The automotive industry is undergoing one of its biggest disruptions ever, what’s with consumer demand, government policies and the latest technology making their way into the vehicles of tomorrow.

To bring forth discussion and ignite conversation around the topic of Vehicle Dynamics & ADAS (Advanced Driver Assistance Systems), SAEIndia Northern Section recently held a two-day seminar ‘Motion In Control-IV 2025’ on 6 February 2025. It featured presentations, live demonstrations and a panel discussion, at Global Automotive Research Centre (GARC), Chennai.

The event was supported by ICAT, Maruti Suzuki India, ATS, GARC, AB Dynamics, Tenneco, JK Tyre, 4active, Applus IDIADA, ZF, Stahle, CEAT, Applied Intuition, Rane, Gabriel, Continental, MRF, OXTS and Kiriu Corporation. Motoring Trends was the official media partner for the event.

It brought together industry experts from automakers, component manufacturers, testing equipment manufacturers and even educational institutions to discuss, debate and plan the way forward.

It is no secret that various factors such as consumer awareness, innovative technologies and regulatory push are enabling automakers to incorporate various sensors and AI-enabled tech such as ADAS to become a common sight.

What’s more, while these technologies are quite popular in developed markets, they cannot be simply copied-pasted in India; the adoption is not quite so simple.

The two-day open platform brought forth industry experts to share their views on how conventional vehicle dynamics solutions are paving the way for sensor-based technologies. This not only makes the vehicles safer but also opens the doors for new ways to look at vehicle design, validation and even certification for India-specific challenges.

Day 1

The first day of the event saw Vivek Trivedi, Executive Vice-President – Engineering, Maruti Suzuki India share his views on the topic of ‘Insight of Future Technologies in India related to Vehicle Dynamics & ADAS’.

Dr. Subramaniam K, R&D Head at Ashok Leyland gave a presentation on ‘Vehicle Dynamics in EV: Advantages and Challenges’.

Renji Issac, Senior Vice-President Research & Development, CEAT presented his views on ‘Tyre development in a virtual world’.

Dr. V. Vikraman, Senior Vice-President, Research & Development, Mahindra & Mahindra, gave insights on how the automaker was using the latest technology and tools for development of its high-performance SUVs.

Dr. Ramadhas Arumugam Sakuthalai, Director, GARC, spoke about how Indian testing agencies were prepared to support the automotive industry for their testing needs when it came to Vehicle Dynamics and ADAS solutions.

Amardeep Singh, Vice-Chair, SAEINS and Convenor MIC-IV, and VP – Engineering, Maruti Suzuki India set the context for plenary sessions.

This was followed by Dr. Peter Pfeffer, CEO, Mdynamics presenting his thoughts on ‘Advance Driving Characteristics Development Through Performance – HIL (Hardware in Loop) and Driving Simulator.

The audience also got to understand on what was happening in the field of validation and release of L2/L3 ADAS at scale by Aniruddha Reddy, Head of Sales EMEA & India, Applied Intuition.

In a joint presentation, Piyush Ghongade, Head- Vehicle Dynamics, CEAT and Jagdish Chauhan, Team Lead – NVH, 4W, CEAT spoke about the ‘Role of Vehicle Dynamics in Advanced NVH Tyre Tuning: Challenges and Solutions.’

Dr. Roshi John, Founder & CEO, RoshAI introduced the company’s approach towards self-driving vehicles.

Dr. Rajesh Kannan Megalingam, Associate Professor, Department of Electronics & Communication Engineering, School of Engineering, Amritapuri, gave a presentation on ‘Exploring Autonomous Vehicle Scenarios in Indian Roads: Smart Centre Case Studies’.

The last session of the day saw Vipul Dave, Senior Business Development Manager – UK, Greater Europe & India AB Dynamics give his perspective on Future Trends in ADAS Testing.

Balaji Lenin, General Manager, Rane Brake Linking and Michninari Ishikawa, Manager, Nisshinbo Brake, spoke about the Brake friction material for advanced vehicle technologies.

Jojo Chacko, Technical Product Expert, Vector, spoke about ‘Addressing Challenges in Vehicle Dynamics for ADAS’.

Raunak Santosh, DGM Head – Chassis & Active Safety, IDIADA gave a presentation on ‘Vehicle Dynamics – In the age of new Technological Revolution.’

Day 2

The second day of the event saw Ms. K Rajrajeswari, Senior Engineer, GARC and S Perumal, Manager, GARC gave a presentation on Vehicle Dynamics & ADAS Testing Solutions at GARC.

Sunil Patil, Director Engineering, ZF India spoke about the ‘Scalable ADAS Systems for Emerging Markets’.

Prof C Lashmikanathan of Amrita School of Engineering, brought in the academic perspective on how educational institutions were accelerating vehicle dynamics development using modern test environment and tools.

Cederic Asselineau, Business Development Manager, Stahle, spoke about the evolution in Robotics and Software for human driving style imitation.

Steve Boyle, MD, Moshon Data, shared his view on ADAS & lack of knowledge surrounding it with everyday users.

Prakash Abhayanker, Head India Operations – 4active Systems brought in his perspective on what the Future of ADAS Testing meant for the company.

Rejin Sathianesan, Senior Technical Expert, Bosch gave a presentation on Securing ADAS: ‘Protecting the future of ADAS system’.

In the last session for the event, a panel discussion took place on the topic of ‘Navigating the Future: Bridging ADAS and Vehicle Dynamics for Smarter Driving’. The panellists included – Bob Rupani, Veteran Auto Journalist; Balasubramanian N, VP – Product Engineering, Renault Nissan Technology & Business Centre in India; Nagarajan, Vice-President, SAE India; Ramanathan, Vice-Chair, SAEINS & MD, ATS and Hari Krishnan M, Co-Convenor MIC-IV & Senior GM, Engineering, Maruti Suzuki India. A range of topics were discussed ranging from how automakers and suppliers had to make the latest technology work in India but also making it more robust and affordable. The panel was moderated by Nilesh Wadhwa, Assistant Editor, Motoring Trends.

The event also saw partner organisations give demonstrations on technologies such as – Automated Emergency Braking (AEB), self-parking technology, automatic braking and cruise control among others.

Mumbai-headquartered automotive major Tata Motors has attained a new milestone of filing 250 patents and 148 design applications in FY2025, which is also its highest ever in a year.  

The automaker has filed the patents across a multitude of disciplines such as connectivity, electrification, sustainability and safety (CESS), as well as alternative energy mix such as hydrogen-based vehicles and fuel cells.

Furthermore, vehicle systems, including battery, powertrain, body and trim, suspension, brakes, HVAC and emission control, were also part of the patents filed by the automaker.

Interestingly, in FY2025, Tata Motors filed 81 copyright applications and secured 68 patent grants during the year, which translates to 918 patents granted to date.

What’s more, Tata Motors also received five accolades and honours in FY2025, being recognised for its excellence in intellectual property rights (IPR).

Rajendra Petkar, President and Chief Technology Officer, Tata Motors, said, “Our innovation strategy is focused on delivering sustained value to customers while staying ahead of the industry shifts. This milestone reflects our continued pursuit of automotive excellence and reinforces our long-term vision of manufacturing greener, safer and more efficient vehicles. With a growing portfolio of pioneering technologies, we remain committed to supporting nation-building through cutting-edge solutions. Looking ahead, our efforts remain rooted in shaping the future of mobility, serving the evolving aspirations of our customers and communities alike.”

Japanese auto major Nissan has announced that it will launch its next-generation ProPILOT technology from the fiscal year 2027. The system, featuring Nissan Ground Truth Perception technology with next-generation LiDAR and Wayve AI driver software, will enable its vehicles to have advanced autonomous driving with collision avoidance capabilities.

Built on Wayve’s embodied AI foundation model, the technology is claimed to be designed to handle highly complex real-world driving conditions in a human-like manner.

Wayve is a global AI company has trained its foundation model on vast amounts of real-world experience using custom GenAI technology that enables point-to-point driving across urban and highway environments.

South Korean auto major Kia has officially launched its generative AI-powered voice recognition system, AI Assistant, across Europe, following successful rollouts in Korea and the United States in 2024.

The company said that the AI Assistant is designed to revolutionise the in-car experience by enabling natural, conversational interactions, helping drivers and passengers easily access vehicle features and get personalised assistance on the go.

Accessible via a steering wheel button or by saying ‘Hey Kia,’ the AI Assistant can perform a wide range of tasks, which the company claimed goes far beyond traditional voice recognition. Users can ask for restaurant recommendations, travel tips, or even child-friendly scientific explanations, such as why the sky is blue.

One of the system’s standout features is its ability to understand user intent and context, providing smart, accurate responses. The AI Assistant also helps drivers navigate in-car features and driving aids, like recommending the Highway Driving Assistant during heavy traffic.

Kia’s AI Assistant now comes standard on European EV3 models built from March 2025, with previous models receiving the update via Over-the-Air (OTA) technology. More Kia models equipped with the connected car Navigation Cockpit (ccNC) system will receive the AI Assistant as the rollout expands.

With ongoing OTA updates, the AI Assistant will continuously improve, making every drive smoother, smarter and more intuitive.

Airbornics Defence & Space (ADSL), the defence arm of the Punjab-based JCBL Group, has signed a strategic partnership with Slovakia to co-develop and manufacture next-generation technologies for light tanks, future ready combat vehicles (FRCVS) and future infantry combat vehicles (FICVs).

This also marks the first-ever defence MoU between India and Slovakia, which was formalised during an official state visit of the President of India, Droupadi Murmu, to Slovakia.

Rishi Aggarwal, Managing Director, JCBL Group, said, “This partnership signifies more than just a business agreement. It represents a convergence of trust, technology, and transformation. It aligns with our core belief in the make-in-India vision and strengthens India’s position as a global hub for defence innovation.”

As part of the understanding, ADSL will focus on indigenous development and manufacturing of critical combat systems for light tanks, including turrets, active protection systems (APS), remote-controlled weapon systems (RCWS) and human-machine interface (HMI) modules.

The understanding is based on the commitment for technology transfer, operational excellence and co-development of advanced combat platforms tailored for complex terrains and high-altitude environments.