Mahindra has launched ‘Sonic Studio Experience by Mahindra’, its premium in-cabin audio system that aims to provide an immersive audio experience. The system makes its debut on the company’s recently launched BE 6e and XEV 9e electric origin SUVs.

Mahindra’s Sonic Studio Experience boasts a state-of-the-art 1,400-watt 16-speaker Harman Kardon music system and Dolby Atmos and is developed in collaboration with Padma Bhushan and Academy Award winning singer A R Rahman and 16 times Grammy winning sound recording engineer Richard King. The sound has been finely tuned by Harman Kardon’s experts in close collaboration with the Mahindra team. The system comes with a personalised SonicSuite of delight sounds, experience mode (Calm, Cozy, Club), chimes and alerts, thanks to A R Rahman’s expertise. The system also features VenueScapes (LIVE) and QuantumLogic Immersion to add a new dimension to the listening experience.

R Velusamy, President – Automotive Product Development, Mahindra & Mahindra Ltd and Joint Managing Director, Mahindra Electric Automobile Limited, said, “With Sonic Studio Experience by Mahindra, we have redefined what in-cabin sound can be, combining cutting-edge technology with artistic brilliance. Partnering with legends like A R Rahman and Richard King, and collaborating with industry leaders Harman Kardon and Dolby, we have created an audio experience that is immersive, transformative, and uniquely Mahindra. This is a testament to our commitment to delivering not just vehicles, but experiences that resonate deeply with our customers.”

A R Rahman said, “Working on the BE 6e and XEV 9e has been an immensely satisfying experience as I sought to create a soundscape that transforms every drive into a memorable journey. By envisioning the emotions passengers might be experiencing on their travels, my goal was to design sounds that not only enhance the driving experience but also complement the journey and make it uniquely enjoyable. It’s been a joy working with Mahindra and the team of experts to bring this vision to life.”

Richard King said, “Having spent years in some of the finest recording studios and listening rooms globally, I can confidently say that the Harman sound system in the BE 6e and XEV 9e offers a studio-quality audio experience. A whole lot of effort has gone into perfecting the sound for the BE 6e and XEV 9e and I believe listeners will be captivated by its precision, depth and immersion.”

With factors like exhaust emissions, non-exhaust emissions, battery durability and lifetime requirements (in terms of mileage and lifetime) as the key requirements, vehicles complying with BS 7 emission regulations will see a considerable rise in onboard controllers. 
The commercial vehicles will be particularly subject to a doubling of controllers onboard as the new emission regulations kick in the next two to three years, mentioned a technology chief of an automobile company in India recently. 
The number of controllers will double in a commercial vehicle from 10 to 20, he explained. He drew attention to the move up to Euro 7 emission norms in Europe and stated, “The BS 7 emission norms in India are loosely based on the Euro 7 emission regulations that come into effect in Europe in 2025.”  
The Euro 7 emission regulations in Europe will come into force for passenger vehicles from 1 July 2025. The Euro 7 emission regulations for commercial vehicles will come into force from 1 July 2027. 
The BS 7 emission regulations draft is out, mentioned an auto components industry leader. “The emission regulations, like in Europe, are expected to be enforced in a staggered manner,” he added. 
The government is expected to announce the BS 7 regulations for passenger vehicles and two-wheelers in the middle of next calendar year. These would closely follow the RDE norms that came into force from middle of last calendar year. 
The effect of BS & emission norms is expected to be considerable in terms of price escalation in vehicles. 
 

Visteon Corporation, a leading supplier for automotive cockpit electronics and connected car solutions, has inaugurated its new Global Capability Center (GCC) in Kolkata, India. The facility set to become operational by January 2025 is set to have 300 engineers by end-2026 with plans to scale it up to over 500 engineers in the next two to three years.

The Kolkata GCC will focus on Android-based infotainment, autonomous vehicle solutions, cybersecurity, multimedia & remote projection, cloud technologies. It will exclusive focus on Android-based infotainment and cockpit software development.

With this, the company now has facilities in Chennai, Goa, Bengaluru, Pune, Trivandrum and Coimbatore contributing to its global development capabilities.

Sachin Lawande, President & CEO, Visteon, said, “India has been central to our strategy for over 20 years, with over 2,000 of our people driving automotive innovation. The new Kolkata center strengthens our focus on Android-based automotive solutions and expands our fastest-growing product portfolio. At Visteon we meet the talent where it’s at, and we’re glad to strengthen our team with Kolkata’s engineering expertise and collaborate with the city’s top universities to support the evolving needs of automakers worldwide.”

Altair, a pioneer in computational intelligence worldwide, has revealed that its data analytics and artificial intelligence (AI) platform, Altair RapidMiner, now enables customers to create and implement sophisticated AI agents with ease. By integrating generative AI (genAI) agents into their processes, organisations may use Altair RapidMiner to enable operational insight and disruptive automation.

The most cutting-edge elements of top AI agent frameworks are combined in this new capability, which also adds Altair RapidMiner's unique advantages. Features like AI fabric intelligent ecosystems, graph-powered contextual intelligence, smooth integration with sophisticated computational systems, integrated governance and traceability and improved multi-agent collaboration are all included in the Altair RapidMiner for AI agents, which connects to APIs, enterprise systems and external tools with ease.

Sam Mahalingam, CTO, Altair, said, “Altair RapidMiner, already a trusted platform for machine learning and data analytics, is now taking the next step with our AI agent framework. By enabling users to build autonomous AI agents that seamlessly integrate graph-based intelligence, machine learning, simulations and business rules, we're unlocking new possibilities. This innovative approach, built on the trusted foundation of Altair RapidMiner, allows organisations to maximise the value of their data and achieve a competitive edge.”

US-based artificial intelligence (AI) driven data solutions company iMerit recently launched an automotive AI centre of excellence in Coimbatore. Speaking to Motoring Trend on the sidelines of the event, Chief Executive Officer Radha Ramaswami Basu said, “The Centre of Excellence works on advanced driver assistance systems (ADAS) and audio-visual systems, ensuring that the perception models are safely built with high quality data under many different traffic and weather conditions. Secondly, we perform review work, quality control of the models, generative AI explainability and driving scenario analysis, to close the loop.”

The company has hired all local people from Coimbatore and nearby areas for the centre and provides high quality training to them to hit the ground running. With projects in hand, and long-term customers, it already has a workforce of over 200 people with plans to double the number in 2025. “Our Ango Hub technology gives them a huge advantage in their career journey,” said Basu.

While the company refrained from disclosing customer names citing stringent confidentiality policies, it noted that it works with OEM, Tier-1 and Silicon Valley innovators, in the automotive and drone spaces.

The new centre, iMerit’s 12th location, was inaugurated by Minister of Information Technology and Digital Services for Tamil Nadu, Dr Palanivel Thiagarajan, in the presence of employees, guests and senior executives from iMerit. The company continues to invest in developing industry-leading software and solutions for AI Data to support its customers in autonomous mobility, medical AI and technology.

Speaking on the occasion, Dr Thiagarajan said, “This event signifies a critical milestone, illustrating the remarkable speed at which visionary leadership and dedicated execution can effect change. The establishment of an office within six months—from initial discussions to formal inauguration—constitutes an exceptional accomplishment. Organisations operating in sectors such as artificial intelligence, computer vision and data augmentation are poised to transform industries on a global scale. Moreover, these companies are fostering inclusive growth by advancing historically underserved communities, generating employment opportunities and equipping individuals with advanced skill sets. Notably, with women comprising 52 percent of the workforce, many serving as sole breadwinners, this model embodies innovation, social equity and empowerment—a true reflection of Tamil Nadu’s Chief Minister Thiru MK Stalin’s ambition and excellence.”

Basu also noted, “Coimbatore is a historic cultural and industrial venue. It is already famous for its IT and automotive sectors. I am very pleased to bring these together with iMerit’s automotive AI vertical.  Automotive AI is our largest vertical. 60 percent of our revenues come from cutting-edge companies in autonomous mobility including trucking, ADAS and drones.

Commenting on the new centre, Chief Delivery Officer Anupam Biswas said, “Data quality is critical to AI technology, especially in computer vision and multi-sensor fusion, which are important for innovation in autonomous vehicles. The work is quite complex and we found a good mix of experienced and young talent in the Coimbatore area. This has been our fastest ramp-up in a new location. We have already hired and trained over 220 multi-sensor fusion experts on our Ango Hub software and they have started working on critical customer projects.”

The company emphasises responsible AI through ethical practices. For over 10 years, it has helped leading AI model developers across mission-critical industries like autonomous mobility, healthcare AI and high-tech.  iMerit has also been steadily growing its India business. With Automotive AI in India poised to cross a billion dollars in the next five years, the company hopes to leverage its global know-how to help the Indian industry also build a strong AI data backbone.