Alignment with Indian government discussions on enforcing rest periods for commercial vehicle operators.

The company holds 15 patents in AI vision, edge processing, and risk assessment. Its systems meet India's AIS-184 driver monitoring standards and the European Union's General Safety Regulation (GSR) 2144.

Nisarg Pandya, CEO, drivebuddyAI, said, “Driver fatigue remains one of the most critical yet under-addressed causes of highway accidents. Our patented technology ensures that fleets know exactly who is driving, for how long, and under what conditions. This creates a foundation for enforcing safe driving limits while also enabling continuous learning and improvement for drivers. This milestone reflects our commitment to delivering technology built from the ground up and leveraging AI to enable safer and smarter driving solutions.”

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Servotech Renewable Power System and Electra EV have been granted a patent by the Indian Patent Office for an ‘Electric Vehicle Charging Device’. The technology is designed to provide charging solutions for low-voltage electric vehicles (EVs).

The device addresses interoperability challenges by enabling fast DC charging for low-voltage EVs with sub-200V DC platforms. This includes vehicles based on GB/T Bharat DC 001 standards. The technology allows these vehicles to utilise widely deployed, conventional high-voltage CCS2 charging infrastructure.

The patented device incorporates power management and voltage conversion systems to facilitate energy transfer to low-voltage battery platforms. The primary focus of the technology is on vehicle segments such as small commercial EVs and pick-up vans, which are used for urban and last-mile mobility.

Key features of the technology include:

• Interoperability: Enables sub-200V DC platforms to use CCS2 fast-charging stations.
• Compatibility: Supports vehicles adhering to GB/T Bharat DC 001 standards.
• Energy Management: Advanced voltage conversion to ensure safe battery charging.
• Safety: Integrated protocols for stable energy transfer.

The joint ownership of the patent by Servotech and Electra EV is intended to accelerate the development of charging infrastructure for small commercial fleets. The demand for such flexible solutions has increased as adoption of low-voltage EVs grows within the Indian logistics and transport sectors.

Arun Handa, CTO, Servotech Renewable Power System, said, “Securing this patent is an important step in strengthening our innovation-led approach to EV charging technology. Low-voltage electric vehicles are a key part of India’s mobility ecosystem, particularly in segments like small commercial fleets. This patented device has been designed to ensure safe, efficient, and reliable charging for such vehicles, helping make EV adoption through improved charging compatibility.”

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