Currently, India’s foundry market for automotive components is small (only 10 percent of total foundry market — 10 million of cast iron + aluminium) in comparison to USA’s foundry market, which is at 14 million tonnes per annum, of which 3.3 million is aluminium (24 percent). With an increasing focus on higher performance with better safety and lower emission, this gap is going to shrink in the coming years, anticipates Ajay Kapur, CEO – Aluminium & Power Business, Vedanta Aluminium.

“There is immense scope for Indian aluminium producers to tap into the emerging market in the automotive sector,” said Kapur. Vedanta Aluminium was the first in India to supply PFA (primary foundry alloy) to the domestic auto sector. Before, the launch of PFA by the company, India’s entire PFA demand was being met through imports, even though the country has the world’s second-largest aluminium production capacity. Looking at the potential of the auto market and its import dependency, the company decided to tap into the opportunity and develop indigenous capabilities at its state-of-the-art facilities in Jharsuguda and BALCO to meet that demand. Currently, the company has a PFA casting capacity of 240KT spread across its plants in Odisha and Chhattisgarh.

“Primary aluminium producers develop PFAs which are customised to suit the exact needs of automakers in terms of performance, strength, durability, etc. Significant R&D and technical expertise go into developing PFAs, resulting in excellent metal quality and outstanding castability, which makes these alloys the preferred choice for the automotive industry,” explained Kapur. PFAs are ideal for aluminium alloy wheels, cylinder heads and brakes. The company also anticipates that with an increased focus on reduction of vehicle weight with higher safety performance, automotive parts critical to safety will be made from PFA instead of cast iron to offer higher strength and nearly double absorption of crash energy. “Besides, aluminium PFAs will always have the added advantage of cost-saving on fuel and maintenance,” added Kapur.

Vedanta Aluminium has started steadily supplying PFAs to OEMs and ancillaries in wheel manufacturing in India. “Our proactive move to expand business on this front helped us on-board some of the most reputed equipment manufacturers and auto ancillaries as our clients, and we have received a very positive response from them. Encouraged by that, we will soon look to expand our alloy portfolio for supporting manufacturing of cylinder heads, ABS brakes and certain key applications where traditional materials can easily get substituted with aluminium alloy. We are also exploring prospects of long-term investments by auto ancillaries near our aluminium smelters so that they may leverage cost savings in terms of freight, re-melting and electricity,” said Kapur.

The company, according to him, is well-positioned to cater to the current and emerging needs of the Indian auto sector, offering a broad range of products that find usage across the automotive value chain – from casting to extrusion. “When choosing suppliers for alloys, automotive players should look for companies having high-quality casting facilities, sophisticated R&D facilities and technological prowess for developing customised high-performance alloys for their specific needs, and finally, having robust after-sales technical support; USPs that have earned us the trust of our clients,” he added.

Aluminium is the second most used metal in the world after steel, today, and, according to Kapur, it has the potential to become the most important commercial metal in the future. “Most developed countries have already designated aluminium as a core industry. Aluminium holds strategic importance for the economy as the metal of choice for all kinds of transportation, power, aerospace, defence, building and construction needs. So, given the role it plays in supporting the core sectors meet the Government’s ‘Make in India’ initiative, we expect its application to only expand with time,” said Kapur.

The metal’s usage in the transportation sector has been rapidly increasing as it offers an environment-friendly and cost-effective way to increase performance, boost fuel economy and reduce emissions while maintaining or improving safety and durability. Aluminium is substantially lighter than its counterparts, offering a significant reduction in weight, which has a direct impact on fuel consumption and carbon emissions.

The metal also has a higher strength-to-weight ratio compared to traditional materials that enable it to absorb twice the crash energy of mild steel, ensuring that vehicular performance enhancements do not come at the cost of safety. “Further, nearly 90 percent of all the aluminium used in a vehicle is recycled at the end of its lifecycle. The energy required to recycle aluminium is only five percent of the energy required to produce the metal. With all these advantages, aluminium can play a pivotal role in the changing face of the automotive sector,” said Kapur.

Aluminium alloys are used by the Indian auto industry majorly as alloy wheels. Around 95 percent of two-wheelers include aluminium, averaging at 7kg per bike, taking total consumption of aluminium alloy in this segment to 115KTPA (kilo tons per annum). Whereas, only 20 percent of four-wheelers use aluminium, majorly in high-end models, which max out at 40kg per car. “The crux of the matter is, in India, we are yet to explore more applications of aluminium in the automotive industry akin to our global peers. For example, in developed countries, around 21 PFAs are used in the automotive segment to achieve light-weighting in the form of various auto parts and components. In India, we majorly use PFAs only for manufacturing alloy wheels and to some extent, for cylinder heads. So, there is immense potential for usage of aluminium in other auto parts like engine, suspension, front end carrier, instrument panel support, rear frame, chassis and many more,” said Kapur.

Shortly, the company expands its alloy portfolio for supporting manufacturing of cylinder heads, ABS brakes and certain other applications where currently steel or iron is being used but can be substituted by suitable aluminium alloys to provide additional benefits. As the market for aluminium alloys in automotive segment expands with inclusion of newer applications, Vedanta Aluminium will look for opportunities to leverage its technological expertise and R&D capabilities to develop products customised to the needs of the market. Vedanta Aluminium is also open to collaborating with the downstream industry, to unlock the entire potential of aluminium used in the auto sector and cater to the rapidly evolving aluminium requirements of the Indian automotive industry.

In the Indian automotive market, one of the biggest challenges faced today is the increasing imports of auto components from China and other countries. The size of the auto components imports was USD 17.6 billion in FY19. Asia, the largest source of imports for Indian auto-components, had a share of 61 percent followed by Europe at 29 percent; North America at eight percent; Latin America and Africa at one percent each in FY19. China, with 27 percent, enjoyed the status of the largest exporter in the Indian automotive market.

“The potential of the aluminium industry should be acknowledged and recognised as a core sector with a National Aluminium Policy that will encourage, protect and boost the domestic aluminium industry. The domestic capability needs to be harnessed for critical sectors of national importance like defence, aerospace, aviation, transportation, infrastructure, electrification, housing, etc. We must make the vision of ‘Make in India’ a ground reality in these sectors, leveraging the potential of the entire aluminium value chain, from mining to end usage. Besides enhancing domestic capacity and reducing import dependency and subsequently trade deficit, it will also generate huge employment opportunities in our country which has a deep talent pool that needs to be capitalised for the realisation of our vision of a USD5 trillion economy. We are on the right path, but there is still a long way to go,” said Kapur.

The global economy is swiftly moving towards a cleaner, greener and more sustainable lifestyle. For more than a decade now, concerns about fuel efficiency have encouraged OEMs to replace steel with aluminium in vehicle bodies, doors, trunks, hoods, bumpers, crash boxes, brakes and wheels. With the advent of electric vehicles (EV), OEMs worldwide are focusing on exploring and applying new uses of aluminium. The need for lightweight battery casings and heat exchangers in electric vehicles, combined with autonomous vehicles’ demands for high visibility and structural integrity, is expected to exponentially increase the use of aluminium in cars, trucks and buses from now on. “Using aluminium in EVs has several advantages, foremost amongst which is the distance travelled per charge. Lighter the vehicle, the longer its range. Coming to better battery life, thanks to the metal’s thermal and anticorrosion properties, aluminium is ideal for battery frames. Demand for aluminium will also rise on account of infrastructure for serving EVs since the metal is commonly used as a housing material for EVs charging stations as well. While India is waking up to this future of automobiles, partnerships between different automotive industry bodies/institutions and auto companies for sharing knowledge and expertise will help fast-track development of electric vehicles in the country,” said Kapur. MT

Comments (0)

ADD COMMENT

Link Copied!

American automotive supplier Stoneridge, Inc. has announced details of its EVO ECU Platform, which will debut at IAA Transportation 2026 in Hanover, Germany.

The electronic control unit (ECU) is engineered for commercial vehicles, buses, coaches and off-highway applications to consolidate system architecture and support software-defined capabilities.

The platform replaces multiple individual control units with a centralised processing architecture designed to manage vehicle data, enable remote software updates and facilitate diagnostics.

The ECU is developed in collaboration with technology partner Renesas Electronics using its R-Car system-on-chip technology and the hardware is built to withstand operating conditions involving temperature variations, vibration and dust exposure.

Christian Leblanc, Global Vice-President of Product and Project Management, Stoneridge, said, “Commercial vehicles are becoming increasingly connected and intelligent, but traditional vehicle architectures were not designed to support the pace of innovation happening today. EVO provides a scalable platform that helps simplify integration, improve vehicle performance and give our customers the flexibility they need to adapt as technology continues to evolve.”

“Fleet customers were at the centre of our development process. EVO helps enable faster troubleshooting, fewer service interruptions and the ability to continuously improve vehicle capabilities throughout the vehicle lifecycle,” added Leblanc.

The software structure was developed alongside Green Hills Software to segregate safety-critical operations while allowing system updates. Additionally, Stoneridge partnered with indie Semiconductor to produce the platform's image processor, supporting camera integration and driver assistance systems.

Natalia Noblet, President and CEO, Stoneridge, said, “Our industry is undergoing a significant transformation, driven by increasing connectivity, automation and evolving regulatory requirements. EVO represents our commitment to helping customers navigate that transformation with a flexible platform designed to support innovation today and tomorrow.”

Aish Dubey, Vice-President and Head of the HPC SoC Division, Renesas Electronics, commented, “Stoneridge’s EVO ECU Platform demonstrates how commercial-vehicle manufacturers can modernise vehicle electronics for demanding operating environments. Our collaboration brings together Stoneridge’s commercial-vehicle expertise and Renesas’ R-Car system-on-chip, power-management and programmable mixed-signal technologies to create a scalable, automotive-grade foundation for connected and software-defined commercial vehicles.”

The system has undergone field testing within the Stoneridge Innovation Truck demonstrator vehicle, which will be exhibited alongside the platform at the Hanover trade show.

Comments (0)

ADD COMMENT

Link Copied!

Roppen Transportation Services, which operates under the brand name Rapido, has received an aggregator license from the Karnataka State Transport Authority under the Karnataka On-Demand Transportation Technology Aggregators Rules, 2016.

The licence authorises the platform to operate cab services in the state for a period of five years, remaining valid until August 2031.

The regulatory approval affects Rapido's operations across 21 cities in Karnataka, where the platform reports 314,000 drivers, referred to by the company as captains and over 20.4 million registered users.

According to company figures, more than 6.9 million users have taken cab rides via the platform within the state. The company's operations span urban centres including Bengaluru, Mysuru, Mangaluru, Hubballi-Dharwad, Belagavi, Davangere, Shivamogga, Ballari, Kalaburagi and Tumakuru.

Pavan Guntupalli, Co-Founder, Rapido, said, “Karnataka is our home state and one of our most important markets. Over the years, Rapido has become a trusted mobility platform for millions of customers in the state, while creating earning opportunities for lakhs of captains. We welcome the grant of the licence under the Karnataka On-Demand Transportation Technology Aggregators Rules, 2016, for cab services. This development gives us the opportunity to strengthen our cab offering within a formal regulatory framework, while continuing to work closely with the Government of Karnataka and the Transport Department to support safe, reliable and accessible mobility for commuters.”

In addition to securing the operational licence, Rapido has been included in the Urban Mobility Mission initiated by the Government of Karnataka. The initiative aims to align private platform operations with state transport priorities, focusing on multimodal connectivity, transit technology integration and transport infrastructure in urban centers.

“Rapido’s ambition is to be a long-term mobility partner for Karnataka as the state builds the next generation of urban transport. Clear and predictable regulation benefits the entire mobility ecosystem, commuters, captains, platforms and the government. Our priority is to operate in full compliance with the state framework, while continuing to strengthen safety, service reliability and meaningful earning opportunities for captains,” added Guntupalli.

Comments (0)

ADD COMMENT

Link Copied!

L&T Technology Services has introduced AgenticIQ, a comprehensive Agentic AI platform tailored for engineering and manufacturing sectors. The end-to-end system is designed to facilitate the shift from isolated AI experiments to full-scale operational deployment. It achieves this by enabling autonomous, multi-agent workflows that span product development, manufacturing and customer experience, thereby promoting widespread Engineering Intelligence adoption.

Despite rising corporate AI investments, many projects remain stalled at the pilot phase due to fragmented engineering systems and manual processes. Highly regulated environments further complicate scalability, as organisations struggle to balance autonomous operations with strict governance and security protocols. AgenticIQ directly addresses these hurdles by embedding a planning-first architecture into existing production workflows.

Built upon LTTS’ existing Engineering Intelligence portfolio, the platform converts proven capabilities into reusable, specialised AI agents that function within enterprise governance frameworks. It ensures the protection of critical data and intellectual property while supporting a new agentic delivery model. With a cloud-agnostic design, the platform serves R&D-heavy industries like automotive, healthcare and semiconductors, allowing clients to deploy solutions anywhere without losing control over proprietary knowledge and workflows.

Amit Chadha, Chief Executive Officer & Managing Director, L&T Technology Services, said, “The next phase of Engineering Intelligence will be defined by how effectively autonomous AI agents collaborate to solve complex industry challenges across engineering, production and customer experience. Over the years, LTTS has built AI-powered engineering solutions that address domain-specific business problems across industries. With AgenticIQ™, we are transforming these proven capabilities into reusable AI agents on a unified Agentic AI platform that enables enterprises to rapidly build, orchestrate and deploy next-generation agentic solutions at scale.”

Comments (0)

ADD COMMENT

Link Copied!

German automotive major the BMW Group and its consortium partners have concluded the Car2Car research project, demonstrating that high-quality material recovery from end-of-life vehicles is technically feasible for industrial automotive applications.

Under expanded processing and sorting conditions, the consortium increased the percentage of recoverable materials from 6 percent to 51 percent across five focus material groups.

The project evaluated recovery paths for steel, aluminium, copper, plastics and glass. Under optimised processing routes, the recovery rate for steel rose from 1 percent to 81 percent, aluminium increased from 23 percent to 52 percent and copper grew from 48 percent to 68 percent. The improvements were achieved through pre-sorting, modified shredding processes, classification, sensor-based sorting and alloy separation.

Alexander Efthimiou, Senior Vice President Business Development, BMW Group, said, “The circular economy is an integral part of the BMW Group’s corporate strategy. Car2Car shows that its full potential can be realised when the entire value chain is optimised. Together with our partners, we are using the project findings to develop new process and business models that combine environmental and economic benefits, and advance the transition towards a circular automotive industry.”

To address copper contamination that prevents scrap steel from being reused in automotive flat steel, the project introduced a targeted sorting process for which a patent application has been filed. Steel coils produced through this method were tested at BMW Group Plant Leipzig, where over 100,000 series parts were manufactured and installed in vehicles.

Hilke Schaer, Car2Car project manager, BMW Group, said, “With Car2Car, we wanted to understand under which conditions materials from end-of-life vehicles can be reused in new cars. The project has shown the potential in current material streams from end-of-life vehicles that have not yet been optimised for high-quality material loops. The most significant progress was seen with steel: We were able to demonstrate that high-quality flat steel for automotive applications can be produced from end-of-life vehicle scrap. In the field test at BMW Group Plant Leipzig, more than 100,000 series parts were produced using this steel and installed in vehicles – making the project’s results tangible.”

While metal recycling yielded positive results, the consortium noted that technological challenges remain for plastics and glass due to material varieties and complex composite structures. Large-scale implementation across the industry will require process chains, additional infrastructure investments and regulatory frameworks aligned with the European ELV Regulation.

The consortium comprised BMW AG, TU Bergakademie Freiberg, the Helmholtz Institute Freiberg for Resource Technology, Technical University of Munich, Scholz Recycling, STEINERT UniSort, thyssenkrupp Steel Europe, Salzgitter Mannesmann Forschung, Aurubis, Novelis Germany, OETINGER Aluminium and Pilkington Automotive Germany.

Comments (0)

ADD COMMENT

Link Copied!