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

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SiMa.ai has announced its first integrated capability resulting from a collaboration with Synopsys. The joint solution provides a blueprint to accelerate architecture exploration and virtual software development for automotive Systems-on-Chip (SoCs). These chips support applications including Advanced Driver Assistance Systems (ADAS) and In-Vehicle Infotainment (IVI).

The partnership aims to deliver architectures required for software-defined vehicles. The blueprint allows customers to begin the design and validation of custom AI SoCs and ‘shift left’ software development before silicon is available. This process is intended to reduce development costs and accelerate vehicle time-to-market.

The blueprint provides pre-integrated SoC virtual prototypes and a tool workflow using solutions from both companies.

For Architectural Exploration:

• SiMa.ai MLA Performance and Power Estimator (MPPE): Enables customers to size machine learning accelerator designs for specific workloads.
• Synopsys Platform Architect: Used to model workloads and analyse performance, power, memory, and interconnect trade-offs before RTL design.

For Verification and Validation:

• Synopsys Virtualiser Development Kit (VDK): Facilitates software development using a virtual SoC prototype, which can accelerate vehicle time-to-market by up to 12 months.
• SiMa.ai Palette SDK: Supports machine learning workflows for edge AI applications.
• Synopsys ZeBu Emulation: Delivers pre-silicon hardware and software validation to ensure architectures meet workload requirements.

Krishna Rangasayee, Founder & CEO at SiMa.ai, said, "We are pleased with how well the two teams have worked together to quickly create a joint solution uniquely focused on unlocking physical AI capabilities for today's software defined vehicles. Our best-in-class ML platform, combined with Synopsys' industry-leading automotive-grade IP and design automation software creates a powerful foundation for innovation across OEMs in autonomous driving and in-vehicle experiences."

Ravi Subramanian, Chief Product Management Officer, Synopsys, said, "Automotive OEMs need to deliver software-defined AI-enabled vehicles faster to market to drive differentiation, which requires early power optimisation and validation of the compute platform to reduce total cost of development and time to SOP. Our collaboration with SiMa.ai delivering an ML-enabled architecture exploration and software development blueprint supported by a comprehensive integrated suite of tools significantly jumpstarts these activities and enables our automotive customers to bring next-generation ADAS and IVI features to market faster."

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Chinese display panel manufacturer Tianma recently exhibited its range of automotive technologies at CES 2026. The company’s solutions include LTPS-LCD, AMOLED and MicroLED technologies designed for cockpits.

The centrepiece of the exhibit was the Smart Cockpit 7.0, an automotive interior and dashboard demonstration. It integrates a 49.6-inch curved ACRUS display with 8K resolution and a slidable AM-OLED display using a gear-rack mechanism.

It also presented InvisiVue, a solution that mimics decorative surfaces like wood or metal when inactive and reveals images through a transmissivity layer when powered on.

The 49.6-inch ACRUS curved display uses Corning ColdForm Technology. It features pixel-level dimming with 210,000 zones, achieving a contrast ratio of 100,000:1. The unit’s R3000 curvature is designed to align with the windshield to reduce blind spots and reflections.

Furthermore, Tianma also presented two HUD technologies – a 43.7-inch Ultra-wide IRIS HUD. It uses a Mini-LED display with peak brightness of 10,000 nits for visibility in sunlight. It features an 85 percent NTSC colour gamut and a curved structure designed to match the windshield’s optical path.

Secondly, an 11.98-inch IRIS HUD, which utilises high-luminance PGU technology, delivering 12,000 nits brightness. The module is less than 15 mm thick for integration in compact vehicles and operates at approximately 6 W to reduce thermal load.

The company also introduced a 34-inch dye liquid crystal dimming glass for rear side privacy windows. This technology uses voltage control of liquid crystal molecules to achieve stepless dimming without physical sunshades.

The system provides a response time of less than 300ms for transitions between privacy and transparent modes. It features a wide viewing angle and a grey-black tone to manage glare within the vehicle interior.

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Audi Revolut F1 Team has reached a technical milestone by completing the first ‘fire-up’ of its 2026 Formula 1 car. The event took place at the team's facility in Hinwil on 19 December 2025, where the Audi Power Unit was operated for the first time while installed within the chassis.

The procedure serves as a verification of the integration between the powertrain, developed in Neuburg, Germany, and the chassis, designed in Hinwil, Switzerland. The project also involves the Technical Centre in Bicester, UK. This phase confirms that the core components of the vehicle function together before moving into the next stages of dynamic testing.

Gernot Dollner, CEO of Audi AG, said, “For Audi, entering Formula 1 is a key part of our brand’s ongoing renewal. This milestone is a clear demonstration of our ‘Vorsprung durch Technik’ ambition. It is the result of seamless teamwork and a relentless pursuit of excellence that will serve as a guiding example for the entire Audi organisation. This project is a catalyst for change, fostering pride, identity, and enthusiasm. With the fire-up, the hard work of the teams in Hinwil, Neuburg and Bicester now truly comes to life, marking the beginning of an exciting new chapter in Audi’s motorsport history.”

Mattia Binotto, Head of the Audi F1 Project, added, “A fire-up is always a special moment, but this one marks a new beginning. It is the tangible result of our collective ambition and the dedicated work of our teams in Neuburg and Hinwil. Seeing everything come together for the first time gives the entire project incredible energy. We have built a solid foundation for what will be a long journey, defined by our relentless drive to improve.”

Jonathan Wheatley, Team Principal, commented, “This successful fire-up is a critical milestone that validates the quality of the work and collaboration across all departments. It energises the entire team and provides a clear focus as we prepare for the next phases of development, including the moment we first bring the car to track. This achievement brings our first race in Melbourne into sharp focus, and we will build on this foundation as one united team.”

The team is scheduled to hold a launch event in Berlin on 20 January 2026, where the race livery and identity will be revealed. This will be followed by collective testing in Barcelona at the end of January. A content hub will also be launched to provide media updates throughout the inaugural season.

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Bengaluru-based electric vehicle maker Ather Energy has announced the rollout of the 'Infinite Cruise' feature on the Ather 450X model. The software feature is being enabled via an over-the-air (OTA) update and will be provided as standard.

First introduced on the Ather Apex 450 in August 2025, the system is designed for urban riding conditions in India. Unlike conventional cruise control that disengages upon braking or acceleration, Infinite Cruise is said to remain active and adapts to rider inputs. The system recalibrates to new speeds without requiring manual reactivation, aimed at reducing throttle intervention in traffic. The feature operates within a speed range of 10 kmph to 90 kmph, covering city speeds typically excluded by traditional systems.

The update incorporates three specific control modes:

• CityCruise: Adjusts to speed changes in urban traffic.
• Hill Control: Maintains speed on inclines and descents using a regenerative braking algorithm.
• Crawl Control: Stabilises low-speed movement on uneven surfaces, supported by traction control.

Ather will extend this feature to over 44,000 existing customers who purchased the 450X from 1 January 2025. The company stated that this backward compatibility is a result of hardware choices made during the development of the 2025 series.

The Ather 450X is priced from INR 147,998 (ex-showroom) in Bengaluru. The company continues to use software updates to modify the capabilities of its vehicle fleet over time.

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