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!

Horse Powertrain, a leading supplier of powertrain solutions, has launched the V20 engine through its Aurobay Technologies division with production already underway at its Skovde, Sweden, manufacturing facility.

The V20 engine aims to assist automakers in meeting emission regulations for 2026 and 2027 with units destined for customers in Europe, the US and Asia. The 2.0-litre, 4-cylinder engine features a single architecture offered in two variants: a 400-volt plug-in hybrid and a 48-volt mild hybrid. The plug-in version provides a reduction in fuel consumption of seven per cent compared to the predecessor.

The platform design intends to reduce material costs. Hardware for the plug-in variant includes a crankshaft-mounted starter-generator, a mechanical water pump, and a re-routed cooling system. Additional updates include a multi-injection fuel system, an engine management system, and an air induction system.

Ingo Scholten, Managing Director, Aurobay Technologies Sweden and Deputy CTO of Horse Powertrain, said, “Designing one engine to meet three different regulatory regimes is harder than designing three separate engines. As the regulatory map is fragmenting, one engine that meets all three sets of rules delivers greater value to our customers, ensuring we can offer greater economies of scale. Pulling that off requires serious engineering. Further, the Skovde team also successfully changed production lines while keeping current production running.”

The Skovde plant integrated a final assembly line with the base assembly line to improve material flow. This transition occurred during ongoing operations. Output is scheduled to increase through 2026 and 2027 to meet demand.

Comments (0)

ADD COMMENT

Link Copied!

AEye, Inc. and MoveAWheeL have signed a Memorandum of Understanding to explore the integration of their sensing technologies for use in Advanced Driver Assistance Systems (ADAS) and autonomous driving applications.

The partnership aims to combine AEye’s lidar perception with MoveAWheeL’s road-surface sensing to assist vehicles in interpreting surroundings and road conditions.

The collaboration will evaluate the pairing of AEye’s Apollo LiDAR sensor with MoveAWheeL’s friction-coefficient prediction technology. Apollo is a 1550-nanometer LiDAR sensor capable of detecting objects at distances of up to one kilometre. MoveAWheeL’s sensor uses acoustic sensing to estimate the friction of road surfaces, providing data to inform decisions regarding acceleration, braking and stability control.

Matt Fisch, Chairman and CEO of AEye, said, “Physical AI depends on giving machines the ability to accurately perceive and understand the real world. Apollo was designed to deliver long-range, real-time 3D perception that helps systems see farther and react earlier in complex environments. By exploring the integration of Apollo with MoveAWheeL’s road-surface intelligence, we have the opportunity to create an even deeper understanding of the driving environment, particularly in the adverse conditions where advanced safety systems are needed most.”

Dr. Min-Hyun Kim, Founder and CEO, MoveAWheeL, said, “While LiDAR provides the ‘eyes’ for a vehicle to see obstacles, MoveAWheeL provides the ‘tactile sense’ to feel the road. By integrating our Physical AI with AEye’s long-range perception, we are creating a complete safety stack that remains robust even in the most treacherous weather conditions.”

Comments (0)

ADD COMMENT

Link Copied!

L&T Technology Services (LTTS), a leading ER&D sevices company, has inaugurated its first Engineering Intelligence Centre of Excellence (EI CoE) in Munich, Germany. The facility marks a step in the company's Engineering Intelligence (EI) strategy, which focuses on embedding AI across the engineering lifecycle to support intelligent products, autonomous operations and manufacturing systems.

The centre aims to assist global enterprises in transitioning from AI experimentation to industrial transformation by combining domain engineering expertise with technologies such as GenAI, Agentic AI, multimodal AI, Physical AI and edge intelligence. LTTS states that it has filed over 237 patents in AI and GenAI during FY2026.

Located within a technology ecosystem, the Munich EI CoE will function as a collaborative hub for clients in the mobility, industrial products, sustainability and technology sectors. Its work will focus on: Applied AI solutions, Intelligent manufacturing, Software-defined products, Predictive operations and Connected engineering ecosystems.

At present, LTTS serves more than 60 clients in Europe with a team of over 4,500 engineers. The new centre is intended to improve local collaboration with clients, partners and academic institutions, facilitating outcome-driven innovation.

Amit Chadha, Chief Executive Officer & Managing Director, L&T Technology Services, said, “LTTS’ first EI Centre of Excellence in our Munich design centre is a milestone as it brings our deep-tech and EI-based solutions closer to the clients’ R&D hubs across the region. The centre will act as a focal point for innovation, R&D and new product development, redefining how products, platforms and manufacturing are engineered and optimised in the AI era.”

Comments (0)

ADD COMMENT

Link Copied!

European automaker Stellantis has announced a strategic initiative with Accenture to deploy artificial intelligence (AI)-enabled digital twin capabilities across its global manufacturing network using Nvidia technologies. The project focuses on creating virtual manufacturing environments powered by real-time data and physical AI.

The collaboration integrates Stellantis's automotive infrastructure, Accenture’s digital manufacturing engineering and Nvidia’s accelerated computing platforms and Omniverse libraries.

The system uses virtual factory replicas to validate manufacturing processes prior to physical installation, track metrics for quality control and conduct predictive monitoring.

Initial testing and deployment of the digital twin infrastructure are scheduled to begin with pilot programmes in North America in 2026. The long-term objective is to evaluate scalability across the carmaker's international plant footprint to establish a predictive manufacturing model.

Francesco Ciancia, Head of Manufacturing, Stellantis, said, “We are laying the foundation for the next generation of manufacturing at Stellantis. By combining digital twins, AI and advanced simulation, we are rethinking how we design, operate and continuously improve our production systems. This initiative is designed to work hand in hand with our teams, enhancing their ability to anticipate issues, enabling faster decisions and continuous improvement. Together with Accenture and NVIDIA, we are exploring new ways to drive more scalable and intelligent operations.”

Tracey Countryman, Supply Chain and Engineering Global Lead, Accenture, added, “The opportunity in manufacturing today is to scale AI across complex industrial operations in ways that deliver measurable business value. By partnering with Accenture and harnessing Nvidia’s compute and simulation technologies, Stellantis is positioned to accelerate manufacturing reinvention and lead the industry into a new era of intelligent, high-performance operations.”

The computational framework is built to enable closed-loop optimisation, a process where physical assembly lines and virtual systems continuously exchange data to improve performance. The architecture supports automated throughput adjustment, maintenance scheduling and software-defined factory operations.

Comments (0)

ADD COMMENT

Link Copied!