Over 41% of Freelancers Witnessed Significant Growth in the Last 12 Months Across India

PayPal, global leader in digital payments today released a report titled, Insights into the freelancers ecosystem, sharing an overview on India’s freelancer landscape. The report highlights the strong growth prospects of the sector and challenges of the freelancers in India. The study, conducted with 500 Indian freelancers in their local languages, highlights that most Indian freelancers are under the age of 40 and arepredominantly mostly men. Web & mobile development, web designing, internet research and data entry are the key focus areas for Indian freelancers while some of them are also engaged in accounting, graphic design and consultancy.

Of the surveyed freelancers, 41% have witnessed very fast growth in through the past 12 months, with 80% of them working with international as well as domestic clients. A significant amount of work for Indian freelancers comes from Australia, US and UK.  15 projects and 13 retainer clients annually gives this segment income stability & security. 

Narsi Subramanian, Director Growth, PayPal India, said: ‘India is today the largest freelancer market in the world and poised for growth. Receiving payments in a timely, safe and secure manner is one of the key concerns for this community. At PayPal, we work closely with freelancers enabling them to leverage the opportunity in India and across the globe. Our key offerings such as PayPal.me and Seller Protection for Intangibles have helped solve payment related hurdles and propelled growth for this segment. We excited to see college graduates, 5-9ers and homemakers leveraging the freelancing professional and the global opportunity.

Most took to freelancing after having heard about it from friends, family, social media and freelancing platforms. Of the reasons that drove them to adopt freelancing, earning more income, flexibility in schedules and ability to choose who to work for, topped the list. Of the wide range of aspects, freelancers feel that they need external support in aspects such as setting up their own website, finding and retaining clients, fee and negotiation advice, protection and insurance.

Processing payments:

PayPal is among the most popular payment methods for international payments. Increasingly, risk and security are the most important aspects for freelancers as they accept payments from across the world, followed by a shorter time taken by payment methods to process payments. Another key challenge faced by freelancers is that of invoicing – most freelancers currently invoice through freelancer platforms, create an invoice manually or just share details over email.

Money management and freelancers:

Close to 61% of the surveyed freelancers have not been paid at least once through their career. Further, many freelancers receive payments only after 2-4 weeks of invoicing, thereby creating a gap in flow of capital. To overcome this challenge, freelancers provide discounts for early and charge for late payments.

Greaves Cotton Boosts Farm Mechanization in India; Invests in Technology and R&D

Greaves Cotton, one of the leading engineering companies in India, today announced its focus on the farm sector with investments in R&D, plant and people to support the growing farm sector in India. As part of its long term diversification strategy, Greaves Cotton announced the launch of a new locally manufactured power tiller under its Farm Equipment Division. With significant headroom to grow farm productivity in India, Greaves Agri aims to boost mechanization and reduce dependency on human labour in farming, and has unveiled ‘The Bahubali’, the latest addition to its robust portfolio of farming equipment and power tillers.

Building on the ‘Made in India, Made for India’ vision, ‘The Bahubali’ is the first ever fully locally designed and developed power tiller by Greaves Cotton in India. With the new high power 14HP engine and heavy duty performance, it offers best-in-class ploughing performance with higher tilling depth, excellent fuel efficiency and a rugged body for long life.

Speaking about the launch, Nagesh Basavanhalli, MD & CEO, Greaves Cotton Limited said, “As part of our strategy, we have invested in building capability - people, facility & technology. This will help us strengthen our position in the Agri sector, as we cater a wide range of products & services to the farmers to help them right from ploughing to harvesting. With the Indian economy rapidly evolving, there is a need to make efficient use of farm machinery to improve land productivity”. 

Greaves is working closely with farmers & FPO’s to understand their needs & create farm solutions that promise more yield per acre of farm, especially when we see shrinking landholdings with rapid increase in population & shortage of farm labour in India.

M.Mohanan, President-Farm Equipment Business, Greaves Cotton Limited commented, “We are pleased to announce the launch of ‘The Bahubali’, our first ever ‘Made in India’ power tiller. As a full range player in the farm equipment space, Greaves Agri continues to develop equipment to support the farmers in each step of the crop cycle. We will continue to build on the ‘Make for India’ vision and plan to introduce more superior quality, reliable products in the market.”

Having grown from a small equipment player to a large farm solutions & services company, Greaves Agri has products for each stage of the crop cycle covering a wide variety of functionality for the farm sector.

This investment is a part of customer focus at Greaves Agri, with rigorous validation being integral to the process. Its dedicated R&D facility & state-of-the-art large farm equipment factory in Ranipet manufactures wide range of farm products & has been actively engaging with customers across nation. Greaves Cotton provides high quality products across all stages – irrigation- soil preparation –planting -plant protection- harvesting -post harvest cycle. To achieve this, it undergoes rigorous testing and validation inside factory and under real world usage pattern tests across various terrains. Greaves Cotton has sold more than 3 million Pumpset across India & neighboring countries. As part of productivity enhancement solutions, Greaves Cotton is taking aggressive steps to bring electric & solar pumps for the segment.

Manipal Hospitals Launches the ‘Give Way, Save a Life’ Campaign on World Ambulance Day

On the occasion of ‘World Ambulance Day’, Manipal Hospitals unveiled ‘Give Way Save a Life’ Campaign to educate and sensitise citizens on the concept of giving way to an ambulance in their daily lives. This initiative was flagged off by Ravi Malimath Justice, High Court of Karnataka in the presence of Dr. Sudarshan Ballal, Chairman, Manipal Hospitals, Dilip Jose, M. D & CEO, Manipal Health Enterprises Private Limited and Shraddha Srinath, South Indian Film Actress

 On this occasion, Manipal Hospital announced a series of activities and initiatives that included free ambulance service in case of emergency and dedicated the service in the name of Late Justice V. S. Malimath. Additionally, a Poster Exhibition on Life-saving Techniques was inaugurated along with flagging off MAARS ambulance rally to spread the message of ‘Give Way Save a Life’.

Manipal Ambulance Response Service (MARS) has come a long way from its inception in 2015. So far the Hospital has been a medical partner with some of the prestigious events like Aero Show and Pro Kabbadi. Till date 12,000 emergency cases have been attended to. The state of the art technology enables the ambulance to deal with any kind of crucial emergencies.

Speaking on the occasion Sudarshan Ballal, Chairman Manipal Hospitals said, “In today’s faced-paced day and age, it is extremely important to sensitise   people   on how critical it is to give way to an ambulance and if people understand this then half the battle is won. The 'Golden Hour' theory framed by WHO (World Health Organization), which is followed all over the world also says that if a patient of road mishap or a heart patient is rushed to a hospital within an hour, his chances of survival go up by 70 to 80 per cent. With this initiative we continue to keep up with our commitment of saving lives and making a difference in the lives of those around us”

Speaking on the occasion Dilip Jose, M. D & CEO,  Manipal Health Enterprises Private Limited, “Ambulance services are the primary providers of a 24/7 response to medical and trauma related emergencies. In a medical emergency time plays a very crucial role. It is extremely important that Private Hospitals have a network like MARS, that offers Complete Medical Emergency Solutions and   advanced comprehensive service and transportation during medical emergencies.”

Speaking on the occasion, Ravi Malimath Justice , High Court of Karnataka said, “Emergency can happen anywhere and its high time we realize that giving way to ambulance is the least we can do. I consider it my privilege to be part of this noble and great initiative that Manipal Hospitals has launched today and I am sure this message will be conveyed far and wide.”

Supporting the initiative  Shraddha Srinath, South Indian Film Actress said, “Iam extremely delighted to be part of this great cause. We must be more empathetic and rational on road for making way to ambulances. I urge and it is my humble request to all of you to be more careful and forthcoming. Please give way and save a life.”

Ideally an ambulance should be able to give pre-hospital care to the patient from point of pick-up to hospital. Apart from stretcher, trolley and ventilator, the ambulance must have spinal board and patient monitor along with a doctor or paramedical staff.

Toyota’s Young Talents Emerged as Winners at World Skill Competition 2017

Committed to the vision of Skill India designed by the Government of India, the Ministry of Human Resource & Development (MHRD) & National Skills Development Corporation (NSDC) recently felicitated the medal winners of the 44^thWorld Skills Competition held at Abu Dhabi earlier this year. Kiran, employee of Toyota Kirloskar Motor (TKM)   bagging the bronze medal in the Prototype Modelling Skill, H Varun and T A Anand Kumar who are also alumni of TTTI and employees of TKM, ranking sixth in the Mechatronics Skill category were recognized for their success among other achievers.

The event held at New Delhi was graced by Dharmendra Pradhan, Minister of Petroleum & Natural Gas and Skill Development & Entrepreneurship - Government of India, Rajesh Agarwal, Joint Secretary – Ministry of Skill Development & Entrepreneurship [MSDE], Manish Kumar, Chief Executive Officer – National Skills Development Corporation [NSDC] and other dignitaries.

Also called as the ‘Skill Olympics’, the World Skills Competition is one of the most coveted platform recognizing excellence in vocational education and skills globally. This year, the competition witnessed more than 1,300 participants from 59 countries challenging each other in 51 skill categories. India took part in 26 categories winning 2 Medals (silver in patisserie and bronze in prototype) and 9 Medallions of excellence in the respective categories. The team which consisted of 28 talented young minds showcased the best ever performance by India since the country began to take part in the competition since 2007. The participants were selected through a nationwide screening process under the guidance of National Skill Development Corporation (NSDC).

Speaking on his achievement, Kiran said, “An opportunity to participate in the world’s biggest skill contest and being one amongst the top three is indeed life changing. I extend my sincere gratitude to all my mentors at Toyota Kirloskar Motor for recognizing the potential in me and giving me necessary guidance to hone my skills. I am also thankful to the Ministry of Skill Development & Entrepreneurship [MSDE] & National Skills Development Corporation (NSDC), for acknowledging all our efforts and encouraging us to compete at a Global platform.”

Commenting on the occasion, Sailesh Shetty, Vice President [Human Resources] - Toyota Kirloskar Motor said, “Congratulations to these young talents for winning the medals in the global skill contest and bring glory to India.”

As a part of its commitment for TKM towards developing world class skilled workforce for the emerging Indian Auto Industry, Toyota in 2007 established the Toyota Technical Training Institute (TTTI) which offers a three year rigorous full-time training in – Automobile Assembly, Automobile Paint, Automobile Weld and Mechatronics (a combination of mechanical and industrial electronics) to financially challenged students hailing from Below Poverty Line (BPL) families across regions of Karnataka state. This institute exclusively emphasizes on the overall development of the trainees, as per industry requirements, by “Perfecting People” and thereby contributing through developed young multi-skilled, energetic, ideal students to the nation. TTTI’s training curriculum is a unique blend which focuses on the holistic development of Knowledge (16%), Skill (34%), Body and Mind (50%) of the students. Last year Toyota’s TTTI accomplished a key milestone of being selected for “Manufacturing Skill Transfer Promotion Programme” under the MoU signed by Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry, Government of Japan (METI) and Ministry of Skill Development and Entrepreneurship Government of India (MSDE).

Overview of TKM

Company name	Toyota Kirloskar Motor Private Limited
Equity participation	TMC: 89%, Kirloskar Group: 11%
Number of employees	Approx. 7, 000 +
Land area	Approx. 432 acres (approx.1,700,000 m2)
Building area	74,000 m2
Total Installed Production capacity	Upto 3,10,000 units

Overview of TKM 1st Plant:

Established	October 1997 (start of production: December 1999)
Location	Bidadi
Products	Innova, Fortuner manufactured in India. Prado, Land Cruiser and Prius imported as CBUs
Installed Production capacity	Upto 1,00,000 units

Overview of TKM 2nd Plant:

Start of Production	December 2010
Location	On the site of Toyota Kirloskar Motor Private Limited, Bidadi
Products	Corolla Altis, Etios, Etios Liva, Etios Cross, Camry & Camry Hybrid
Installed Production capacity	Upto 2,10,000 units

Indian Smartphone Brand – CENTRiC L3 Priced at Rs. 6749

CENTRiC mobiles, an Indian smartphone brand, launched its new affordable smartphone CENTRiC L3. The smartphone is designed keeping the fashion-conscious Indian youth’s requirements and habits in mind. CENTRiC mobiles is backed by Priyanka Communication India Private Limited (PCIPL), a Mumbai based technology brand. With the sharp features and perfectly rounded curves, the 5 inches display smartphone is an ergonomic choice for the consumers.

CENTRiC L3 which is priced at Rs. 6749 features a 1.3GHz Quadcore processor with Mali T720 MP2 GPU along with the 2GB RAM and 16GB ROM (internal memory). Looking at the current content consumption of the consumers in the country, the smartphone has a memory expandable slot for up to 256GB.

Talking about its camera capabilities, the L3 dons a 13 MP rear autofocus and 5 MP front camera. The rear camera has a 5P lens with an f2.2 LED flash which helps to capture better pictures in low-light moments. L3 also has an HD recording capability @30FPS and full HD video playback, which gives an amazing viewing experience to the binge-watchers.

With a Dual Sim card slot, a fingerprint sensor on the front, 4G LTE support and a battery of 3050mAh, L3 offers a better value for money proposition for the consumers. The phone also has additional features like gesture control, HotKnot, Light, Proximity and Triaxial Acceleration sensors that make it a smart choice for the consumers looking to buy a phone in this range.

Speaking on the launch, Manish Agarwal, Founder, Centric Mobiles said “At CENTRiC, we know how important a smartphone with good technological specifications is for the young generation of our country. And, that’s why we have launched L3 which has all the desired specifications in the right budget. With L3, we aim to become the category leaders”.

Sasken Ranked in the Established and Niche zone Overall in the Zinnov Zones 2017

Sasken Technologies Ltd (formerly Sasken Communication Technologies Ltd.), a leading product engineering and digital transformation solutions provider has announced that it has been positioned in the Established and Niche zone overall in the Zinnov Zones 2017 – Product Engineering Services (PES).

Zinnov Zones for PES is an annual rating from Zinnov for global technology service providers to assess their prowess in Engineering R&D Services. For the third time in a row, Zinnov has ranked Sasken in the Leadership Zone for the Semiconductor and Telecommunication categories. Sasken also features in the Execution Zone for Automotive, Consumer Electronics, and Industrial Automation categories.

Sasken’s silicon DNA backed by a comprehensive set of embedded offerings, has helped both silicon vendors and product companies accelerate time-to-market and optimally manage product lifecycles. From ADSL (asymmetric digital subscriber line) to 5G, Sasken has been making significant contributions in the communication space.

Today, Sasken is serving over 100 customers to build their flagship products that include LTE-based satellite terminals and solutions for the Connected and Autonomous car (V2X, ADAS and infotainment). Sasken is enabling its industrial customers to develop next-gen products for their smart factories. Sasken is also investing in accelerating 5G deployment that will make V2X connectivity, digitizing factory floor, and automated driving possible.

Hari Haran, President - Global Sales, Marketing, and Business Lines at Sasken, said, “We see a whole new world unfolding in front of us where new services are getting launched every day. The key drivers that are making this difference are advances in silicon, embedded systems, cloud computing, and cognitive technologies. We are enabling our customers to create cutting-edge products and are working with them to build cognitive technologies that help define the world of tomorrow.”

Sidhant Rastogi, Partner & Practice Head at Zinnov said, “The company’s deep expertise in embedded technologies helped them become a differentiated company significantly across Semiconductor, Telecom, and Automotive verticals. Sasken through its deep-rooted communication and multimedia background is enabling next-gen technologies such as cellular V2X and vision-based ADAS solutions for the autonomous car. In the 5G space, Sasken is building solutions and also investing heavily in technologies such as blockchain, artificial intelligence, and machine learning.”

LTTS Launches Digital Industrial Transformation Go-To-Market Powered by Microsoft Azure

L&T Technology Services Limited, a leading global pure play engineering services provider, today announced worldwide general availability (G.A), launch and go-to-market of 3 LTTS flagship solutions that will focus on driving Digital Industrial Transformation on the Microsoft Azure cloud platform. The two companies will further consolidate their existing global alliance by setting up a joint Digital Industrial Transformation Applied Innovation Centre for shared enterprise customers.

The Digital Industrial Transformation Applied Innovation Centre will showcase how the Microsoft AI platform, Azure IoT, Microsoft Cognitive Services and Azure Machine Learning power LTTS’ globally proven cutting edge digital solutions in Smart Manufacturing, Smart Asset Performance Management & Smart Buildings. The proposed Applied Innovation Centre will include live Digital Industrial Use Cases from their Enterprise customers and academia partners, in addition to LTTS and Microsoft.

LTTS’ Smart Buildings solution, i-BEMS on Azure delivers Smart City, Campus and Buildings “system of systems” management, whereas LTTS’ Remote Asset Performance Management (RAPM) on Azure covers thousands of assets, improving their efficiency and utilization and LTTS’ W.A.G.E.S on Azure enables Smart Manufacturing by managing for Water, Air, Gas, Electricity & Steam Compliance for industrial enterprises.

Microsoft & LTTS (a 2017 Azure Emerging Partner awardee & Microsoft global alliance partner) have established a strong track record of winning global Fortune 500 class projects and delivering customer success stories combining LTTS’ strong Digital Industrial & Engineering heritage and Microsoft’s Cloud innovation on Azure.  For instance, both companies collaborated earlier this year to develop a Smart Buildings campus in Israel for a leading technology company that will optimize customer energy consumption by up to 40 % leveraging LTTS i-BEMS, and more recently to enable country wide Remote Asset Performance Management for a global Industrial customer. Together, both companies have been co-investing, engineering and delivering a strong global business pipeline for Digital Industrial & Engineering solutions across US, Canada, UK, Western Europe, Middle East, Asia Pacific, Japan and India.

“The industrial landscape is witnessing disruption with digital innovation enabled by hyper-scale, secure, cloud based solutions tapping into the Microsoft AI platform, Microsoft Azure IoT, Azure Machine Learning & Microsoft Cognitive Services. LTTS is harnessing all these capabilities to drive digital disruption i.e. Digital Engineering, Smart Manufacturing, and Perceptual Engineering. Microsoft and its Azure cloud platform perfectly align to our objectives to deliver Digital Industrial & Engineering solutions & services that help our shared customers thrive in the digital age,” said Amit Chadha, President Sales & Business Development and Member of the Board, L&T Technology Services.  

Rimes Mortimer, General Manager of Applied Innovation, Worldwide, at Microsoft Corp. said, “Our work with L&T Technology Services and the development of their solutions based on Microsoft Azure has been driven by customer demand. Azure customers will benefit from LTTS’ expertise in Digital Industrial and Engineering Transformation, and through the integration with other Azure services, such as Microsoft Azure IoT, Microsoft Cognitive Services and Azure Machine Learning.”

Do Not Panic! – K7 Computing demystifies the ‘Android Banking Trojan’

K7 Threat Control Lab has provided a threat advisory on the recently reported ‘Android Banking Trojan’, which incidentally is not as recent as it is presumed to be. A storm in a tea cup indeed.

The ‘Android Banking Trojan’ also referred as Bankbots, targeting banking applications is nothing new.  It has been seen in the mobile malware world for quite some time now.

K7 Threat Control Lab has also emphasized that none of the banking apps that have been named are compromised, nor are they at some super high risk. However it is strongly advised that users ensure that a robust and up-to-date security software is installed on their phone before they use any banking app.

Analyzing this banking Trojan reveals that it still avails of the usual social engineering technique of masquerading itself as a Flash Player app to trick the user into downloading and installing it. As expected this malware is only available on third party markets of low reputation.

Vivo Showcases World’s First In-Display Fingerprint Scanning Smartphone at CES 2018

Today at CES 2018, Vivo, a young global smartphone brand, showcases the world’s first ready-to-produce in-display fingerprint scanning smartphone that draws attention from a global audience. Leading with distinct innovative breakthroughs, the futuristic Vivo in-display fingerprint scanning smartphone offers consumers an unprecedented mobile experience, defining a new era of mobile interaction.

World’s First In-Display Fingerprint Smartphone Ready for Mass Production

At CES 2018, Vivo shows the world the first ready-to-produce smartphone featuring in-display fingerprint scanning technology, demonstrating its continued commitment to bring an extraordinary user experience. This latest fingerprint scanning technology delivers a whole new mobile experience by enabling users to unlock their smartphone through one-touch fingerprint scanning directly on the smartphone display, while solving the industry’s challenge of providing a better and more convenient fingerprint authentication experience in future smartphones.

“With our efforts in extensive consumer research and long-term R&D investment, Vivo is well positioned to pioneer the development of fingerprint scanning technology. We first presented a prototype of our fingerprint scanning solution at MWC Shanghai 2017 based on an ultrasonic sensor, and have remained committed to realizing our vision for future smartphones,” said Alex Feng, Senior Vice President of Vivo,” Today’s showcase of a ready-to-produce in-display fingerprint scanning smartphone featuring an optical fingerprint sensor is a big leap forward in bringing consumers this long-awaited, futuristic mobile experience. We are very excited to make it available to consumers soon.”

The showcasing of the world’s first in-display fingerprint scanning smartphone ready for mass-production marks a significant leap forward in the industry’s development, taking users’ smartphone experience to a new level. The availability of Vivo’s first in-display fingerprint scanning smartphone will be announced in early 2018.

Mahindra AMC Unveils “Mahindra Unnati Emerging Business Yojana” Open from Jan 8-22, 2018

Mahindra Asset Management Company Pvt. Ltd. (MAMCPL), the investment manager to Mahindra Mutual Fund and a wholly owned subsidiary of Mahindra Finance will launch Mahindra Unnati Emerging Business Yojana,  Mid Cap Fund – An open ended equity scheme predominantly investing in mid cap schemes. The New Fund Offer opens on January 8, 2018 and closes on January 22, 2018. The scheme will reopen for continuous sale and repurchase from February 6, 2018.

Ashutosh Bishnoi, MD & CEO, Mahindra AMC said, “Indian economy is poised for a multiyear growth phase, with the governments focus on reforms. Investment opportunities will also emerge with formalisation of economy leading to shifting of market share from unorganised to organised sector in highly fragmented consumer segments bringing nations progress closer to every household.

Bishnoi, further added, In a relatively sluggish macro growth environment Midcap companies have shown higher earnings growth compared to large caps. We do see enough scope for stock-specific investment opportunities in the mid-cap space, especially in those segments that have multi-year structural growth outlook. As economies become larger there are multiple opportunities / niche in multiple sectors to create a fair market place. The fund would give investors an opportunity to participate in the growth story of today’s emerging companies which have the potential to become market leaders in the future.

The four reasons to invest in the scheme are as follows:

a)     Growing India : India has the potential to become one of the fastest growing economies in the world

b)    Return Potential: Medium sized businesses that are upgrading and innovating regularly have a potential to generate higher risk adjusted returns in the long term

c)     Quality of Investment: Bottom-up selection of focused sustainable businesses across sectors that are likely to be tomorrow's large caps

d)    Active Management: An actively managed portfolio with primary investments in mid-cap segment

The scheme is suitable for investors who seek long term capital appreciation

The scheme would invest minimum 65% in Mid Cap companies and upto 35% in stocks other than mid cap. Bottom up stock selection will focus on market leaders in smaller markets or focused single-line businesses in larger markets, that have shown growth and are likely to be the next large caps.

Bangalore Celebrates the Spirit of Customization with #HondaNAVICustomania

The Bangalore City Finale winner Harish AS received a prize of Rs 25,000 while runner-up Pavan Shekar won a prize of Rs 10,000. Both Harish AS and Pavan Shekar will now be fighting it out against 22 winners from 11 other cities for a chance to win a grand prize of Rs 2 lacs. The winner will also get the once in a lifetime opportunity to showcase the ‘Best Customized NAVi’ at the Honda 2Wheelers India pavilion at the 2018 Auto Expo.

The NAVi Customania contest began its journey in October 2017, in search for the Best Customized NAVi. Participants also got the opportunity to learn the basics of customization from YC Design (Yogi Chhabaria) and Autologue Design (Mukul Nanda).

Speaking on #HondaNAViCustomania and its journey so far,  Yadvinder Singh Guleria, Senior Vice President, Sales & Marketing, Honda Motorcycle & Scooter India Pvt. Ltd,said: “We have received an overwhelming response from the every corner of India with over 10,000 registerations. #HondaNAViCustomania has given the youth a unique opportunity to bring to life their inner creativity. The FUN to SEE, FUN to RIDE and FUN to CREATE NAVi has transformed a niche field like customization to a household name. The electrifying atmosphere seen in the Bangalore City Finale will now move to Lucknow on January 13.”

Winning the mobile application and website based custom NAVi were Vinay TM and Arjun Nambiar, each winning a prize of Rs 5,000.

Jubilant with victory, Harish AS said, “#HondaNAViCustomania is a great opportunity to showcase our talent to the world. We are grateful to Honda 2Wheelers India to create this platform for enthusiasts like us. The chance to showcase our talent at the Auto Expo is certainly a dream which has kept me fully charged throughout the construction phase.”

With all the customized NAVi displayed at the Jaymala Palace Ground, Bangalore, the visitors got a chance to experience the creativity of Bangalore youth. The NAVi test ride and sketch zones were major crowd pullers with long queues lasting till closing time. Electrifying the atmosphere further was a performance by DJ Sartek.

The Customania festival aims to provide a platform for aspiring youth and budding custom builders to bring to life their imagination on the Honda NAVi. Encouraging Young India to celebrate their love for custom building #HondaNAViCustomania contest is open to NAVi users as well as non-NAVi users. Participants had to form a team of 1 to 4 members and only 1 entry was permitted from each team. The next City Finale will be held in Lucknow on January 13, 2018 while the Grand Finale will take place on January 28, 2018 in New Delhi.