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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MathWorks, a leading software tools company, recently concluded MATLAB EXPO 2026 today, hosting over 1,300 engineers, scientists and industry leaders to discuss the transition of generative AI, engineering copilots and agentic AI from experimental phases to production-scale deployment.

The event focused on the integration of AI-assisted design and simulation into Model-Based Design workflows across industries such as automotive, aerospace and semiconductors. Discussions highlighted the importance of maintaining engineering rigour, traceability and safety while utilising automated workflows.

At the event, MathWorks leaders Seth Deland and Avinash Nehemiah demonstrated how agentic AI capabilities in MATLAB and Simulink are accelerating simulation-led decision-making and system deployment.

Savyasachi Srinivas, VP at Collins Aerospace, detailed the use of AI-enabled knowledge systems and digital twins to move aerospace products from initial concept through to formal certification.

The event saw a panel discussion featuring representatives from Boeing, Mercedes-Benz R&D India, TCS, HSBC and the Indian Institute of Science addressing the critical need for human oversight and verification when validating AI-assisted outputs in real-world systems.

Also, the event saw technology demonstration including Raftar Formula Racing from IIT Madras, displayed their competition-winning race car designed using MathWorks tools.

The highlight at the UAV Pavilion saw drone and eVTOL (electric Vertical Take-Off and Landing) platforms from Speedgoat, Zmotion Autonomous Systems and Reude Technologies.

Sunil Motwani, Country Manager – Sales and Service – MathWorks India, said, “This year’s MATLAB EXPO reflected growing industry interest in applying GenAI, copilots and agentic AI to engineering workflows in ways that improve productivity while preserving validation, traceability and safety.”

The conference underscored a consistent industry shift: engineering teams are moving beyond basic AI experimentation toward certification-ready systems where AI agents accelerate design and verification while keeping engineers central to the decision-making process.

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Hyderabad-based electric vehicle manufacturer Olectra Greentech has announced the adoption of Dassault Systemes’ 3DEXPERIENCE platform.

The collaboration is designed to create a digitally integrated product development ecosystem, aligning Olectra's engineering processes with global OEM standards.

The 3DEXPERIENCE platform provides a unified environment that connects design, simulation and manufacturing. By implementing this system, Olectra aims to move toward virtual twin technology and model-based engineering, allowing it to validate vehicle designs in a virtual space before physical prototyping.

Key Objectives of the Collaboration:

• Digital Integration: Transitioning from component-level engineering to system-level digital orchestration.
• Accelerated Time-to-Market: Reducing innovation cycles through seamless collaboration between engineering and manufacturing teams.
• Virtual Validation: Using simulation to ensure precision and reduce the need for multiple physical prototypes.
• Scalability: Developing new electric bus and truck platforms capable of meeting international benchmarks.

Mahesh Babu, MD, Olectra Greentech, said, At Olectra, we see the future of mobility being shaped by electrification and digital engineering. As part of our commitment to transforming mobility through accessible innovation and a pragmatic future, we are making significant investments in developing new bus and truck platforms. Our collaboration with Dassault Systemes and adoption of the 3DEXPERIENCE platform will play a vital role in building these to global standards and aligning with global benchmarks. This enables us to move faster, design smarter, and deliver with world class precision. As India accelerates its EV transition, we remain focused on leading in both deployment and engineering excellence.”

Deepak NG, Managing Director, India, Dassault Systemes, added, “Our collaboration with Olectra reflects a forward-looking shift toward integrated, platform-driven innovation, enabling faster, smarter, and more sustainable electric vehicle development. Together, we aim to strengthen the transformation of India’s mobility ecosystem through virtual twin experiences.”

The adoption of the platform comes as Indian manufacturers increasingly shift toward platform-based engineering to manage the complexity of next-generation vehicle architectures and drive sustainable growth in the EV sector.

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India has officially commenced its transition to barrier-less tolling with the live deployment of Multi-Lane Free Flow (MLFF) infrastructure at Manoharpur, Rajasthan and Hyderabad, Telangana.

The initiative is powered by Cron AI’s 3D perception platform, senseEDGE, which allows vehicles to pass through tolling points at highway speeds without stopping.

The deployment, a partnership between the National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) and Cron AI, uses LiDAR-based real-time detection to identify and classify vehicles. Unlike traditional toll plazas, the MLFF gantries capture vehicle dimensions and axle counts to determine toll classes while simultaneously using ANPR for number plate recognition and linking to FASTag RFID accounts.

The system currently handles 30,000 to 35,000 vehicles per day at the initial sites. It is designed specifically for Indian road conditions, the platform manages inconsistent lane discipline and ‘occlusion’ (overlapping traffic) with zero false classifications. The LiDAR technology remains accurate during poor visibility, glare, darkness and high-speed traffic.

Tushar Chhabra, Founder & CEO, Cron AI, said, “India is moving from tolling as a checkpoint to tolling as an invisible layer of national infrastructure. That shift requires the road itself to become intelligent. That is what senseEDGE is built to do, and what is now live on some of India’s busiest corridors.”

The move aligns with the Government of India’s mandate to transition over 1,100 toll plazas to MLFF systems. With the National Highway network expanding to 146,204 km as of March 2025 and FASTag penetration reaching 98 percent, the objective is to eliminate idling, reduce fuel consumption, and lower emissions at tolling points.

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Chinese technology company InfiMotion presented its latest electric drive technologies at the 5th International Forum on Automotive Power Systems held in Songjiang. The event gathered industry experts to discuss the theme of ‘dual carbon drive, diversified win-win.’

The company showcased a dual motor assembly featuring a magnesium aluminium alloy shell, which it identifies as a world first for mass production. The assembly uses a patented 360-degree bidirectional, full oil cooling technology for heat dissipation. According to the organisation, the magnesium aluminium alloy housing reduces weight by 25 percent compared to traditional aluminium versions while maintaining hardness, aiding vehicle range and energy consumption.

InfiMotion also showcased magnetic field adjustable motors, which is intended to reduce no-load drag losses and optimise power consumption.

Furthermore, it also displayed ultra-high speed motors capable of 36,000rpm for high-performance applications and 9-in-1 electronic control units designed to integrate power domain control and reduce drive weight.

During the forum, Xu Zhe, a technology expert at InfiMotion, delivered a speech titled ‘The Era Wave of Cross Integration of Electric Drive Calibration and Data Science.’

The presentation addressed the integration of product technology with data science during the research and development process.

The exhibition resulted in exchanges between InfiMotion and several domestic and international enterprises regarding the production and application of future power systems.

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