According to a media report, Tata Motors has entered the list of top 100 global companies that spent the most on research and development (R&D) in the last fiscal year. It is the only Indian company that made the list and is ranked 99th.

Taking into consideration the R&D spending of Jaguar Land Rover, Tata's rank rises to 13th in the list. Other notable Indian companies that just missed out include Mahindra & Mahindra which is ranked 114, Sun Pharma at 104, Lupin at 120 and Dr Reddy's ranked at 121. 

According to a report published in July 2018, Tata Motors invested Rs. 2,100.1 crore into R&D in 2016-17. It is said that the combined R&D spending of Tata and JLR is over Rs. 19,000 crore. Mahindra & Mahindra spent Rs. 2,075.8 crore, while Maruti Suzuki's R&D investment for the said fiscal topped at Rs. 640.4 crore. 

As per the Society of Indian Automobile Manufacturers (SIAM) and Centre for Monitoring Indian Economy (CMIE) data, the total R&D spending of the industry in 2016-17 was Rs. 7,909.6 crore.

Source: Economic Times

According to the Society of Indian Automobile Manufacturers (SIAM) and the Centre for Monitoring Indian Economy (CMIE), Tata Motors and Mahindra were the biggest spenders on research and development (R&D) in 2016-17, while the total spending of the industry stood at Rs. 7,909.6 crore. 

Tata Motors invested Rs. 2,100.1 crore in 2016-17, while Mahindra & Mahindra spent Rs. 2,075.8 crore on R&D during the same year. Maruti Suzuki took the third spot as it spent Rs. 640.4 crore, while Honda Cars India invested a sum of Rs. 549.7 crore. 

Ashok Leyland was in fifth place with an R&D spending of Rs. 389.5 crore. In comparison, VE Commercial Vehicles invested Rs. 268.6 crore, while Force Motors spent Rs. 113.4 crore on R&D in 2016-17.

In the 2-wheeler segment, Hero MotoCorp topped the list with an investment of Rs. 701 crore followed by Bajaj Auto with Rs. 367.6 crore. TVS Motor Company spent Rs. 244.7 crore, while Royal Enfield invested Rs. 128 crore in R&D in 2016-17.

Engine manufacturers Cummins India, Greeves Cotton and Simpson & Co. together invested Rs. 86.4 crore in R&D.

Source: Economic Times

Bharat Forge, a Pune based forging company has setup an electric vehicle (EV) research and development (R&D) centre in the UK. The new facility is located in the MIRA Technology Park and will be developing components and sub-systems for EVs.

The MIRA Technology Park is home to several large OEMs and Tier 1 companies. Besides, it also has the infrastructure required for the development and testing of EV systems, which is likely to be helpful for the new electric mobility R&D centre.

Bharat Forge is part of the US$ 2.5 billion Kalyani Group. It is the world's largest forging company with manufacturing facilities in India, Germany, Sweden, France and North America. The company specializes in metal forming for the automotive, power, oil and gas, construction and mining, rail, marine and aerospace sectors.

Mercedes-Benz has inaugurated its third R&D facility in India. Located at Gopalan Global Axis, Whitefield in Bangalore, the facility is spread across an area of 1,19,227 sq.ft. and can house 900 employees. It is located close to the Mercedes-Benz Research and Development India (MBRDI) head office.

Last year, MBRDI had inaugurated its facility at Hinjewadi, Pune (click here to read report). The company has increased its size by 23,318 sq.ft. and its seating capacity by 203. The overall seating capacity of the facility is now 600.

MBRDI was founded in 1996 and its head office was set up in Bangalore. It focuses on topics ranging from computer-aided design and simulations (CAD, CAE) for powertrain, chassis and exteriors to embedded systems, telematics and developing various IT applications and tools. The satellite office in Pune specializes in interior component designs and IT engineering.

Hero MotoCorp has formally inaugurated its ‘Global Centre of Innovation and Technology’ (CIT) in Jaipur, Rajasthan. The R&D center has been built with an investment of Rs. 850 crores.

Its activities will include product design & development, prototype manufacturing, testing and validation. The CIT has test-tracks within the campus. The 16 kilometre-long tracks have 45 different surfaces to simulate real world road conditions, both Indian and global.

Home to over 500 automotive experts, the operations at CIT will be headed by Dr. Markus Braunsperger, Chief Technology Officer.

India and the United Kingdom have decided to collaborate in the field of automotive research and development (R&D) and testing.

The concerned departments and agencies under the Government of India and UK are countries are expected to sign a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to share their expertise in automotive research and development (R&D), testing and administration of testing system. During the Indian Prime Minister's recent trip to the UK, his British counterpart he expressed their wish to promote innovation led growth in the automotive sector in India.

It may be noted that the Tata group owns luxury carmaker Jaguar Land Rover among other British companies.

Source: Gov.uk

Bosch India has strengthened its partnership with the Indian Institute of Science (IISc), Bangalore by signing a memorandum of understanding (MoU) on October 28, 2015. Through this MoU Bosch and IISc will collaborate to address India-specific requirements, such as mobility, healthcare, energy and water.

The signed MoU’s were exchanged between Bosch and IISc in the presence of the Hon’ble President of India, Shri Pranab Mukherjee at the Rashtrapati Bhavan, Delhi on November 04, 2015.

In May 2011, the Bosch Group announced investments totalling Rs. 300 Crores to provide support for universities and research projects in Germany, China, India, and the U.S. over a 10-year period, as part of its global initiative ‘Bosch InterCampus Program’. The program aims to achieve improvements in research conditions for undergraduates and scientists in the university sphere. Approximately Rs. 115 crores were allotted for India. The Robert Bosch Centre for Cyber Physical Systems was setup at IISc with this grant and is currently in its fourth year.

Mercedes-Benz Research and Development India (MBRDI) has inaugurated a new facility in Hinjewadi, Pune. This new facility is located at the Embassy Tech Zone in SEZ. It is spread over an area of 46,000 sq. ft. and has the capacity to house 400 people.

MBRDI was founded in 1996 and is headquartered in Bangalore. It supports Daimler's research, IT and product development activities and focuses on topics ranging from computer-aided design and simulations (CAD, CAE) for powertrain, chassis and exteriors to embedded systems, telematics and developing various IT applications and tools. It is now one of the largest R&D facilities of Daimler outside Germany. MBRDI also aims to partner closely with suppliers in India for its activities in product development and IT services.

The satellite office in Pune specializes in interior component designs and IT engineering. It allows the company to expand while still being close to both, the Mercedes-Benz plant and its relevant automotive suppliers.

Ford's Fiesta sales have been only a fraction of that of the segment leading Honda City's. A media reports suggest that rumors are that the American carmaker is developing a new B500 project to rival the Honda City and Maruti Ciaz in 2018.

As per the report, the Indian research and development base will play a crucial role in the design, development and engineering of this new mid-sized sedan. The B500 project might also result in the introduction of an MPV later on. Ford is considering high levels of localization to ensure that the product remains price competitive.

Ford has also decided to invest Rs. 4,000 - 5,000 crores in a Research and Development Centre in Chennai. This new R & D Centre is likely to be the largest in the Asia-Pacific region, which will be linked to Ford's Global Product Development Ecosystem. Recently, Ford set up its manufacturing facility in Sanand, Gujarat with an investment of 1 billion USD.

Source: ET Auto

BMW has started a program labelled the BMW Startup Garage. As the name suggests, the program is the BMW group’s way of reaching out to start-up companies. Additionally, the BMW group has also partnered with the UnternehmerTUM business creation centre at Munich’s Technical University in order to set up the “TEchFounders” accelerator programme for technology startups.

The Startup Garage aims to provide easier access for start-ups to showcase their ideas and developments to the brand. The process is often tedious due to the processes and procedures of a major corporations, which often leads to new developments failing to get the support they need. Any interested start-up companies can apply online to the BMW Startup Garage. The selection is then made directly in close consultation with the management team and the relevant departments of the BMW group.

The short-listed companies then undergo a special program lasting several months. At the core of this program is the development of a functional prototype with an application relevant to the BMW group. Start-ups also receive assistance in building up their network within the group and in drawing up a business plan.

The scheme is not restricted to companies in the automotive sector and extends to technologies that can be transferred to automotive engineering applications. More details on the program can be found on the official website.