Beyond the 5-star safety rating


Safety awareness is on the rise, and so are efforts by OEMs to make their cars safer to protect the occupants better in the event of a crash. The Global NCAP (New Car Assessment Programme) crash test ratings, and now the Bharat NCAP ratings, are something that cars wear with pride (provided it’s a 4- or a 5-star rating of course). And. it’s good to see that Indian OEMs are also setting new benchmarks in safety.

Safety of a different kind

However, in the SDV (Software Defined Vehicle) era, safety of the vehicle wouldn’t depend only on its structure, or features it’s equipped with. The huge amount of software in an SDV also makes it vulnerable to malware attacks, some potentially leading to a major accident too. That’s where meeting industry standards help. Find out more about AIS 189, an automotive cybersecurity standard, expected to be mandatory from 2027.

AIS 189 explained: How India’s auto industry must prepare for the cybersecurity era

BMW’s tech partner for China

Imagine an AI agent inside your car who can help you with recommendations for a nearby restaurant, or maybe for parking too. That’s what BMW wants to offer in its cars. As AI increasingly gets into cars, there’s also a growing trend of OEM-tech company collaborations. Here’s one between BMW and China’s Alibaba. What’s it for? Read on to find out.

Alibaba teams up with BMW to develop AI for cars in China

Hands on, eyes off the road while driving?

When Jim Morrison croons ‘keep your eyes on the road, your hands upon the wheel’ in his song titled ‘Roadhouse Blues’, it’s also something that needs to be practiced if the listener is the driver. With the ADAS trend progressing, it may be okay to take your eyes off the road sometimes. Autonomous Driving L2+ allows the driver to do that. Hyundai aims to implement Level 2+ self-driving tech by 2027

Sound from anywhere, almost

You need a speaker to hear music in the car, don’t you? With technology advancements, the conventional speaker may not be necessary anymore to hear your favourite music while travelling. The music can come from almost any surface, starting with the display unit. How? Find out in the story below.

Continental unveils Ac2ated Sound that turns vehicle display into speaker

Quality before quantity

Building a sustainable business can be easier said than done, more so in the emerging EV industry. Ather Energy has outgrown the start-up phase, and is now set to be a fellow listed company with the biggies. What remains the same is the engineer-founders’ focus on R&D/technology as the most important pillar for growth. IPO bound Ather bats for R&D, quality as market share aspirations take a backseat.

India will soon roll out first indigenous chip as semiconductor units take shape: Ashwini Vaishnaw


BEV the ‘most efficient’ future tech, but Skoda Auto also bets on hybrids

Catch them young

India’s evolution as a major automotive hub, and the realisation of its dream to be a developed nation by 2047 will also depend much on the engineering competence in the country. Which is why initiatives like SUPRA SAE India have to play a good role.

SUPRA SAEINDIA 2025 gears up with strong industry and academic participation

We’d love to hear your thoughts on this edition of the newsletter! Please share your feedback or suggestions with us so we can continue improving to meet your needs. You can email your comments to [email protected].

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  • Updated On Apr 2, 2025 at 03:33 PM IST
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  • Published On Apr 2, 2025 at 03:20 PM IST
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  • 3 min read
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