Toyota Mobility Foundation, a part of Toyota Motor Corporation (Toyota), which was established to support the development of a more mobile society in which everyone can move freely, has announced the first three cities to take part in the Sustainable Cities Challenge.

The foundation has selected Varanasi (India), Detroit (USA), and Venice (Italy) to host the innovation challenges. The goal of the USD 9 million (INR 750 million) global initiative is to help cities accelerate toward sustainable mobility, fostering healthier and safer urban environments while enhancing people's ability to commute, work, study, and access services. The cities were chosen from a shortlist of 10 cities announced in November 2023.  Over 150 cities from 46 countries entered the challenge after the call to cities was first launched in June 2023 and over the last months, the list was narrowed to 10 and now 3 cities. The City Challenges will be launched for innovator entry over the next two months, inviting global innovators to access a share of USD 3 million (INR 250 million) in funding per city to demonstrate their solutions.  

Varanasi

Launching in late June 2024, Varanasi is located on the banks of the Ganges River in northern India and is considered by many as the ‘spiritual capital’ of the country. A revered pilgrimage destination, the city sees visitors from across India as well as abroad. This influx of visitors, while vital to strengthening the city’s tapestry of faith and culture, is leading to increased concerns about safety and crowding. The Varanasi City Challenge aims to generate innovative, data-driven solutions incorporating elements of technology and design that make crowded areas of Varanasi's old city (Kashi) safer and more accessible for religious tourists and local residents alike including vulnerable members of the population.  

Akshat Verma, IAS, Municipal Commissioner, Varanasi Municipal Corporation & CEO, Varanasi Smart City said: “Participating in the Toyota Mobility Foundation’s Sustainable Cities Challenge presents an exciting prospect for Varanasi. This initiative offers us a valuable chance to explore technical and design-related avenues for enhancing mobility within our city, benefiting both our residents and the growing influx of tourists. By collaborating with innovative minds, we aim to bolster Varanasi’s reputation as a premier global tourist destination. We eagerly anticipate the opportunity to work closely with TMF, their partners, and experts to achieve this goal.” 

Detroit 

Launching on May 29, 2024, Detroit also referred to as the ‘Motor City,’ is working to show the world that sustainable mobility is part of what makes the city move by seeking innovators who can help deploy clean and cost-effective mobility solutions as part of this transition.  

The challenge is focused on eastern market, ​​​​the nation's largest food production and distribution centre, where a growing residential and commercial presence means that the City wants to explore solutions that help preserve the health and well-being of the Eastern Market community as it carries through with expansion plans. 

More specifically, the Detroit City Challenge will seek solutions that reduce fossil fuel use and cut costs of freight operations in the Eastern Market, by increasing efficiencies and unlocking opportunities for clean freight technologies. 

Tim Slusser, Chief of the City of Detroit’s Office of Mobility Innovation, said: “We are excited and honoured to be one of just three cities in the world selected for the Sustainable Cities Challenge. As the only city chosen in the western hemisphere, Detroit represents over 100-years of world-renowned innovations in transportation. As Detroit continues to grow, we want to learn how to address the ways that freight and industry can be more sustainable, while also supporting the economy in thriving areas such as our Eastern Market – especially in very cold conditions. We look forward to building out the groundwork for this project and what the next stage brings!” 

Venice

Launching on June 11, 2024, Venice is often pictured solely as a historic city famous for its intricate network of canals. Nevertheless, the majority of the population lives and works in the mainland suburbs such as Mestre, Maghera and other motorised islands, which serve as a crucial transportation hub connecting Venice to the mainland and beyond. 

With a mobility landscape that is truly multi-modal, including land and water transport, the city has invested significantly in sustainable mobility infrastructure and services. In the Venice City Challenge, the city seeks innovative solutions that shift behaviour, encouraging an increased use and adoption of existing sustainable transport modes. 

Morris Ceron, Director General, City of Venice, “I wish to thank the Toyota Mobility Foundation for choosing Venice: it is a recognition of the path we have taken to make the city’s mobility increasingly sustainable, in a complex territory where water and land are integrated, with a plurality of different means of transport. Participating in this international-level Challenge will allow us to enhance the actions already put in place, such as the significant extension of the bike lane network, implementing hydrogen and electric local public transport, introducing bike-sharing services, setting up the “smart control” for more orderly flow management, as well as offering new stimuli on how citizens, with their own behaviour, can be protagonists of this change.” 

The challenge  

The three city challenges will focus on different areas of sustainable mobility relevant to their specific context, spanning the expansion of access to safe, affordable, and inclusive modes of transportation.

Potential solutions could harness the power of data to create connected and resilient mobility or ecosystems or reduce environmental impact through low-carbon and renewable solutions.  

The three cities have been working with Toyota Mobility Foundation alongside Challenge Works and World Resources Institute (WRI) to finalise their Challenges. They are focusing on areas of their respective mobility barriers that could be best addressed through open innovation. They have been consulting with local organisations and wider stakeholders to inform the design of their respective challenges. 

Innovators from across the globe with solutions ready to be tested are invited to respond to the specific issues of each city as each city challenge launches over the next two months. 

The innovative solutions that best meet the needs of the city (or the criteria for the City Challenges), will be selected to be supported. Together, the cities and selected innovators will test, further develop and deploy solutions using real-world data, with access to transportation departments and infrastructure.  

The Sustainable Cities Challenge is funded by the Toyota Mobility Foundation and has been designed in partnership with Challenge Works and World Resources Institute to bring cities and innovators together to develop sustainable, inclusive, data-driven mobility solutions fit for the future. 

Pras Ganesh, Executive Program Director, Toyota Mobility Foundation said: “As the Toyota Mobility Foundation, we are passionate about the freedom of mobility, and the opportunities that such mobility can unlock for individuals and communities. With like-minded partners such as World Resources Institute and Challenge Works, we seek out innovative solutions to overcome the barriers that hinder these opportunities. 

The Sustainable Cities Challenge, our global challenge that matches visionary cities and the most creative innovators, will now focus on the 3 incredibly dynamic cities of Varanasi, Venice, and Detroit. We will now seek out the most innovative ideas that solve these cities’ most pressing mobility issues, and ensure that identified ideas can be scaled, replicated, and amplified globally”. 

Kathy Nothstine, Head of Future Cities, Challenge Works added: “This Challenge will help these cities stimulate creative problem-solving to address highly complex barriers to sustainable mobility. We are thrilled to be working with Detroit, Varanasi and Venice to create local Challenges that will invite brilliant innovators around the world to create lasting impact.” 

Ben Welle, Director of Integrated Transport and Innovation, WRI Ross Center for Sustainable Cities stated: “Detroit, Varanasi and Venice all have distinct mobility barriers, but they also share the same circumstances and concerns with many other cities around the world. Their involvement in the Sustainable Cities Challenge will allow them to find an area they want to address and ask some of the world’s best innovators to help them tackle it. WRI is proud to be helping the cities in this process.”  

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Designing a vehicle is not just about creating a car - it's a movement that defines the future of mobility.

Today's automotive design goes beyond aesthetics, focusing on creating comprehensive experiences that resonate culturally and socially. Designers are tasked with crafting vehicles that transcend mere functionality, meticulously considering every element, from form and ergonomics to interaction. The focus now relies on developing timeless products that shape not only the industry but also the culture of mobility itself. As the sector embraces a transformative future, the goal is to create vehicles that are connected, sustainable and deeply experiential, meeting the needs of an ever-evolving technological and societal landscape.

More than just aesthetics: The story behind design  

Design isn't limited to making vehicles visually appealing - it's a medium through which designers communicate values, history and innovation. Every vehicle tells a story, reflecting the legacy and ambitions of the automotive world. Designers today focus on sustainability, innovation and inclusivity, ensuring that the vehicles they create are forward-thinking while maintaining a connection to their origins. Whether it's the rugged strength of an SUV or the fluid, aerodynamic lines of a crossover, modern automotive designs are focused on progressiveness and strength while ensuring inclusivity. Moreover, designers aim to reflect the diverse needs of customers, creating designs that inspire trust and innovation while embodying the brand's values of accountability and forward-looking design.

Designing an immersive experience  

In today's automotive world, design is about creating immersive mobility experiences. Designers focus on crafting environments that feel intuitive, enhancing the connection between driver, passenger and vehicle. The interior space of a car is just as important as its exterior design, as it's where users spend most of their time. This requires careful attention to the shape, space and surface of every element, making sure that each aspect provides comfort while also evoking emotion. Designers are crafting multisensory experiences that go beyond simply driving. Every detail is designed with a purpose: from the tactile sensation of the steering wheel to the acoustic harmony of the cabin. The interaction between the vehicle and its occupants is at the forefront of modern design, creating spaces where the journey itself becomes an experience to be savoured, not just a functional necessity.

Looking ahead  

The future of automotive design is defined by adaptability and the integration of emerging technologies. Designers today must create vehicles that not only meet the demands of traditional internal combustion engines but also embrace the shift toward electric powertrains, autonomous driving and connected mobility systems.

The challenge lies in ensuring that vehicles are equipped to handle the fast growing technological and societal changes while remaining relevant and functional. Advancements in augmented reality (AR), virtual reality (VR) and digital modelling have revolutionised the design process. Several automotive players including us at Tata Motors are utilising these tools for real-time visualisation, enabling designers to rapidly prototype and iterate on concepts. The precision and efficiency offered by these technologies have streamlined the transition from initial sketches to full-scale production, ensuring that the final product is a true reflection of the designer's vision. To conclude  

Automotive design is no longer about fleeting trends or short-term solutions. It's about crafting vehicles that shape the future of mobility, ensuring that today's designs remain relevant in the evolving world of tomorrow. Designers are tasked with integrating technology. sustainability and user experience into every vehicle they create, ensuring that the mobility is not just functional but transformative. Through design, the automotive industry is crafting experiences that go beyond driving vehicles that connect with people and the world in meaningful, lasting ways.

Ajay Jain is the Head of India Studio and of the Global Design Strategy at Tata Motors. Working closely with the global design team, he reports to Martin Uhlarik, Vice President Global Design, Tata Motors. Contributing to the global design strategy at Tata Passenger Electric Mobility Ltd, Jain has 20 years of experience as an automotive designer.

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The European Union voted in favour of imposing extra tariffs on China-made EVs by up to 45 percent on 4 October 2024. Threatening a broader trade conflict with a country that has already vowed to protect its companies and is considered as the factory of the world, the move has been criticised by the auto industry and various EU member states.

With growing demand for EU and China resolving their differences through dialogue, the China Council for the Promotion of International Trade is known to express that it is opposed to be the move.

With the technical teams from China and the EU set to resume talks on 7 October 2024, the situation in EU as far as the auto OEMs like Volkswagen Group, Stellantis and BMW Group are concerned, there have been instances of profit warnings.  

Weak demand, rising costs, global competition, trade wars, geopolitical situations, subsidies and company-specific factors are among the reasons being underlined for the profit warnings by European automakers.

Receiving necessary support with 10 members backing the tariffs, 12 abstaining and five members – including Germany – voting against, the European Union, claim sources aware of the development, has been urged by the auto industry to negotiate with China for better terms and conditions rather than to reach the level were a trader war looks eminent.

Present in the China market for a decade or more, many European automakers seem to fear if the tariffs imposed on Chinese EVs will lead to negative consequences in that market for them.

Volkswagen is known to have said that the tariffs are ‘the wrong approach’. There is a need for the two sides to negotiate and find the middle way, mentioned an industry source in Germany in response to the tariffs by EU.

Image courtesy: EmDee (Wikipedia)

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The Association of Indian Forging Industry (AIFI), the apex body representing the forging industry in the country has announced its new officer bearers for 2024-26. 

The committee has elected Yash Munot as the new President of AIFI, while S.  Ravishankar was elected as the Vice-President.

Munot, who succeeds Vikas Bajaj, had previously served as Vice-President of AIFI from 2020 to 2024, is now also the youngest to be appointed as the President in the organisation's history. 

He currently serves as the CEO at Varsha Forgings and the Managing Director at KCTR Varsha Automotive. Munot begun his journey in the forging industry in 2005 joining his family business - Varsha Forgings. He was also instrumental in organising major industry events like IFC 2011, Forgetech  India 2016, Asia Forge 2019 and ForgeTech India 2023. He has served as the Western Region Chairman from 2018 to 2020. 

“The forging sector in India is at a pivotal juncture, with tremendous opportunities for innovation and growth. Our focus will be on fostering collaboration within the industry, driving technological advancements and promoting sustainable practices. I am committed to working closely with all stakeholders to ensure that our industry not only thrives domestically but also strengthens and enhances its global footprint. Together, we will build on the strong foundation laid by my predecessors and strive for excellence in every aspect of our work," said Munot.

S Ravishankar added, “I will strive for advancing our industry’s progress and tackling the challenges presented by a rapidly changing global landscape. Our priorities will include boosting competitiveness, driving innovation and equipping our members for future opportunities. I look forward to embracing the exciting prospects ahead and contributing to AIFI’s continued success during this transformative era”

He (Ravishankar) currently serves as the MD at Super Auto Forge and has over 25 years of experience in the auto component manufacturing industry. He is a Manufacturing Engineer with Bachelors degree from Annamalai University and Masters degree from The Ohio State University.

It was in 1997, after working in Detroit for two years, Ravishankar returned to India and joined his family business at Super Auto Forge. He has been instrumental in developing the international business of SAF and led the initiative to establish marketing offices in Detroit in 2001, followed by Belgium in 2011. He has been the Chairman of Indo American Chamber of Commerce for the period 2008 – 2009 – Tamil Nadu Branch and currently serves on the Southern Regional Committee of ACMA since 2021.

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Automechanika Frankfurt has cemented its position as the leading international trade fair for the automotive industry with the successful conclusion of Automechanika Frankfurt 2024. 

The slogan of this year’s Automechanika was ‘Driving Transformation’, with topics such as electrification, vehicle connectivity, driver assistance systems and digitalisation taking the centre stage. The fair was held from 10 to 14 September 2024 and saw 4,200 companies from 80 countries displaying their products and solutions for retail, workshops and industry. Spread over an area of 320,000 square metres and 26 hall levels, the event witnessed a total of 108,000 visitors from 172 countries.

Visitors had the chance to see cars with alternative drive systems up close, such as electric, hydrogen, and hybrid models, and even take a ride in the Future Mobility Park and the related expert forum Innovation4Mobility. For even more highlights, there were brand-new event types available, such as an exhilarating rally. Ninety-four percent of attendees, 70 percent of whom were foreign visitors, expressed satisfaction with the event, not just with the trade fair's offerings but also with their aims being met.

An emphasis on sustainable technologies, products and solutions was highlighted at Automechanika this year. Several talks on remanufacturing and circular economy tactics were held on the stage in the new Sustainability Court in Hall 5.0. This year also saw the opening of ‘Ambition’, a dedicated Gen Z section in Hall 3.1 with live acts, panel discussions and succinct, fascinating presentations to pique the interest of young people in the automotive professions. This action was taken as a result of the well-known lack of qualified workers in the automobile sector.

Detlef Braun, Member of the Executive Board of Messe Frankfurt, commented, “Even in the midst of the digital transformation, the industry once again demonstrated its wealth of innovation, providing countless highlights over the course of the five-day event. Together with our exhibitors, we were able to find the right players to present the most important topics – including alternative drive systems, sustainability and the use of AI and robotics in the automotive aftermarket – on the stages and in the exhibition halls. We are also delighted by growing demand from both German and international visitors.”

Michael Johannes, Vice President Mobility & Logistics, Messe Frankfurt, said “Never before has Automechanika in Frankfurt had a supporting programme and range of events like this. Our roster of presentations and practical workshops covered a wide range of topics, including bodywork and paintwork, electric vehicles, commercial vehicles, caravan repair, 3D printing, detailing and much else besides. These were very well received by the professionals, and students and pupils took advantage of the opportunities on offer to find out for themselves what some of the automotive trades and professions are like. One of this year’s new additions was a programme and area devoted especially to Generation Z. We wanted to draw their attention to the professional opportunities that are available in the fascinating world of the automotive industry – and we were very successful.”

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