In a recent development, Audi, a German luxury automobile manufacturer, tested a new automated method of body sealing known as digital sealing at the Gyor paint shop in Hungary. Post the paint process, a final paint finish is applied using a robot-guided applicator. This robot deposits ultra-fine droplets of paste-like sealing material in areas such as weld seams. The material is of uniform composition and quality. Before the application of this sealing, the machine is preset for optimal thickness and width of material to be applied. Digital sealing not only reduces the overall weight of the paints used but also reduces wastage and time taken during the paint process.

On 18th September 2019, Japanese chemical and engineering company, Nichia Corporation, and German semiconductor major, Infineon, announced their collaboration for developing a high-definition (HD) light engine with more than 16,000 micro-LEDs for front light applications. The new device will provide high resolution light to the entire field of view of the driver. The production launch of the new HD light engine, which will be a part of Nichia’s automotive LED and laser portfolio, is planned for 2023.

Porsche AG-a Germany based automobile manufacturer specialized in high-performance sedans, SUVs and sports cars-recently introduced a button-free dashboard for its maiden electric car, Taycan. The dash, which is largely in sync with the company’s flagship 911 sports car, has been redesigned for the 21st century. The absence of buttons on the dashboard lends a fresh look to the vehicle interior and means that vehicle controls and settings can be accessed digitally. The company’s decision to swap hardware controls with digital ones would enable the automaker to introduce over-the-air updates for adding more functions.

On 27th August 2019, Harley Davidson made a buzz in the Indian electric two-wheeler market by unveiling “LiveWire”, the company’s first electric motorcycle. The leading American motorcycle manufacturer recently celebrated a decade of operations in the Indian market. The company also launched the limited edition 2020 Street 750 with production restricted to 300 units only.

Toyota has revealed that it plans to deploy a fleet of electric and self-driving vehicles at next year's Tokyo Summer Olympics. This fleet of 3,700 vehicles is expected to feature some degree of electrification and will also include Concept-i-a self-driving pod car that will serve as the operating vehicle for the Olympic torch relay and the lead vehicle for the marathon events.

In April 2019, PPG completed the acquisition of Hemmelrath, an automotive coatings manufacturer.

To promote EVs in India on a larger scale, the Indian government in its Union budget today (5th July 2019) announced a reduction in GST from 12% to 5% for the electric vehicles sold in India. To make EVs more affordable for Indian consumers, the Indian government will also provide an additional income tax deduction of Rs. 1.5 lakh on the interest paid on the loans taken to purchase EVs.

Maruti Suzuki – an Indian car manufacturer giant, recently announced to phase out production of diesel cars by next year i.e. April 2020. This announcement from Maruti Suzuki is in sync with the implementation of BS6 norms in India and mirrors emerging global trends. The company’s decision is anticipated to be majorly driven by high cost of upgrading diesel engines to BS6 norms. However, to fill this void, the company aims to shift its focus towards hybrid technology driven vehicles and compressed natural gas (CNG) vehicles.

Mercedes-Benz Cars, in association with telecommunications company Telefónica Deutschland and network supplier Ericsson, is setting up the world’s first 5G network for automobile production in its Factory 56 in Sindelfingen, Germany. This is the first time the 5G mobile communications standard is being implemented into the running production. The 5G technology can rapidly process huge data sets. The 5G standard allows fast data transmission rates, with extremely low latency and a high level of reliability. Mercedes-Benz Cars is planning to implement such innovation in its other plants as well.

On 4th June 2019, Cohda Wireless (Australia) and Sasken Technologies (India) announced a strategic technology partnership to accelerate the adoption of V2X (vehicle-to-anything) in the connected vehicles space. The companies plan to utilize cellular or DSRC (dedicated short-range communication) technologies. Cohda Wireless is a global leader in connected autonomous vehicles technologies, whereas Sasken Technologies is a leading product engineering and digital transformation services provider. The partnership will help create a complete TCU (Telematics Control Unit) software reference design that would include Sasken's TCU software and middleware coupled with Cohda Wireless' DSRC/C-V2X (cellular V2X) stack and applications.