India’s commercial vehicle (CV) industry is rapidly aligning with global standards, thanks to policy reforms, evolving customer expectations and a robust domestic ecosystem. Automakers and suppliers are making significant strides in cost competitiveness, safety innovations and integrating alternative energy solutions. As the sector continues to evolve, the need for collaboration and strategic discussions has never been more critical.

Recognising this imperative, Motoring Trends, a leading automotive magazine, hosted its inaugural Commercial Vehicles Conference on 21st November 2024, in Pune, India. Themed ‘Moving India Forward’, the event served as a platform for industry leaders, including OEMs, suppliers, technocrats, fleet operators and industry partners, to address challenges and identify opportunities shaping the future of the Indian CV landscape.

By bringing together stakeholders from across the value chain, the conference underscored the importance of collective action in driving innovation, enhancing safety standards, and adopting sustainable practices. As the CV industry transforms to meet global benchmarks, such forums are vital to ensuring India’s leadership in the sector while addressing its unique market dynamics and needs.

Mahindra Truck & Bus, Ashok Leyland and Apollo Tyres supported the event as sponsors, while Automotive Research Association of India (ARAI) was the Associate partner, while Asian Trucker and Tyre Trends were the Media partners. The delegates at the event attended from a range of companies such as Tata Motors, MAN Trucks, Continental India, Tyresoles India, and Volvo Trucks among others.

The event kicked off with Dr Seshu Bhagavathula, Director, CityQ and an automotive industry veteran delivering the Keynote address, where he highlighted how urban cities around the world are working to decongest and decarbonise their streets. “This (decongestion and decarbonisation) requires a serious relook and focus on improving urban mobility as well as the role of alternative energy to support the transition,” Dr Bhagavathula.

Rashmi Urdhwareshe, Former Director, Automotive Research Association of India (ARAI) shared her perspective on how the automotive industry has been focussing on not just introducing the latest technologies, but also co-developing solutions to meet the India-specific needs. She emphasised  the close cooperation between testing agencies, suppliers and OEMs that is accelerating the transition to the latest technologies.

Making commercial vehicles safer

The commercial vehicle population on Indian roads accounts for a small parc of the total vehicles, but ranks 3^rd when it comes to the vehicles involved in road accidents. In 2022, more than 460,000 accidents took place in India, which resulted in over 168,491 people losing their lives and over 443,366 people being injured.

The first panel discussion of the day focussed on one of the most important aspects pertaining to the CV industry – Safety. The panellists for the session included – Dr Venkat Srinivas, Head Of Business, Mahindra Truck & Bus; Rahul S. Mahajan, Deputy Director, The Automotive Research Association of India (ARAI); Sudeepth Puthumana, Head of Segment – ADAS, Autonomous Mobility, Continental Automotive India and Prashant Kakade, Ministry of Road Transport & Highways (MoRTH).

The session, moderated by Bhushan Mhapralkar, Editor, Motoring Trends, touched upon various factors ranging from ADAS technology, and road designing to driver training and sensitisation.

SKP Amarnath, Group Head - R&D, Apollo Tyres gave a presentation on ‘Commercial Vehicle (Truck) Evolution In India And Impact On Tyres’. He dwelled into the key developments that have taken place in the CV industry and how tyres can play a key role in influencing vehicle safety and efficiency.

Vijay Shrinivas, Member, TREA - Tyre Retreading Education Association and CEO, Indag, gave a presentation on ‘Driving Sustainability and Circularity in Commercial Vehicle Industry’. He presented his thoughts on how treading not only helps save costs on tyre replacement but also enables higher circularity and thus helps reduce carbon emissions too.

Alternative energy & future of commercial vehicles

The role of alternative energy has been a key topic of discussion globally across vehicle segments. While there has been a focus on electrification in certain vehicle classes, the commercial vehicle segment will need to adopt a mixed approach depending on the application and use case.

The second panel discussion was on the topic of Alternative Energy and the Future of Commercial Vehicle. The panellists – Dr Bhagavathula ; Mahesh Babu, CEO, Switch Mobility; Anil Baliga, President, EKA Mobility; Boddapati Dinakar, Executive Vice-President, Sales & Marketing, Volvo Trucks, VECV; Shailesh Zinge, Director - Marketing, Growth Initiatives and Program Management, Engine Business, Cummins India and A Ramasubramanian, CTO, Blue Energy Motors presented their perspective on the alternative fuel segment.

The session was moderated by Nilesh Wadhwa, Assistant Editor, Motoring Trends.

The discussion focussed on how industry stakeholders were exploring various energy mix ranging from electric, LNG to future fuels such as hydrogen and fuel cells. The panellists agreed that globally too at present there was no single fuel that could completely overhaul the commercial vehicles segment. There was a need to not only focus on the vehicles but the necessary charging/refuelling ecosystem.

Transport ecosystem

The health of the CV industry is one of the key barometers to understand a country’s economic prosperity. While one can discuss the trends, policies and technologies, it is imperative that the views of the key stakeholder – fleet operators – are taken into account.

The third panel discussion of the day was on the topic of ‘Transport Ecosystem’. The panellists for the session were - Bal Malkit Singh, Chairman - the Core Committee, Former President, All India Motor Transport Congress (AIMTC) Prasanna Patwardhan, President, Bus & Car Operators Confederation Of India (BOCI) and Sanjay Sasane, Principal, Institute of Driving Training and Research (IDTR).

The session, moderated by Sharad Matade, Executive Editor, Motoring Trends, had an indepth discussion on how fleet operators continued to face headwinds ranging from increases in operational expenses, driver shortages and road infrastructure among others. At the same time, the revenues had not kept up at the same pace. The panellists also presented their perspectives on the adoption of newer technologies and alternative fuels.

Atul Patil, Vice-President – Marketing, Pin 365 delivered the Vote of Thanks. 

The global tyre industry faces unprecedented complexity as electrification, sustainability and intelligent vehicle systems reshape demands on materials, design and performance. CenTiRe, under Professor Saied Taheri, bridges gaps between academia and industry, integrating fundamental research with real-world constraints, fostering collaborative innovation and training engineers capable of navigating the evolving landscape of tyre and mobility technology.

The Center for Tire Research (CenTiRe) is a collaborative, industry-led research consortium partnered with Virginia Tech and the University of Akron, established in 2011–12 with seed funds from the National Science Foundation (NSF). At the time, the global tyre research ecosystem was strong in individual areas like materials, testing, vehicle dynamics and manufacturing but fragmented with few environments where these pieces were brought together in a sustained, pre-competitive way.

A critical gap was the disconnect between fundamental research and the practical questions industry engineers faced. Academic work often focused on isolated phenomena, while industry research and concept development (RCD) was under pressure to deliver solutions on compressed timelines.

Foundational problems like tyre-road interaction, variability and system-level behaviour rarely received attention in ways that were both rigorous and industrially relevant. Talent development was another challenge as companies needed engineers who could navigate experiments, modelling and real-world constraints, but training pathways were siloed.

CenTiRe was created to bridge these gaps by exposing students to industry-relevant problems early and consistently.

“Since its formation, CenTiRe’s role has evolved alongside the industry,” said CenTiRe Director and Professor Saied Taheri during an exclusive interaction with Tyre Trends.

“What began as a focus on core tyre mechanics and testing has expanded to include electrification-driven challenges, intelligent tyres, data-driven methods and stronger integration with vehicle control and mobility systems. Perhaps most importantly, the centre has evolved from a research hub to a long-term collaborative platform. Its value today lies not just in technical outputs but in continuity, providing a space where companies can step back from short-term pressures, share understanding and collectively address problems no single organisation can efficiently solve alone,” he added.

Taheri’s own focus on tyre and vehicle dynamics took shape during graduate work at Clemson University and was reinforced by observing how tyres were often treated as secondary in vehicle development, despite being the primary interface with the road.

Early experience across industry and academia showed that many vehicle-level challenges cannot be fully understood without deeper understanding of the tyre itself. Industry work underscored the importance of realism, while academic work highlighted the potential of revisiting often-overlooked fundamentals.

These experiences shaped his approach to applied research, emphasising physical understanding alongside practical implementation. More than three decades in the field have reinforced his belief that the most impactful research occurs at the boundaries between disciplines, organisations and theory and practice, a perspective that continues to guide both his work and CenTiRe.

CONVERGING PRESSURES

Tyre research today is being reshaped by several major shifts occurring simultaneously rather than sequentially, creating a level of complexity that is unprecedented. Electrification, higher instantaneous torque and evolving mobility expectations are placing new and often conflicting demands on tyres.

“Electric vehicles fundamentally alter the operating envelope as high torque at low speeds accelerates wear and introduces new fatigue and durability mechanisms, while increased vehicle mass raises concerns around rolling resistance, heat generation and structural integrity,” said Taheri.

At the same time, customers expect quieter and more comfortable tyres, which can run counter to traditional approaches to stiffness, robustness and durability.

These challenges are compounded by the fact that tyres are increasingly expected to function as part of an integrated vehicle system, interacting closely with advanced control systems, sensors and software.

Yet, physical understanding and modelling capabilities are still catching up, particularly under transient, highly nonlinear conditions that dominate real-world operation.

Taheri adds that sustainability is another critical layer as the industry is under pressure to reduce environmental impact without compromising safety or performance, forcing a rethinking of materials, testing methods and even optimisation criteria.

From a manufacturing and testing perspective, many existing processes were developed for a very different operating regime, assuming steady-state loading, gradual wear and clearly separated performance attributes.

He also noted that next-generation tyres, especially for electrified and automated vehicles, face higher torque transients, tighter noise, vibration and harness requirements and broader duty cycles, exposing sensitivities to material variability, curing and construction that are not always measured or controlled with sufficient resolution.

“On the testing side, a widening gap exists between laboratory validation and real-world use as standardised tests remain essential, but they often fail to capture coupled thermal, mechanical, acoustic and control-related phenomena, leading to continued reliance on correlation rather than true prediction,” contended Taheri.

Shrinking development cycles further strain this system as physical testing is costly and slow, while models and surrogate tests are asked to deliver more insight without always having robust validation frameworks.

“Data analytics and machine learning are beginning to play a meaningful role in addressing some of these pressures, particularly in areas with large, well-curated datasets such as manufacturing quality monitoring and test data analysis, where they can reveal sensitivities and patterns that are otherwise difficult to detect,” noted Taheri.

However, in performance-critical domains governed by strongly nonlinear, physics-driven behaviour, these tools function best as complements rather than replacements for physical understanding.

The most promising advances are emerging from hybrid approaches that integrate physics-based models, experiments and data-driven methods.

Overall, the central challenge and opportunity is not solving any single issue in isolation but developing integrated frameworks that intelligently manage trade-offs, supported by better physics, better data and stronger cross-disciplinary collaboration.

PUSHING THROUGH OBSTACLES

Taheri has been working on tyre-road friction, terramechanics and intelligent tyres for decades and his work is cited globally. However, these areas still remain technically challenging despite decades of prior research.

Commenting on the same, he noted, “These areas remain challenging because they sit at the intersection of multiple uncertainties that are difficult to control, measure or model simultaneously. At a fundamental level, the tyre-road interface is a highly nonlinear, transient and multiscale phenomenon involving viscoelastic materials, evolving surface conditions, temperature effects and micro- to macro-scale interactions that change continuously during operation. Even small variations in road texture, contamination or load can cause disproportionately large changes in friction behaviour.”

In terramechanics, he noted, the challenge is compounded by the deformable and history-dependent nature of the road. Soil properties vary spatially and temporally and rolling fundamentally alters the medium itself, making repeatability and generalisation difficult.

Intelligent tyres add further complexity through sensing, while ensuring robustness, durability and cost-effectiveness is inherently challenging and converting those measurements into reliable, control-relevant information remains an open problem.

“Progress in materials, sensing or modelling often reveals new limitations elsewhere and as vehicle systems evolve, particularly with electrification and automation, the boundary conditions continue to shift. Consequently, these are not unsolved problems but continuously evolving ones, with each vehicle generation raising the bar for accuracy, robustness and integration,” added Taheri.

At CenTiRe, Taheri said, addressing such complexity requires integration that goes beyond organisational structure and is embedded in how research questions are framed and executed.

Problems are defined around physical phenomena or performance gaps rather than along disciplinary lines. This ensures that materials behaviour, manufacturing variability, modelling assumptions and testing constraints are considered from the outset, rather than addressed sequentially.

People, he added, are central to this approach. Students and researchers are deliberately exposed to multiple domains, while industry partners are engaged throughout the project lifecycle rather than brought in only as reviewers. This helps create a shared technical language and reduces the risk of research fragmenting into isolated silos.

“The objective is not to make everyone an expert in everything but to ensure that insights generated in one domain are meaningful, transferable and usable across the others,” Taheri noted.

NEW VISTAS

Taheri views fundamental science and industrial relevance as mutually dependent rather than competing.

“In academia, advancing understanding, especially where assumptions or models fall short, must ultimately inform design, manufacturing or validation to have real impact. At CenTiRe, this balance is achieved by deliberately selecting fundamental problems tied to real-world constraints such as manufacturing variability, testing limits and control-system needs,” he said.

Education is central to this approach as training students to think rigorously while recognising practical constraints creates a vital bridge between science and application. The balance is achieved through alignment, not compromise, by choosing problems where scientific progress and practical implementation advance together.

One area where this is particularly evident is smart and intelligent tyres. “These tyres have the potential to fundamentally change how vehicles perceive and interact with the road, though the transformation will be evolutionary rather than sudden,” noted Taheri.

Traditionally, the tyre has been treated as a passive element in vehicle control with behaviour inferred indirectly from wheel speed, acceleration or yaw signals. Intelligent tyres allow more direct observation of the contact patch, providing real-time data on grip, load, temperature and surface conditions. This can significantly improve control robustness, especially in low-friction or rapidly changing environments.

However, integrating tyre-level information into vehicle control introduces challenges around signal reliability, latency, validation and redundancy, particularly for safety-critical and autonomous applications.

Another key issue is abstraction as raw tyre data must be converted into physically meaningful, trustworthy indicators that can be fused with other vehicle and environmental sensors.

In autonomous driving, intelligent tyres may not act as primary perception sensors, but they can play a critical supporting role by informing systems what is actually achievable at the tyre-road interface, rather than what is assumed.

“Ultimately, this represents a shift from tyres as passive components to active contributors to vehicle intelligence, requiring advances not only in sensing but also in modelling, validation and system-level integration,” said Taheri.

TRUSTED COLLABORATION

Tyre development today faces the formidable challenge of reconciling performance, safety and environmental responsibility across the entire lifecycle. Materials that deliver wet grip, durability and fatigue resistance often carry significant environmental footprints, and replacing them without introducing new risks is technically difficult.

At the same time, improving rolling resistance to enhance energy efficiency, particularly for electric vehicles, can conflict with wear, noise and grip, while higher vehicle mass and torque further complicate trade-offs.

Wear and abrasion present another concern as tyre particles are increasingly recognised as an environmental issue, yet understanding of their generation and transport mechanisms remains incomplete.

End-of-life considerations amplify these challenges, since tyres were not historically designed for disassembly or reuse, making recycling and circularity systemic design problems. Addressing these issues requires lifecycle-based thinking, advanced predictive tools and close integration of materials, manufacturing and vehicle disciplines.

Alluding to these, Taheri noted, “CenTiRe addresses these complexities through a pre-competitive collaborative model that brings together global tyre and automotive companies in a neutral, trust-based framework. By focusing on fundamentals, the centre creates shared understanding while allowing individual companies to retain proprietary advantages in design and implementation. Its role is to reduce upstream uncertainty and risk, providing rigorous, unbiased validation that benefits all members.”

Industry continues to invest in this model because the technical challenges of electrification, system integration and sustainability are too complex and costly to tackle in isolation. Beyond technical outputs, the consortium fosters a shared language, trust and a culture of collaboration that enables competitors to learn from each other without compromising competitiveness.

Looking ahead, the hope is that Taheri and CenTiRe are recognised less as a single person or centre and more as a trusted ecosystem that helped the tyre and mobility industry think more rigorously and collaboratively about tyre performance, safety and sustainability.

“Success will be measured by the engineers trained to bridge physics and manufacturing realities, the risk de-risked through sound modelling and experimentation and the elevated global technical conversation around tyres,” said Taheri.

Equally important is the role of CenTiRe in building bridges between disciplines, companies and generations of engineers, helping the industry better understand and respect one of the most complex yet underappreciated components of mobility.

Over the next decade, this vision positions CenTiRe as both a technical and cultural catalyst for the global tyre and mobility sector. n

Continental has once again received recognition from the CDP for its transparent and proactive approach to environmental stewardship, securing an ‘A-‘ rating for climate action and supply chain management. Formerly known as the Carbon Disclosure Project, this independent non-profit evaluates corporate environmental impact using a rigorous scoring system that ranges from ‘A’ for leadership to ‘D’ for initial disclosure. Continental’s latest score reflects its strong performance in reducing CO₂ emissions, advancing low-carbon innovation and promoting sustainability across its supplier network. The company also maintained a ‘B’ rating in water management for the second year in a row, underscoring its consistent efforts in this area.

For over 15 years, Continental has taken part in CDP assessments, which help investors and other stakeholders gauge how effectively companies are addressing environmental challenges. In the climate category, CDP considers factors such as emissions reduction initiatives, environmental policies and the influence a company exerts on its suppliers’ sustainability practices. Continental’s rating affirms its commitment in each of these areas.

A cornerstone of the company’s climate strategy is its participation in the RE100 initiative, through which it has sourced green electricity since 2020. This includes power generated from on-site solar installations as well as electricity procured through regional and grid-wide power purchase agreements. These contracts not only ensure a steady supply of renewable energy and price stability but also contribute to the expansion of new wind and solar projects. Together, these efforts help reduce Scope 2 emissions. Further energy savings are achieved through efficiency upgrades such as better insulation of production equipment, LED lighting retrofits and systematic leak detection and repair.

In water management, Continental has made significant progress by reducing water withdrawal per metric tonne of product by more than 10 percent between 2020 and 2025. This reduction, equivalent to 197 million litres, was accomplished through measures like water reuse, treatment and more efficient usage across its facilities.

The company also prioritises traceability and transparency in its raw material supply chains. It enforces strict sourcing standards, engages directly with local producers – for instance, by training smallholder farmers in sustainable natural rubber cultivation – and employs digital tools to monitor and improve supply chain integrity. Additionally, Continental invests in alternative materials to lessen its environmental footprint. These include silica derived from rice husk ash, tall oil from paper production and polyester fibres made from recycled PET bottles collected in regions lacking bottle deposit systems.

Jorge Almeida, Head of Sustainability, Continental Tires, said, “We constantly optimise production, products and processes through all phases of a tyre’s life cycle – from raw-material sourcing and manufacturing to use and end-of-life management. We are committed to climate action in our own operations and through close collaboration with our suppliers.”

Tolins Tyres Limited reported a rise in quarterly revenue as demand recovered across retreading materials and new tyre segments.

Revenue for the three months to 31 December 2025 increased 33.8 percent year on year to INR 933 million, while earnings before interest, tax, depreciation and amortisation (EBITDA) rose to INR 142 million. Net profit declined to INR 105 million from INR 109 million a year earlier.

For the first nine months of the financial year, revenue rose 11.8 percent to INR 2.49bn. EBITDA fell to INR 366 million from INR 426 million, and net profit declined to INR 268 million from INR 294 million.

Tolins Tyres said growth in the quarter was supported by higher volumes in domestic markets and increased contribution from recently launched agricultural tyres. The India business remained the main source of revenue, while UAE operations contributed steadily.

Dr K V Tolin, promoter, chairman and managing director of Tolins Tyres Limited, said, “Q3 FY26 marked a strong rebound in performance with robust year-on-year revenue growth and clear recovery in volumes across both retread and new tyre segments. The deferred demand witnessed in Q2 has meaningfully converted into orders during the quarter, reflecting improved customer sentiment and normalized buying patterns following the GST revision.

The agricultural segment delivered encouraging traction, with our newly launched tractor rear tyre range beginning to contribute meaningfully to revenues. The increasing share of tractor tyres in our overall mix validates our strategic focus on expanding presence in high-demand farm tyre categories. Distribution expansion and deeper engagement with institutional customers further supported volume growth across key markets.

For the nine-month period, the Company has demonstrated resilience and improved operational momentum. With demand visibility strengthening, a diversified customer base, and continued cost discipline, we believe Tolins Tyres is well-positioned to sustain growth in the coming quarters while maintaining focus on margin stability and operational efficiency.”

Eastern Treads Limited has appointed Navas Meeran as managing director following the expiry of the tenure of M E Mohamed.

Meeran’s appointment took effect from the close of business on 14 February  2026 and is subject to shareholder approval. Mohamed ceased to hold office on the same date on completion of his term.

Eastern Treads said its key managerial personnel now comprise Navas Meeran as Managing Director, Devarajan Krishnan as Chief Financial Officer and Abil Anil as Company Secretary.

The company stated that Meeran has more than 33 years’ experience in the tyre retreading industry and previously held roles including Chairman of the Confederation of Indian Industry’s southern region and membership of its national council.

It added that Shereen Navas, a Director of the company, is the spouse of Meeran.