Sundram Fasteners Limited has announced that its Powertrain Components Division has been recognised as Supplier of the Year by General Motors during its 30th Annual Supplier of the Year awards.  

The company said this is the ninth time the Chennai-based auto component major has received the coveted recognition. 

The American automaker has honoured 134 of its suppliers from 16 countries with the Supplier of the Year distinction in 2021. The awards are an acknowledgement of global suppliers that have distinguished themselves by exceeding GM’s requirements, resulting in providing GM customers with innovative technologies and high quality, the company said in a release. 

Arathi Krishna, Managing Director, Sundram Fasteners Limited, said, “We are pleased to receive this prestigious award from General Motors, a global leader in the automobile sector. This recognition is a validation of our commitment to quality, safety, innovation, sustainability and excellence. The fact that we have received this award for the ninth time demonstrates our ability to exceed customer expectations consistently.” 

Krishna added, “The GM award truly epitomises our journey over the years, specifically the efforts in new product development, R&D and technology. This award encourages us to develop technology-backed new products every year. I would like to congratulate my entire team at Sundram Fasteners and all our suppliers who have helped us to get this recognition consistently year on year.” 

Shilpan Amin, Vice President, Global Purchasing and Supply Chain, General Motors, said, “This year’s Supplier of the year event was special not only because it’s the 30th Anniversary of the programme, but it also provided us with the opportunity to recognise our suppliers for persevering through one of the most challenging years the industry has ever faced. The top suppliers showed resilience and reinforced their commitment to pursuing sustainability and innovation. Through our strong relationships and collaboration, GM and our suppliers are posed to build a brighter future for generations to come.”  

Winners of awards were chosen by a global team of GM purchasing, engineering, quality, manufacturing and logistics executives. Parameters for evaluation were Product Purchasing, Global Purchasing and Manufacturing Services, Customer Care and Aftersales and Logistics, the release said.  

Sundram Fasteners supplies key products to GM, including transmission shafts, radiator caps and more, which are seen across prestigious GM brands like Cadillac, GMC and Chevrolet. The company has been a GM vendor for over 25 years and has won the Supplier of the Year award five times in a row from 1996 to 2000, and in 2009, 2019, 2020 and now, in 2021. 

Meanwhile, the company said the Ministry of Heavy Industries (MHA) has approved its application under Component Champion Incentive Scheme of the PLI Scheme. 

The PLI Scheme aims in building a robust supply chain in areas of Advanced Automotive Technology (AAT) components. The eligibility criteria require minimum investment of INR 250 crores over five years with at least INR 100 crores in the initial two years. The company, out of capital expenditure amounting to INR 2,000 crores planned over a period of next five years, has a projected investment of over INR 350 Crores for manufacturing Advanced Automotive Technology (AAT) components like powertrain sub-assemblies for Electric Vehicles (EV) and select Internal Combustion Engine (ICE) vehicles. The company has secured firm orders from Global OEMs for supply of these components under their EV programmes, the release added. 

Krishna said, “The PLI scheme will benefit the sector in multiple ways by increasing localisation and make India an export hub in the global auto supply chain. We are setting aside around INR 350 crores for the
manufacture of advanced automotive technology components for the next five years.” (MT)  

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Tata Elxsi, a global leader in design and technology services has signed a Memorandum of Understanding with Infineon Technologies, a leading semiconductor solutions company, to jointly develop application-ready electric vehicle solutions tailored to the Indian market.

The partners will collaborate on design and integration expertise to drive faster adoption of automotive-grade, cost-efficient and safety-compliant subsystems across key mobility segments. This collaboration, the partners stated, aligns with India’s rapid shift towards electrification, with EV sales growing by 25–30 percent year-on-year in 2024, including a 28 percent increase in electric two- and three-wheeler sales.

As part of the understanding, Tata Elxsi will bring its design, system integration and validation capabilities, while Infineon will provide early access to its latest semiconductor technologies – such as silicon carbide (SiC)-based components, microcontrollers and integrated circuits (ICs).

The partners will work closely to develop high-voltage inverters for traction and auxiliary systems, scalable battery management systems (BMS), bi-directional onboard chargers and high-voltage thermal management solutions for the Indian market targeting two-wheeler, three-wheeler, passenger vehicles and commercial vehicle segments. In future, they also look to support eVTOL, energy and off-highway sectors.

Nambi Ganesh, Head – Automotive, Tata Elxsi, said, “Currently, several of our EV solutions are already built on Infineon SoCs and components. This MoU further strengthens our partnership by giving us a clearer scope and tighter system-level alignment, enabling shorter turnaround times to address Indian market requirements. As EV adoption scales, our focus remains on delivering production-ready, automotive standards-compliant platforms and solutions.”

Kenneth Lim, Senior Vice-President – Automotive, Infineon Technologies Asia Pacific, said, “At Infineon, we are committed to driving innovation in the electric vehicle sector and empowering our partners to bring cutting-edge technologies to market. This partnership with Tata Elxsi is a significant step in our journey to support India’s ambitious electrification goals. By combining Tata Elxsi's design and integration expertise with our advanced semiconductor solutions, we are not only enhancing the development of ready-to-deploy EV systems but also ensuring that they meet the highest safety and performance standards. Together, we aim to accelerate the adoption of electric mobility across various segments, from two-wheelers to commercial vehicles, and contribute to a more sustainable future for India.”

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Hindustan Zinc Limited, India's sole and the world's biggest integrated zinc producer, said today that its Board of Directors has authorised the first phase of investments to double production capacity.

This development is in line with the robust rise in the demand for steel both domestically and internationally. Over the next five years, the company intends to increase its capacity for producing metal and silver, increasing its overall production capacity to over 2,000 KTPA and 1500 tonnes, respectively. In addition to expanding related mines and mills throughout its operations, the Board has authorised the proposal to establish a new 250 KTPA integrated smelter at Debari in the Udaipur area of Rajasthan. The company’s current metal production capacity is 1.1 million tonnes. At a total cost of over INR 120 billion, the project is expected to be finished in 36 months.

This is an important development since it coincides with the ongoing global zinc market shortage. Silver output has increased more than 20 times, while zinc production has increased four times since the government sold up its share in 2002 and the Vedanta Group bought it. Holding the second-highest zinc reserves and resources in the world with more than 25 years of mine life, the firm is one of the lowest cost zinc producers in the world.

Arun Misra, CEO, Hindustan Zinc Limited, said, “We are excited to announce this 2x growth project towards doubling our capacity across zinc, lead and silver, which is strategically aligned with the country’s expanding economic landscape, increasing demand opportunities and keeping country self-reliant for Zinc. By closely matching the pace of national growth, we are confident that this will create significant value for our stakeholders and drive long-term success.”

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India’s automotive industry could face fresh supply chain disruptions by mid-July 2025 due to declining inventories of rare earth magnets, following tightened export restrictions and shipment delays from China, according to rating agency ICRA.

Jitin Makkar, Senior Vice President and Group Head – Corporate Ratings at ICRA, cautioned that the situation echoes the semiconductor shortage of 2021–22, which led to the loss of nearly 100,000 passenger vehicles. “Rare earth magnet inventories are projected to last only until mid-July 2025 for several passenger vehicle and two-wheeler applications,” he said.

Neodymium-iron-boron (NdFeB) magnets, critical for high-performance uses like EV traction motors and power steering systems, are heavily imported – around 85 percent of India’s USD 200 million imports in FY2025 came from China. These magnets make up nearly 30 percent of an electric two-wheeler motor’s cost, with motors priced between INR 8,000 and INR 15,000 depending on specifications.

To counter the supply challenge, Indian OEMs and auto component manufacturers are exploring several alternatives: importing fully assembled motors from China, sending rotors to China for magnet assembly, using substitute materials with similar properties, or switching to rare earth-free motors using electromagnets. However, each option faces significant logistical, regulatory, and engineering hurdles.

While the immediate impact could disrupt production planning, ICRA believes the crisis may also drive innovation and diversification in both materials and supply chains for the Indian auto sector.

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Hyundai Mobis, a part of Hyundai Group specialising in manufacturing of auto components, modules & systems, has developed a new rear safety control technology that can reduce rear-end collisions.

The company states its new active control technology uses sensors to detect approaching vehicles from behind and manoeuvre the vehicle out of danger, is expected to hit the market soon. It integrates sensors such as rear-side radars and front cameras with driving control technology.

The solution works when the driver engages the Smart Cruise Control (SCC) function on the highway. When the sensors detect any other vehicle at a proximity of 10 metres or less, it first emits an audio alarm or a visual warning on the cluster. When the situation keeps persisting after a certain amount of time, the vehicle automatically accelerates to maintain a safe distance. In addition, the rear side radars also detect the movement of the vehicle behind, while the front camera recognises the lane and vehicle ahead on the driving path to assist in safe acceleration.

Hyundai Mobis acknowledges that while some global OEMs have already integrated such technology, the functions are not yet advanced enough for the vehicle to control itself autonomously. On the other hand, its technology is able to independently adjust the distance between the front and rear vehicles and avoid dangerous situations.
The Korean company plans to further expand the scope of autonomous control for defensive driving against rear vehicles. Currently, the company is developing a lane-changing function to escape dangerous situations, in addition to an acceleration control function that allows the vehicle to speed up on its own.

Jung Soo-kyung, Executive Vice-President and Head of Automotive Electronics Business Units, Hyundai Mobis, said, “We will actively protect the safety of mobility users by providing solutions that can intelligently handle not only front-end safety, but also dangerous situations caused by rear vehicles while driving.”

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