Mushin Innovation Labs, a Software-as-a-Service (SaaS) start-up providing digital solution for the automotive manufacturing industry, has raised USD 250,000 in Seed Series Round led by Inflection Point Ventures. The startup through its Mushin Aqua platform supports Tier 1 and Tier 2 manufacturers to optimise their compliance and improve quality management. This it claims helps to reduce upto 85 percent cost reduction.

The new funds it intends to deploy towards improving sales and marketing operations, accelerate its R&D efforts, and further innovate its product suite. It also aims to expand its market presence, enhance product offerings, and develop new solutions to meet the ever-evolving needs of the automotive manufacturing sector.

Interestingly, Mushin Innovation Labs claims it already secured partnership with 15 leading automotive brands and has onboarded 70 factories within two years. It has successfully passed the Maruti Vendor System Audit (VSA) and obtained Letters of Intent (LOIs) from 15 factories. It currently has 14 active deployments and a pipeline of 52 factories. The start-up claims it has received interest from global OEMs such as Volkswagen, Skoda, Volvo, JCB, and Aston Martin. The start-up was founded by Rachit Srivastava (CEO) and Amman Batra (COO).

The company estimates that the total addressable market (TAM) for Mushin Aqua, is estimated at INR 7,000 billion annually. The serviceable available market (SAM), specifically targeting Tier 1 and Tier 2 manufacturers in India, is valued at INR 450 billion. Based on the company's current capabilities and market focus, the serviceable obtainable market (SOM) stands at INR 45 billion annually.

Vikram Ramasubramaniam, Partner and CIO, Inflection Point Ventures, said, “The automotive manufacturing industry has stringent compliance standards to follow while minimising costs and maintaining top-notch quality. Many Tier 1 and Tier 2 manufacturers struggle to meet these demands efficiently due to fragmented processes and outdated systems. Mushin Innovation Labs addresses this challenge and streamlines compliance and enhances quality management in an accessible price range, making lives easier for tier 1 and 2 manufacturers. IPV believes Mushin is well-positioned for sustainable growth, making it a right investment choice.”

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SiMa.ai has announced its first integrated capability resulting from a collaboration with Synopsys. The joint solution provides a blueprint to accelerate architecture exploration and virtual software development for automotive Systems-on-Chip (SoCs). These chips support applications including Advanced Driver Assistance Systems (ADAS) and In-Vehicle Infotainment (IVI).

The partnership aims to deliver architectures required for software-defined vehicles. The blueprint allows customers to begin the design and validation of custom AI SoCs and ‘shift left’ software development before silicon is available. This process is intended to reduce development costs and accelerate vehicle time-to-market.

The blueprint provides pre-integrated SoC virtual prototypes and a tool workflow using solutions from both companies.

For Architectural Exploration:

• SiMa.ai MLA Performance and Power Estimator (MPPE): Enables customers to size machine learning accelerator designs for specific workloads.
• Synopsys Platform Architect: Used to model workloads and analyse performance, power, memory, and interconnect trade-offs before RTL design.

For Verification and Validation:

• Synopsys Virtualiser Development Kit (VDK): Facilitates software development using a virtual SoC prototype, which can accelerate vehicle time-to-market by up to 12 months.
• SiMa.ai Palette SDK: Supports machine learning workflows for edge AI applications.
• Synopsys ZeBu Emulation: Delivers pre-silicon hardware and software validation to ensure architectures meet workload requirements.

Krishna Rangasayee, Founder & CEO at SiMa.ai, said, "We are pleased with how well the two teams have worked together to quickly create a joint solution uniquely focused on unlocking physical AI capabilities for today's software defined vehicles. Our best-in-class ML platform, combined with Synopsys' industry-leading automotive-grade IP and design automation software creates a powerful foundation for innovation across OEMs in autonomous driving and in-vehicle experiences."

Ravi Subramanian, Chief Product Management Officer, Synopsys, said, "Automotive OEMs need to deliver software-defined AI-enabled vehicles faster to market to drive differentiation, which requires early power optimisation and validation of the compute platform to reduce total cost of development and time to SOP. Our collaboration with SiMa.ai delivering an ML-enabled architecture exploration and software development blueprint supported by a comprehensive integrated suite of tools significantly jumpstarts these activities and enables our automotive customers to bring next-generation ADAS and IVI features to market faster."

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Chinese display panel manufacturer Tianma recently exhibited its range of automotive technologies at CES 2026. The company’s solutions include LTPS-LCD, AMOLED and MicroLED technologies designed for cockpits.

The centrepiece of the exhibit was the Smart Cockpit 7.0, an automotive interior and dashboard demonstration. It integrates a 49.6-inch curved ACRUS display with 8K resolution and a slidable AM-OLED display using a gear-rack mechanism.

It also presented InvisiVue, a solution that mimics decorative surfaces like wood or metal when inactive and reveals images through a transmissivity layer when powered on.

The 49.6-inch ACRUS curved display uses Corning ColdForm Technology. It features pixel-level dimming with 210,000 zones, achieving a contrast ratio of 100,000:1. The unit’s R3000 curvature is designed to align with the windshield to reduce blind spots and reflections.

Furthermore, Tianma also presented two HUD technologies – a 43.7-inch Ultra-wide IRIS HUD. It uses a Mini-LED display with peak brightness of 10,000 nits for visibility in sunlight. It features an 85 percent NTSC colour gamut and a curved structure designed to match the windshield’s optical path.

Secondly, an 11.98-inch IRIS HUD, which utilises high-luminance PGU technology, delivering 12,000 nits brightness. The module is less than 15 mm thick for integration in compact vehicles and operates at approximately 6 W to reduce thermal load.

The company also introduced a 34-inch dye liquid crystal dimming glass for rear side privacy windows. This technology uses voltage control of liquid crystal molecules to achieve stepless dimming without physical sunshades.

The system provides a response time of less than 300ms for transitions between privacy and transparent modes. It features a wide viewing angle and a grey-black tone to manage glare within the vehicle interior.

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Audi Revolut F1 Team has reached a technical milestone by completing the first ‘fire-up’ of its 2026 Formula 1 car. The event took place at the team's facility in Hinwil on 19 December 2025, where the Audi Power Unit was operated for the first time while installed within the chassis.

The procedure serves as a verification of the integration between the powertrain, developed in Neuburg, Germany, and the chassis, designed in Hinwil, Switzerland. The project also involves the Technical Centre in Bicester, UK. This phase confirms that the core components of the vehicle function together before moving into the next stages of dynamic testing.

Gernot Dollner, CEO of Audi AG, said, “For Audi, entering Formula 1 is a key part of our brand’s ongoing renewal. This milestone is a clear demonstration of our ‘Vorsprung durch Technik’ ambition. It is the result of seamless teamwork and a relentless pursuit of excellence that will serve as a guiding example for the entire Audi organisation. This project is a catalyst for change, fostering pride, identity, and enthusiasm. With the fire-up, the hard work of the teams in Hinwil, Neuburg and Bicester now truly comes to life, marking the beginning of an exciting new chapter in Audi’s motorsport history.”

Mattia Binotto, Head of the Audi F1 Project, added, “A fire-up is always a special moment, but this one marks a new beginning. It is the tangible result of our collective ambition and the dedicated work of our teams in Neuburg and Hinwil. Seeing everything come together for the first time gives the entire project incredible energy. We have built a solid foundation for what will be a long journey, defined by our relentless drive to improve.”

Jonathan Wheatley, Team Principal, commented, “This successful fire-up is a critical milestone that validates the quality of the work and collaboration across all departments. It energises the entire team and provides a clear focus as we prepare for the next phases of development, including the moment we first bring the car to track. This achievement brings our first race in Melbourne into sharp focus, and we will build on this foundation as one united team.”

The team is scheduled to hold a launch event in Berlin on 20 January 2026, where the race livery and identity will be revealed. This will be followed by collective testing in Barcelona at the end of January. A content hub will also be launched to provide media updates throughout the inaugural season.

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Bengaluru-based electric vehicle maker Ather Energy has announced the rollout of the 'Infinite Cruise' feature on the Ather 450X model. The software feature is being enabled via an over-the-air (OTA) update and will be provided as standard.

First introduced on the Ather Apex 450 in August 2025, the system is designed for urban riding conditions in India. Unlike conventional cruise control that disengages upon braking or acceleration, Infinite Cruise is said to remain active and adapts to rider inputs. The system recalibrates to new speeds without requiring manual reactivation, aimed at reducing throttle intervention in traffic. The feature operates within a speed range of 10 kmph to 90 kmph, covering city speeds typically excluded by traditional systems.

The update incorporates three specific control modes:

• CityCruise: Adjusts to speed changes in urban traffic.
• Hill Control: Maintains speed on inclines and descents using a regenerative braking algorithm.
• Crawl Control: Stabilises low-speed movement on uneven surfaces, supported by traction control.

Ather will extend this feature to over 44,000 existing customers who purchased the 450X from 1 January 2025. The company stated that this backward compatibility is a result of hardware choices made during the development of the 2025 series.

The Ather 450X is priced from INR 147,998 (ex-showroom) in Bengaluru. The company continues to use software updates to modify the capabilities of its vehicle fleet over time.

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