Artificial intelligence (AI) is an evolving technology that is still growing, but it is undoubtedly getting better. 

For all we know, factories might not even need lights 20 years later, because most of them will be operated by AI. We see a lot of R&D happening within the AI framework, giving good results. Besides, we see newer frameworks coming in. 

AI-based visual inspection, too, has been growing by leaps and bounds, reshaping automotive inspection. It helps examine detailed defects in vehicles, providing automotive OEMs the opportunity for accuracy and cost-savings. 

One such company focusing on AI-based visual inspection is Lincode Labs, whose AI-backed visual inspection solution, Lincode Visual Inspection System (LIVIS), is its current focus. The company was started with complete research and understanding of the top challenges that manufacturers globally face. After interviewing close to 100 customers, 86 percent of them said that quality inspection happens to be their biggest challenge.

“We were intrigued by this and went to various quality inspection people and identified the technology they were using,” says Rajesh Iyengar, Founder and CEO, Lincode Labs, and goes on, “We went on to find out that the technology hasn’t changed for two decades and there were a lot of false calls in it. That’s when Lincode stepped in and built a product around specific challenges focused on the automotive industry.”

Automotive OEMs, too, look at specifically reducing these false calls and improving productivity, which Lincode has helped solve through its AI-backed visual inspection solution. “The industry standards were 150 to 200 false calls per million inspections. So, in our case, we are doing it in zero to four parts per million,” Iyengar cites.  

Iyengar further reveals that due to this, 80 percent of their customers are repeat orders. “That’s because they are completely happy with the inspection process and the way the inspection is automated,” he mentions.  

LIVIS
Traditional vision systems cannot catch up with AI, as Iyengar says. He avers, “LIVIS stands out because we have built it as a platform. The scalability becomes easier if you’re going to deploy it across multiple factories and locations. But also, the foremost important thing is that it is completely made as a product. Thus, AI is commoditised. With the LIVIS platform, we can bring the cost and time to deployment down.” 

Lincode’s role in the automotive industry
What’s interesting is that even if Lincode caters to the manufacturing industry as a whole, it first addressed the automotive industry. The company researched the market size of various manufacturing companies and the automotive industry took the top spot, with close to USD 542 billion of global value.  

“We started with the automotive industry but pivoted later,” Iyengar tells us and continues, “So, instead of looking at just the automotive or any other industry, we turned our attention to steel, metal, plastic, glass etc. We basically went to the surface and saw how steel and metal are produced today. Whether it’s a CNC machining or forging or casting process, these are major processes used for any industry across the globe involving steel and metal. We understood that steel and metal are dealt with in the same way globally. Therefore, it made sense to go to the surface and into these kinds of defects specifically, and then generalise that and start building a model towards it. This, plus making AI as a product, has made deployment easier across the globe.” 

R&D centre in Bengaluru
Lincode recently opened a new R&D centre in Bengaluru, which also has a significant role to play in deploying the company’s solution across the world.

Stressing on the fact that evolving models are important in AI, Iyengar states, “It’s a continuous process; it’s not that you just build a model and you’re set. We have a big roadmap in the product development, and the Bengaluru R&D centre is going to play a major role in that. We are going to conduct deep research with various data collected across the globe and do various testing with that.” 

Staying ahead
What’s more, Lincode recently closed a funding round in December last year. Catering to a constantly evolving industry like the automotive, Lincode, too, strives to make sure that its visual inspection solution stays ahead and is put to use. “There are about more than 600 parts in a car and each part is segregated – like the structure, wiring, engine components etc.,” Iyengar shares and continues, “These segregations are made so that we can target the sector of the product. For example, when it comes to engine blocks, there is a specific model with a huge data set around engine blocks. This is how we stay ahead of competition.” Iyengar also adds that their trials with various use cases made them understand that inspection alone is not important but also the way the inspection is done. 

Essential skill sets for AI vision systems
Leveraging AI-based visual inspection solutions in the automotive industry is bound to increase productivity, and the cost of labour will also come down because of automation. “Today, most manufacturers use secondary inspection, which can be cut off straight away. This will improve their productivity and also reduce the risk of delays,” Iyengar enlightens. 

Moreover, AI vision systems come with their share of essential skill sets to bring out the best in the automotive industry. Iyengar states that, in general, skilling is required for the factory people. “This could be at various levels,” he puts across and adds, “It could be for the operators, the IT administrator or even the software development team. Hence, deep training is required, which can be somewhat cumbersome because it could be a bit challenging for the operator. So, an IT person might be needed in order to help the operator every time there is a downtime.” 

Covid-19 and AI-backed visual inspection
Such training or skills could certainly come in handy, because Iyengar claims that the need for AI-backed visual inspection solutions in the automotive industry has increased since the Covid-19 pandemic. “Unplanned shutdowns happened during Covid, because of which employees could not report and manufacturing could not continue properly,” he responds and adds, “Hence, a lot of investments are happening because of this. In fact, even now, a lot of employees are still not reporting and the labour problem has become global. It has become tough to get skilled workers. This has led to the adoption of autonomous manufacturing for automotives, where AI is going to play a big role.”

Meeting industry requirements
For an industry that is an economic force globally, AI-based visual inspection is certainly meeting the high-quality requirements of the customers of the automotive sector. Plus, we already see companies like Volvo using the technology. Safety surpasses any requirement, and this requirement can be fulfilled if quality is top-notch. And quality will be at its best if automotive manufacturers can perform production quality inspections in the most efficient way. (MT)

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Cars24, a leading online vehicle selling and buying marketplace, has reported that it has processed 1.1 trillion AI (artificial intelligence) tokens during Q1 of FY2026, marking a shift in its business model.

The company stated that AI expenditure now represents 8.88 percent of the company's salary run-rate, with 95 percent of its employees use AI weekly and 89 percent of production code is AI-assisted, contributing to a reported 3x increase in engineer productivity.

Furthermore, for customer operations, AI platforms analysed 9.81 million conversations. Voicebots handled 2.58 million minutes and chatbots processed 550,000 requests.

In terms of inspections, 80 percent of vehicle inspections – totalling 288,000 – were conducted via AI-led systems, reducing the average inspection time from 45 minutes to 26 minutes.

AI-led loan disbursals accounted for 65 percent of the total, amounting to 4,158 disbursals. The company’s Document AI processed 850,000 documents, while its Agentic AI platform executed 5.71 million workflows.

At present, Cars24 operates six in-house platforms supporting 25 use cases, including computer vision, lending and workflow automation. Its imaging platform processes 50,000 vehicle images per month.

Vikram Chopra, Founder & CEO, Cars24, said: "AI is no longer improving isolated workflows, it is becoming the operating system of Cars24. Processing over one trillion AI tokens in a single quarter reflects the scale at which intelligence now powers every part of our business. From customer conversations and vehicle inspections to engineering and operations, we are building one AI that understands context, learns continuously and simplifies every stage of vehicle ownership."

Looking forward, Cars24 plans to develop a unified AI layer that integrates buying, selling, financing and ownership services by utilising its data from the past 11 years.

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Tata Elxsi, a leading design and technology solutions company, has announced its financial results for Q1 FY2027, reporting operating revenue of INR 10.21 billion, up 2.8 percent over the previous quarter and 14.5 percent YoY.

For Q1 FY2027, the company’s EBITDA came at INR 2.16 billion with a margin of 21.2 percent and a profit after tax (PAT) of INR 1.7 billion, up 18.2 percent YoY.

The company’s revenue from the transportation segment grew 13.3 percent YoY, supported by engagements in off-road and aerospace segments. Automotive OEM revenue now accounts for 78 percent of the division's total revenue. The media & communications segment revenue grew 22.2 percent YoY, while healthcare and life sciences clocked 1.7 percent growth QoQ.

Manoj Raghavan, CEO and Managing Director, Tata Elxsi, said, “For the quarter, Tata Elxsi delivered a healthy performance with growth in our two primary verticals, supported by strong deal execution and continued momentum in large strategic engagements. We also crossed a key milestone of reporting operating revenue of more than Rs. 1,000 crores in the current quarter. The performance in the quarter reflects the strength and increasing relevance of our design-led and AI-enabled engineering capabilities in our chosen industries.”

“FY2027 marks a year of future focus for the company, as we prepare and equip ourselves for a world reshaped by AI. We are making targeted investments in specialized talent, AI powered platforms, tools and infrastructure, to pivot to a Domain + AI future. These investments are enhancing customer value creation with tangible outcomes and opening new avenues for growth and positioning us for the year and decade ahead,” he concluded.

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Chinese automotive major BYD Group showcased eight model debuts at the 2026 Goodwood Festival of Speed, where it occupied a 2,016 square metre stand. The display featured vehicles from the BYD, DENZA and YANGWANG brands, with several models participating in the hillclimb event.

At the event, BYD introduced the DOLPHIN G DM-i, a supermini featuring Dual Mode Super Hybrid technology that pairs an electric motor with a 1.5-litre petrol engine. The manufacturer also presented the SHARK pickup, which produces 436PS and accelerates from 0-62mph (0-100 kmph) in 5.7 seconds.

DENZA unveiled the Z sports car, a coupe with 1604PS and a top speed of 217mph (350 kmph), which was presented by Stella Li and 2009 Formula 1 World Champion Jenson Button. The brand also displayed the BAO 5 SUV, which incorporates DMO (Dual Mode Off-road) technology. Additionally, DENZA demonstrated charging speeds of up to 1,500kW, allowing vehicles to charge from 10-70 percent in five minutes.

YANGWANG exhibited the U9 Xtreme, a production car with a top speed of 308.3mph (496 kmph) and a 1200V powertrain. The brand also displayed the U8L SUV and the U7 saloon.

Stella Li, Executive Vice President, BYD, said, "It's been an exciting privilege to play such a central role at this year's Goodwood Festival of Speed. Our stand has been the focal point for thousands of visitors, who've been able to explore a host of new models – our incredible DENZA Z and DENZA BAO 5, as well as the BYD SHARK and, for the first time in the UK, the DOLPHIN G DM-i. We've really enjoyed meeting car enthusiasts from around the world, and it's been a particular thrill to see our cars, such as the YANGWANG U9X, going up the iconic hillclimb. Goodwood really is a global centrepiece for car culture, and we're delighted to have been able to show how our new-energy technologies are creating advances in sustainable mobility around the world."

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European commercial vehicle major IVECO and PETRONAS Lubricants International (PLI) have renewed their strategic partnership for five years, extending the agreement through 2032.

The collaboration continues the supply and joint engineering of lubricants for IVECO’s vehicle portfolio in Europe, including engine oils, transmission fluids, brake fluids and coolants.

The partnership focuses on the development of IVECO URANIA engine oils and IVECO TUTELA technical fluids. These products are recommended by IVECO and result from joint research and development. Recent innovations include the launch of Urania Next 0W-16, a lubricant formulated for heavy-duty applications.

Domenico Nucera, Chief Quality & Operations Officer, Iveco Group, said, "The renewal of the agreement with PETRONAS Lubricants International confirms the strength of a long-standing collaboration built on shared technical expertise and a common ambition to continuously improve performance, efficiency, and sustainability across our vehicle and powertrain portfolio. Through the co-engineering of our IVECO URANIA and IVECO TUTELA ranges, we are able to deliver solutions that maximise vehicle uptime, optimise total cost of ownership, and support our customers and dealer network with the highest standards of quality and reliability."

Domenico Ciaglia, Group Chief Strategy & Transformation Officer, PETRONAS Lubricants International (PLI), said, "This partnership renewal demonstrates what can be achieved through a long-term forward-thinking collaboration, with consistency, and a shared commitment to excellence. Through continuous product innovation, we have been able to co-develop market-leading solutions such as the Urania Next 0W-16 engine oil formulation, seamlessly integrated into IVECO's ecosystem. This collaboration enables us to deliver greater value to the industry by combining our expertise and driving innovation together. Looking ahead, PETRONAS Lubricants International remains fully committed to supporting the IVECO Group with forward integrated reliable, high-performance products and solutions that create lasting value for its network and customers. This renewed collaboration further reinforces the foundation of PLI's broader strategic roadmap, demonstrating how technical excellence and trusted partnerships can drive sustainable, long-term value internationally."

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