Pre-owned car marketplace Cars24 has announced the launch of AI Labs, a dedicated initiative designed to develop artificial intelligence-native products and support early-stage entrepreneurs.

As part of the program, the company has committed a USD 20 million investment fund targeted at startups and development teams building transformative AI technologies.

The move marks an expansion of Cars24’s internal technology strategy, where machine learning and artificial intelligence models have already been integrated into core business operations to manage decision-making workflows and customer experience interfaces. Through AI Labs, the company will extend its technical resources externally to independent software engineers and startup founders.

To establish the infrastructure for the program, Cars24 has partnered with technology providers including OpenAI, Amazon Web Services (AWS) and ElevenLabs. This ecosystem will provide participating developers with cloud infrastructure, technical expertise, distribution networks and advanced language and voice synthesis models to accelerate product deployment.

The operational focus of AI Labs is divided into three primary activities:

• Build: Developing proprietary AI-native applications and contributing to global open-source software innovation.
• Partner: Collaborating with established artificial intelligence firms to encourage industry experimentation and technology adoption.
• Invest: Supplying seed capital and strategic support to early-stage businesses building software categories.

Beyond direct equity investments, the initiative will fund community engagement programs, including regional hackathons, builder incubation programs and collaborative open-source projects designed to stimulate developer experimentation.

Vikram Chopra, Founder and CEO, Cars24, said, “Every major technology shift creates a handful of companies that go on to define the future. We believe AI is the biggest shift of our generation, and the opportunity ahead is far larger than anything we've seen before. Over the last few years, we've seen AI fundamentally change how we operate, build products, and serve customers AI Labs is our way of giving back to the ecosystem that is shaping this future. We want to back founders early, help them move faster and support the people building things that seem impossible today but inevitable tomorrow.”

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Hindustan Zinc has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with Advantek Associates and Aero Eagle Automobiles to explore the use of green hydrogen and clean energy solutions.

The company aims to evaluate hydrogen applications across its operations, including underground mining, heavy earth-moving machinery and surface vehicles.

This partnership is part of the company’s strategy to achieve Net Zero by 2050. It marks an effort to integrate hydrogen fuel into mining, an industry that remains difficult to decarbonise.

Arun Misra, CEO, Hindustan Zinc, said, “At Hindustan Zinc, we are focused on pioneering solutions that can redefine the future of sustainable mining. Hydrogen has the potential to support cleaner mobility, reduce emissions from heavy-duty equipment and create new pathways for decarbonising hard-to-abate industrial operations. This collaboration is a forward-looking step in evaluating hydrogen-based technologies, including their potential application in underground mining, as we continue to build a future-ready metals business aligned with global sustainability benchmarks.”

The collaboration will follow a phased approach, beginning with feasibility studies covering green hydrogen generation, storage and dispensing infrastructure. Assessment of Hydrogen Internal Combustion Engine (H2-ICE) and fuel cell technologies. Potential use in underground mining equipment, heavy earth-moving machinery and power generators.

This initiative aligns with Hindustan Zinc’s ESG roadmap and its commitment to the Science Based Targets initiative (SBTi). The company has already increased its renewable energy usage to nearly 18 percent of its power mix. Hindustan Zinc was ranked as a sustainable metals and mining company in the S&P Global Corporate Sustainability Assessment 2025.

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KPIT Technologies has inaugurated a new technology centre in Hanoi, Vietnam, marking an expansion of its operations in Southeast Asia. The company has also established strategic partnerships with the Hanoi University of Science and Technology (HUST) and VinUniversity.

The new facility will serve as a hub for engineering and innovation, supporting mobility programmes across the Asia-Pacific region. KPIT currently employs local engineers in Vietnam and plans to add over 100 positions in the near future.

The partnerships with HUST and VinUniversity aim to foster industry-academia collaboration, develop talent in the mobility sector, and create employment opportunities for students and professionals.

Sachin Tikekar, President & Joint MD, KPIT Technologies, said, “Vietnam is an important long-term market and talent hub for KPIT in Southeast Asia. We see strong potential in its talent, energy, and pace of innovation, with both homegrown and global vehicle makers continuing to invest in the country. With our new technology centre and partnerships with leading universities, we are committed to building local talent, creating high-quality jobs, and establishing a meaningful long-term presence in the region.”

KPIT aims to support the mobility industry’s focus on manufacturing efficiency, vehicle development speed, and consumer experience. The company currently operates in markets including Germany, Japan, the USA, China and India.

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AutoVRse, a Bengaluru-based enterprise VR platform, has secured USD 2.4 million in a funding round co-led by Singularity AMC’s Large Value Fund III and Early Opportunities Fund, with continued participation from Lumikai. The investment arrives as automotive manufacturers face pressure from the EV transition, complex assembly, supply chain disruptions, labour shortage, and production line defects. Many of the world’s largest auto makers have already turned to AutoVRse’s technology.

The company provides VR simulation and smart-glasses-enabled field guidance for manufacturing, heavy industry and energy. It serves over 500,000 users across 50 enterprise clients in North America, Europe the GCC, and India, including Bosch, TVS Motors, Ashok Leyland, Tata Autocomp, Panasonic, KPIT and Godrej.

Three forces are driving Indian automotive interest in AI-driven training. The EV shift has made legacy internal combustion engine training obsolete, forcing manufacturers to rebuild training libraries. A shortage of skilled labour has made faster onboarding a necessity. AI-powered smart glasses now enable real-time guidance for line workers. Use cases include assembly training for new vehicle launches, EV battery safety, quality inspection and technician training for ADAS-equipped vehicles.

With the new capital, AutoVRse plans to expand its smart-glasses-based guidance product, which it believes will become standard on assembly lines within two years. It also aims to scale its North American presence, where deployments are running at several Fortune 500 firms, while strengthening its dominance in India and the GCC.

Ashwin Jaishanker, Co-Founder and CEO, AutoVRse, said, “AutoVRse moves safety and training culture from documentation to evidence. Our training products meet workers where they are – e-learning modules, dynamic SOPs, VR simulations – so they're certified before they ever go on-site. Our AI products replace tedious safety busywork like form-filling and performative inspections with real intelligence: helping workers make better decisions in dangerous situations or catch unsafe conditions before they arise. We're grateful to Singularity AMC for backing this vision, and to Lumikai, who've believed in this bet for years.”

Vikram Jaish, Head – HSE, WCL Pipes Anjar, Welspun Corp, said, “Pipe coating operations involve multiple high-risk touchpoints where early hazard recognition is critical. With AutoVRse’s VR training, our teams can experience and identify these hazards in a realistic, controlled environment before stepping onto the shop floor. This has significantly improved awareness, preparedness and safe decision-making compared to traditional training methods.”

Yash Kela, Founder & Chief Investment Officer, Singularity AMC, said, “Most people think of AI in the context of consumer apps. AutoVRse is creating real impact with AI on the assembly line, and that is what our investment thesis is built on. The company operates at the intersection of AI and India's manufacturing revolution. We believe this is how the world will train and operate its industrial workforce over the next 10 years. AutoVRse sits at the edge of a massive, largely untapped market, and we believe the growth from here will be extraordinary.”

Aditya Deshpande, Principal, Lumikai, said, “We're thrilled to deepen our partnership with AutoVRse as they build out cutting-edge AI and VR infrastructure for Fortune 500 enterprises. With VRseBuilder, AutoVRse has demonstrated how immersion, participation and personalisation are finding consequential real-world applications across industrial training in warehouses, labs, plants and field operations of high-precision industries such as pharma, life sciences, manufacturing and petrochemicals, globally. We're excited to back Ashwin, Adarsh and the team as they make immersive AI the operating layer for global industry.”

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European auto major Stellantis and American technology company Factorial Inc. have integrated solid-state battery technology into a Dodge Charger Daytona development vehicle and launched a road-testing programme. The initiative represents the first integration of solid-state cells into a Stellantis vehicle and the first automotive application of the technology in North America.

The development vehicle utilises Factorial's Factorial Electrolyte System Technology (FEST), which combines a lithium-metal anode with a solid polymer separator. In validation testing, the cells demonstrated a specific energy density of 375 watt-hours per kilogram (Wh/kg) and achieved a charging transition from 15 percent to 90 percent state-of-charge in 18 minutes. The cells also verified thermal stability across an operational temperature envelope spanning minus 30 degrees to 45 degrees Celsius.

Integrating the solid-state cells into a production-based car required a modification of the vehicle's battery enclosure. Stellantis designed and implemented a patented mechanical architecture to house the cells within the existing pack layout. Engineers also modified the electronic control systems and pack management software to optimise current distribution while satisfying automotive durability and crash safety regulations.

The newly initiated tracking and calibration programme on public roads will evaluate the performance, structural durability and overall safety of the modified pack under real-world driving and charging cycles. The project is a phase within a multi-stage development agreement between the two entities. Factorial, which recently listed on the Nasdaq exchange following a business combination, develops scalable battery technologies and counts Stellantis, Mercedes-Benz, Hyundai and Kia among its strategic investors.

Ned Curic, Chief Engineering and Technology Officer, Stellantis, said, "Battery development is a balancing act. It’s not enough to optimise a single metric. We need a system that delivers real benefits in a real vehicle. This milestone shows we are bringing solid-state batteries closer to our customers with the potential for longer range, faster charging and lower costs. Just as important, FEST’s strong compatibility with lithium-ion manufacturing processes gives us a critical path to scale this technology.”

Siyu Huang, CEO, Factorial, said, "We are deeply honoured to work alongside Stellantis, one of the world's great mass-market automakers, on this STLA Large-based development car. What we have built together, from cell chemistry to pack architecture to enable real-world road testing, is exactly the kind of deep, full-stack collaboration that solid-state has always required. This milestone doesn't just validate FEST; it sets a new bar for what automotive-grade solid-state batteries can deliver and supports the development of future vehicles designed to meet the evolving needs of drivers."

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