The Gurgaon-based tyre major has received accreditation for the wet grip and coast by noise tyre tests on the track. It has already been aggressive in the European market with two manufacturing plants and one R&D centre. With investments, Apollo Tyres is ramping up its testing capabilities to develop tyres for across the segments, including premium passenger, commercial vehicles, high-end motorcycles and off-highway tyres. “The tyre manufacturers are depending on the international labs for advanced characterisation and labelling tests specific to tyres. Thus, investment in both advanced tyre testing as well as labelling infrastructure is needed in this country for quick product development, not only for compliance to latest Indian regulations but also to meet the stringent regulations in other countries and thereby promoting tyre export,” says Daniele Lorenzetti, Chief Technology Officer, Apollo Tyres Ltd in an interview with Motoring Trends.

Last month, Apollo Tyres became the first Indian tyre manufacturer to get the coveted accreditation from NABL for outdoor labelling tests in India. The company has now been accredited with ISO/IEC 17025 for the wet grip and coast by noise tyre tests on the track. This accreditation is extended for testing different tyre categories for vehicles such as passenger, light truck, commercial (C1, C2 & C3) classes, farm and motorcycle. This testing capability is linked to the Indian government’s plan to implement the ‘Star Rating’ of tyres, in line with the tyre labelling regulation in Europe.

According to Daniele Lorenzetti, Chief Technology Officer, Apollo Tyres Ltd, the growing focus of the automobile manufacturers on fuel efficiency, higher performance on ride and comfort, and safety is fuelling demand for more tyre component level testing. “Light-weighting in automobiles can alter transfer path for noise and vibration into the cabin, calling for corresponding modification in tyre design. Along with the introduction of AIS 142 standard, similar to EU R117 for labelling of the tyre, huge outdoor testing infrastructure is required, especially in proving grounds,” said Lorenzetti.

Electric Vehicle (EV) related challenges of higher weight, NVH concern, higher torque requirement and subsequent wear rate and battery life would be substantial concerns to tackle during the development process, stated the Apollo Tyres executive. “Similarly, for reducing the number of physical tests, simulation and modal development need to be evolved. Adequate testing infrastructure for validation of simulation and advanced characterisation is also simultaneously required. Hence, more indoor advanced testing infrastructure is required for NVH (Noise, Vibration and Harshness), F&M (Force and Moment) and traction performance validation,” added Lorenzetti.

Today, safety and convenience features are not limited to premium vehicles but are also provided in mid-level and entry-level vehicles, and the same trend is evident in India. Hence, while increasing capability, testing capacity also needs to be enhanced, thinks Lorenzetti.

Indian tyre manufacturers and testing services have basic levels of testing capacity such as safety requirements, durability, braking strength and dimensions. With the Indian government’s NATRIP (National Automotive Testing and R&D Infrastructure Project), vehicle and component level testing facilities have improved. “The tyre manufacturers are depending on the international labs for advanced characterisation and labelling tests specific to tyres. Thus, investment in both advanced tyre testing and labelling infrastructure is needed in this country for quick product development, not only for compliance to latest Indian regulations but also to meet the stringent regulations in other countries and thereby promote tyre export,” explained Lorenzetti.

Like the automobile industry, the tyre industry’s evolution at a broader level depends on economic, social, cultural, technological and climatic changes. The Indian tyre Industry is also evolving with the Indian macro-economic growth, advancements in technology, increasing emphasis on sustainable environmental practices and policy, and institutional and regulatory requirements.

Currently, the tyre industry is going through a highly challenging period, with lockdowns across Indian states owing to the second wave of the Covid-19 pandemic. While this impacts the demand side, pressure on the margin front is also felt due to the rising raw material prices.

However, with the Indian government’s reinvigorated policies and programmes such as “Atmanirbhar Bharat”, localisation push, EV subsidy, economic stimulus package to thwart pandemic crisis and vehicle scrappage policy, the automotive industry in India is poised to grow at a higher trajectory. “Shift in customer preference to private vehicles from public transport and shared mobility owing to Covid might also generate an uptick. We are optimistic with the and its positive effect on the tyre industry,” said Lorenzetti.

Tyre technology is also evolving in tandem with the automobile industry to pursue higher fuel efficiency, higher performance, driver safety, vehicle stability, light-weighting and heavy load carrying capacity. Additional advanced features such as vehicle connectivity and electrification of functions are also taking place at OEMs, which calls for intelligent talking tyres.

“Unlike in the past, the Indian vehicle market is now fast evolving. Earlier, customers had very few variants/choices available. Now, many models are introduced that call for higher bandwidth of resources. The premium segment is also poised for faster growth, and so comfort, without compromise on traction and durability, is added into the performance requirement list for tyres,” said Lorenzetti.

Indian government’s policies and regulations for sustainable growth are now major drivers for evolution in India. It has already issued a draft notification proposing new tyre norms as a part of the Automotive Indian Standards (AIS) 142:2019. The proposal states that tyres of all cars, buses and trucks shall meet the requirements of rolling resistance, wet grip and rolling sound emissions, in line with the limits of the European regulations.

Virtual testing is also gaining traction in the auto industry as it saves development time and money and gives flexibility to engineers. Global launches, stiff competition, legal compliance to emissions, demand for more electrification and self-driven vehicles push the development process shorter than ever. The time available for development is becoming shorter and shorter. At the same time, the demands set for the characteristics of a car are becoming increasingly stringent, as is the bandwidth required for various models and variants of vehicles. So, virtual proving is the key to faster product development while tackling tyre testing capacity constraints.

“However, simulation is as good as its verification and validation. Verification is the process of determining that a model implementation and its associated data accurately represent the developer’s conceptual description and specifications. Validation is the process of determining the degree to which a simulation model and its associated data are an accurate representation of the real world from the perspective of the intended uses of the model. Hence, adequate characterisation testing capability is also simultaneously required for wide-spread application of simulation,” said the CTO of Apollo Tyres.

Apollo Tyres is an Indian company that has been expanding aggressively in the European market. Today, the company has seven manufacturing plants – five in India and two in Europe (Hungary and the Netherlands).

Being a preferred partner for global OEMs, Apollo Tyres is continuously enhancing testing capabilities at its state-of-the-art R&D centres. With the two global R&D centres at Chennai, India and Enschede, Netherlands, the company aims to meet discerning OEM needs. “With the synergies between the two R&D centres, and its advanced testing capabilities, we continuously develop winning products and new technologies while also being at the forefront of meeting new regulatory requirements,” said Lorenzetti.

The company’s extensive investments in tyre testing not only help it in developing tyres for premium luxury passenger and commercial vehicles but also high-end motorcycles and off-highway tyres (OHT). “At our R&D centre, characterisation capabilities are continuously developed for the determination of traction, NVH, F&M, ride and handling, comfort, tread wear, fuel efficiency, durability and footprint,” added Lorenzetti.

Automotive test centres with large proving grounds funded by the Indian government are already evolved in India. Its NATRIP project aims to create core global competencies in the automotive sector in India by facilitating seamless integration of the Indian automotive industry with the world through setting up of state-of-the-art automotive testing, homologation and R&D infrastructure facilities.

Collaborations at various levels are also taking place to further enhance the vehicle test centres to tyre-specific test facilities. Earlier, Apollo collaborated with one of the test centres of the Indian government to pioneer the indigenisation of tyre labelling and certification tests in India. Similar collaboration would be beneficial for the industry to evolve faster.

“While large vehicle OEMs have their own limited proving grounds, the massive investment and maintenance requirement for this kind of infrastructure may be challenging for tyre companies to set up. Though collaboration among leading tyre companies would be a welcome scenario, the scale and size of the industry need to be evolved for such a tie-up,” said Lorenzetti.

The EV segment brings its own challenges with the higher weight of vehicles, NVH concern due to fewer and lesser noisy components, higher torque requirement and subsequent wear rate, and battery life. Apollo Tyres is gearing up for the same with capital intensive testing facilities such as “flat track” for traction, F&M tests and hemi-anechoic chamber for NVH tests. Apollo Tyres’ test machines are specially designed with multiple features, such as the very high torque ramp-up rate to match the futuristic EV requirements.

“It is heartening to note that major premium OEMs wholeheartedly partner with Apollo Tyres for joint development of products, featuring advanced technologies and engineering. We are committed in our endeavour to be the trusted partner for our esteemed customers and society at large by enhancing value with best-in-class efficiency through sustainable models for environment conservation,” said Lorenzetti. (MT)

A memorandum of understanding (MoU) has been signed by Bharat Forge Ltd (BFL), a multinational aerospace and technology company based in India, and VEDA Aeronautics (P) Ltd (VEDA), an Indian aerospace and defence company that develops and supplies unmanned systems, to develop cutting-edge unmanned aerial vehicles (UAV) and other high-speed aerial weapon systems used in combat.

BFL will provide the micro jet engines utilised in these unmanned systems, while VEDA has been involved in developing the technology for these systems for the defence forces. In order to improve India's defence capabilities and promote national self-reliance, the MoU is anticipated to be crucial in using each other's strengths.

Guru Biswal, CEO – Aerospace Division, Bharat Forge, said, "This MoU with VEDA is a testimony of our commitment to work for an ‘Atmanirbhar Bharat’ and to create niche technologies that shall support Indian and Global requirements in the evolving technological landscape of warfare. BFL will focus on indigenous development of jet engines up to 400 Kgf thrust to power the unmanned systems developed for Indian defence forces. The 40 & 45 Kgf engines developed by BFL are under serial production and will be used by VEDA for all defence projects.”

Dipesh Gupta, Managing Director, VEDA Aeronautics, said, "We are thrilled to announce our strategic partnership with BFL aerospace, which will supply small jet engines for all defence and other unmanned system projects of VEDA Aeronautics. This endeavour underscores our unwavering commitment to innovation, heralding a new era of technological advancement and strategic prowess in the aerospace domain specific to Long Range Combat UAV Systems, High Speed Aerial Targets and Multi Barrel Launched Jet Based UAV Systems.”

Honda India Foundation (HIF), the CSR arm of all Honda group of companies in India, and the Government of Uttar Pradesh have signed a memorandum of cooperation (MoC) and marked the commencement of ‘Project Annadata – Sashakt Kisan, Samridh Rashtra’, which aims to support and strengthen Farmer Producer Organisations (FPOs) in the state.

Prominent dignitaries such as Surya Pratap Shahi, the Uttar Pradesh Minister of Agriculture, and Vinay Dhingra and Katsuyuki Ozawa, trustees of the Honda India Foundation, attended the signing ceremony in New Delhi. Honda's cooperative approach to rural development was highlighted by representatives from Honda Motorcycle and Scooter India (HMSI), Honda India Power Products (HIPP) and Honda Cars India Ltd. (HCIL).

With an emphasis on systematic reviews, capacity-building efforts, business planning and operational advancements, HIF, through its implementation partner, will onboard and strengthen 10 FPOs in two clusters of five FPOs each as part of this initiative. In order to guarantee efficient FPO operations and the implementation of contemporary agricultural methods, this association seeks to offer technical assistance. In order to promote long-term sustainable practices and protect the resources for future generations, the initiative seeks to involve farmers, young people, environmental campaigners, educational institutions, legislators, non-profit organisations and other stakeholders. Over 100,000 people are anticipated to be reached during the project's initial phase, and over time, it may have an influence on one million persons involved in agriculture.

Vinay Dhingra, Trustee, Honda India Foundation, said, “At Honda India Foundation, we are dedicated to empowering rural communities and enhancing agricultural productivity, aligning seamlessly with the Government of India’s vision as also reflected in the 2025 Union Budget. Initiatives such as the Prime Minister Dhan-Dhanya Krishi Yojana, the mission for Atmanirbharta in Pulses and ensuring fair prices for farmers resonate with our objectives. Our efforts to strengthen FPOs through Project Annadata are in harmony with these priorities as we work towards improving resource access and create a resilient agricultural ecosystem that will benefit farmers at scale. This collaboration will enable us to create a meaningful impact at the grassroot. We will continue to contribute towards the development of a more resilient and prosperous agricultural ecosystem.”

The automotive retail sales in January 2025 grew by 6.63 percent YoY, a growth much better than previously anticipated by most industry observers. A total of 22,91,621 vehicles were sold across segments, which includes 15,21,862 two-wheelers (+4.15 percent YoY), 1,07,033 three-wheelers (+6.86 percent YoY), 4,65,920 passenger vehicles (+15.53 percent YoY), 93,381 tractors (+5.23% YoY) and 99,425 commercial vehicles (+8.22% YoY) according to the latest data released by the Federation of Automobile Dealers Associations (FADA).

“The auto retail sector kicked off 2025 on a promising note, aligning with FADA’s earlier survey projections that expected January to range from flat to moderately positive. Indeed, overall retail sales posted a robust 6.6 percent YoY growth, reinforcing the industry’s optimistic start. Our observations indicate that each vehicle category – two-wheeler, three-wheeler, passenger vehicle, tractor and commercial vehicle – witnessed positive momentum, pointing toward sustained consumer confidence and steady market recovery,” said C S Vigneshwar, President, FADA.

In the two-wheeler segment, urban sales outpaced rural sales on the back of new model launches, marriage season demand and improved financing as key growth drivers. However, concerns about rising interest rates, rural liquidity challenges and market uncertainty still linger.

The passenger vehicle segment saw some spike on the back of ‘2025 model year’ sales, as the previous year models do see significant discounting.

“Commercial Vehicle sales increased by 8.22 percent YoY and surged 38.04 percent MoM, with urban markets climbing from 50.1 percent to 51.2 percent share and outpacing rural growth (9.51 percent vs 6.89 percent). While higher freight rates and passenger carrier demand provided a boost, many dealers cited low cash flow, strict financing policies and sluggish industries (like cement and coal) as major hurdles. Sentiments in rural regions remained notably subdued, compounded by limited new products. Overall, the sector shows cautious optimism but faces persistent headwinds,” added Vigneshwar.

Going forward, FADA maintains a cautious optimism for February, with dealers having a mixed sentiment ranging from an uptick, flat to even a drop in sales.

The tailwinds include continuing marriage season, fresh product launches and strategic promotional activities to sustain customer footfalls. This will be aided by improved inventory management, better financing options from select lenders and backlogged orders in certain segments (such as commercial vehicles) add to the sense of guarded confidence. With supportive policies and a post-budget lift in consumer sentiment, many believe February could see a stable or slightly elevated sales curve.

On the other hand, the headwinds expected include shorter working days, pockets of weak rural liquidity and inflationary pressures. Then there is the strict lending criteria, costlier vehicles and subdued demand in certain industrial sectors to further weigh on overall performance.

Arranged in one corner of Hall 6 of Pragati Maidan in the Bharat Mobility Global Expo 2025 was an air-taxi called Shunya. Developed by Sarla Aviation, a Bengaluru-based startup, the air-taxi attracted a good deal of crowd, reflecting a new and future mode of transport or mobility.

The Shunya air-taxi prototype could facilitate a new mode of mobility much like a radio-taxi does to travel between Mumbai and Pune; between Mumbai and Kalyan; between Delhi and Jaipur or between Delhi and Meerut, for example.

Intending to launch the electric air-taxi in Bengaluru by 2028 to become the first to introduce urban air transport in India, Sarla Aviation (the company’s name is inspired by Sarla Thakral, India’s first female pilot) is steadfastly focusing on an indigenous design and manufacture since the beginning of the operations.

A testament to Sarla Aviation’s commitment to innovation and sustainability, the Shunya air-taxi proto has been designed to execute short trips of 20 to 30 kms with speeds of up to 250 kmph with up to six passengers onboard. As the first eVTOL of its kind in the country, it marks a pivotal moment in the history of Indian civil aviation, showcasing the nation’s growing prowess in cutting-edge aerospace technologies.

Capable of carrying a maximum load of 680 kg, according to a source aware of the development, the air-taxi offers a market-leading payload capacity such that every passenger can bring his or her luggage. The luggage is conveniently stored in the rear of Shunya with exterior access for ease.

Prioritising safety, purpose-driven performance and accessibility, Shunya – poised to redefine mass transportation – can take off from any flat surface, whether on top of a building or in a rural area, making it the most infrastructure-efficient mode of mass mobility ever, according to the company.

Working on a strategy that will see Shunya facilitate efficient commuting in megacities like Bengaluru, Mumbai, Delhi and Pune, Sarla Aviation is also looking at how its offering could facilitate social commitments in the form of an air ambulance that reaches where no vehicle or other means of mobility is able to reach. An air ambulance could also be used in urban and semi-urban areas to beat the road congestion.