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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Bengaluru-based ride-hailing company Ola Consumer has launched its non-AC ride category across India, becoming the only player in the country to offer this option at scale.

The company stated that the goal is to offer customers maximum choice across various price points to meet their travel needs. The new category will also enable cab drivers to have lower fuel consumption and improve their earnings.  

Ola Consumer spokesperson said: “With the non-AC category, we’re pushing the boundaries of how affordable and accessible urban mobility can be in India. Millions of people rely on daily, value-driven transport, and this offering is built entirely around their needs. The early response has been incredible and shows how strongly India wants more transparent, flexible, and fairly priced mobility. This move marks a step ahead in our mission to rethink mobility in India, and make it truly inclusive for every consumer.”

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Synopsys, in association with 3D Engineering (an Ansys Elite Channel Partner), has inaugurated a new Design Center for Engineering Simulation at the MCCIA Electronic Cluster Foundation (MECF) in Pune.

The facility aims to accelerate access to advanced simulation technologies for MSMEs and be a catalyst for industrial R&D in Tier 2 and Tier 3 cities, industry-academia collaboration and student training.

The Design Center will enhance simulation-led innovation and adoption in electronic product design engineering for MSMEs in automotive, aerospace and defence, electronics and healthcare.

The facility will provide hands-on access to engineering tools in structural analysis, thermal modelling, electromagnetics and digital twin technologies. It is equipped with licensed Ansys (now part of Synopsys) simulation platforms and a high-performance computing (HPC) infrastructure.

The MECF facility is one of the Common Facility Centers (CFCs) approved by the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY), valued at INR 710 million. MECF is promoted by the Mahratta Chamber of Commerce, Industries and Agriculture (MCCIA).

This initiative aligns with India's goals under 'Make in India' and 'Skill India' by enabling simulation-led R&D, accelerating time-to-market for local manufacturing innovations and building a talent pipeline trained in engineering challenges.

It will serve as a dual-purpose hub for skill development and industry consultancy, offering design, simulation services and hands-on training. It will also bridge the cost and resource gap for smaller enterprises by offering discounted access to design tools and expert support.

Mike Yeager, Area Vice-President, Synopsys, said, “Simulation is a foundation of modern engineering, and we believe in making these powerful tools accessible everywhere in India. Our collaboration with 3D Engineering and MECF, supported by the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY), will empower students, startups, and SMEs to leapfrog into next-generation design and innovation.”

Murali Pullela, Area Sales Director, Synopsys, said, “Our collaboration with MECF reflects the company's commitment to empower innovation from silicon-to-systems. By equipping the design center with advanced engineering tools, India’s electronics ecosystem can be strengthened, accelerating product development aligned with global standards.”

Shrikrishna Gadgil, CEO, MECF, said, “MECF helps the industry in their product development cycle from design to certification, which will support the electronics ecosystem in the region. Our vision is to make the region vibrant with innovation, fostering new products and technologies, and establishing it as a hub for futuristic products and a center of technology excellence. We’re committed to bringing world-class technology and infrastructure closer to grassroots engineering talent. For us, this Design Center by 3D Engineering with Synopsys, as the principal partner is not just an investment in infrastructure, but also an investment in people, capability-building, and future innovation.”

Ajay Deshkar, Managing Partner, 3D Engineering, said, “As a long-standing Ansys Channel Partner, we at 3D Engineering are proud to enable this ecosystem where cutting-edge simulation technology meets local ingenuity. This Design Center is a model for how industry partnerships can meaningfully drive regional innovation and contribute to India’s technological self-reliance.”

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Nvidia and Synopsys, Inc. have announced an expanded, strategic partnership to revolutionise design and engineering across industries. The collaboration aims to integrate Nvidia's AI and accelerated computing with Synopsys' engineering solutions to help research and development teams design, simulate and verify intelligent products with greater precision and speed.

Furthermore, Nvidia invested USD 2 billion in Synopsys common stock at a purchase price of USD 414.79 per share as part of the multi-year collaboration. The partnership is targeted at R&D teams across the semiconductor, aerospace, automotive and industrial sectors that face challenges including workflow complexity, development costs and time-to-market pressure.

Jensen Huang, Founder and CEO, Nvidia, said, “CUDA GPU-accelerated computing is revolutionising design – enabling simulation at unprecedented speed and scale, from atoms to transistors, from chips to complete systems, creating fully functional digital twins inside the computer. Our partnership with Synopsys harnesses the power of Nvidia accelerated computing and AI to reimagine engineering and design – empowering engineers to invent the extraordinary products that will shape our future.”

Sassine Ghazi, President and CEO, Synopsys, said, “The complexity and cost of developing next-generation intelligent systems demands engineering solutions with a deeper integration of electronics and physics, accelerated by AI capabilities and compute. No two companies are better positioned to deliver AI-powered, holistic system design solutions than Synopsys and Nvidia. Together we will re-engineer engineering and empower innovators everywhere to more efficiently realise their innovations.”

The multi-year partnership builds on existing collaborations and includes the following initiatives:

• Broad Application Acceleration: Synopsys will accelerate and optimise its portfolio of compute-intensive applications, spanning chip design, physical verification, molecular simulations, electromagnetic analysis and optical simulation, using Nvidia CUDA-X libraries and AI-Physics technologies.
• Agentic AI Engineering: The companies are integrating Synopsys AgentEngineer technology with the Nvidia Agentic AI technology stack – including Nvidia NIM microservices, Nvidia NeMo Agent Toolkit software, and Nvidia Nemotron models – to enable autonomous design capabilities for EDA and simulation and analysis workflows.
• Digital Twins: Collaboration will enable virtual design, testing and validation through the use of accurate digital twins for industries such as semiconductor, robotics, aerospace, and automotive. These solutions will utilise Nvidia Omniverse, Nvidia Cosmos and other technologies.
• Cloud-Ready Solutions: Synopsys and Nvidia plan to enable cloud access for GPU-accelerated engineering solutions.
• Go-to-Market Initiatives: The companies have agreed to develop joint go-to-market initiatives to reach engineering teams across multiple industries with both on-premise and cloud-ready solutions. This effort will utilise Synopsys' global network of sellers and channel partners.

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TrinamiX and Aumovio will demonstrate a non-invasive blood alcohol measurement solution for private and commercial vehicles at CES 2026 in Las Vegas. The technology is designed to enhance road safety and address regulatory demand for driver-monitoring systems. The system enables real-time measurement of blood alcohol concentration by touching a sensor with a fingertip.

The technology uses invisible near-infrared light that interacts with ethanol molecules present in the tissue under the skin. By analysing the reflection of this light, the system’s algorithms based on AI can derive the alcohol content in a person’s blood. The functionality and performance of this technology have been scientifically validated through a clinical study.

TrinamiX provides expertise in spectroscopy and optical sensing, while Aumovio offers know-how in vehicle system design and integration. The system can be configured to meet different market requirements and threshold levels.

The miniaturised NIR spectroscopy sensor offers convenience and features:

• Non-Invasive Convenience: Touch-based, eliminating the need for users to blow into a device.
• Real-Time Readings: Results are delivered in seconds to ensure operational efficiency.
• Seamless Integration in Vehicles: Compact and adaptable for various vehicle positions to encourage user acceptance.
• Automotive System Design and Integration: Provided through partnership with Aumovio.

Wilfried Hermes, Director Consumer Electronics & Automotive EU & NA, TrinamiX, said, “Our NIR spectroscopy technology offers a reliable, user-friendly way to measure blood alcohol levels, redefining driver safety standards. By providing OEMs with a vital tool to meet emerging safety regulations, we’re empowering a safer and more convenient future for all road users.”

Ulrich Luders, Director Strategy & Portfolio, User Experience business unit at Aumovio, said, "The integration of TrinamiX's NIR spectroscopy, for example into vehicle displays, enables innovative safety and health features directly in the car. With this we create new standards for comfort and safety and demonstrate how such technologies can be seamlessly integrated into existing systems."

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