Mars Rover MIT Excel at the World Meet at Utah in the US

Mars Rover Manipal, the student rover design team from Manipal Institute of Technology blazed a glorious trail at the 13th edition of University Rover Challenge held in Utah, USA from May 30 to June 1, 2019.

MRM, Manipal Academy of Higher Education’s official team powered by Mouser Electronics and Echjay Industries was the winner among the Asian challengers and finished 8th globally out of the 84 teams that participated. MRM also won the Barainca award for the best Science team in the competition.

For the 4th consecutive year, MRM has been amongst the top 36 international teams and was one of the only 5 teams from India to make it to the final stage of URC’ 19 at the Mars Desert Research System along with IIT Bombay, IIT Madras, VIT Vellore and SRM.

University Rover Challenge (URC) is the world's premier robotics competition for undergraduate students. Held in the desert of southern Utah, URC challenges interdisciplinary student teams to design and build the next generation of Mars Rovers.

These rovers are designed to be capable of traversing and performing tasks on Mars-simulated terrain, in goals of aiding human exploration of the red planet. The competition requires participants to complete 4 missions -- the Science Mission, the Autonomous Traversal mission, the Extreme Retrieval and Delivery Mmission and the Equipment Servicing mission.

The team was led by Safal Ajmera and V. Sai Shyam. The rest of the team members are:

Siril Teja Dukkipati, Ajay Rangan, Tushaar Neb, Nishesh Singh, Ayush Parashar, Akash Yadav, Anandmayi Bhongade, Somesh Paranjpe, Kshitij Patil, Neil Doshi, Mohammed Mohsin H, Ved Chitnis, Agniv Saikia, Gaurav K H, Tanmay Shukla, M Aditya Sharma, Aditya Kolpe, Laksh Pahuja, Anmol Kumar, Karthik Datta, Mohammad Abdul Sulaiman, Sai Raghu Teja Davuluri, Sheena Kapoor, Vedant Dhonagde, Atharv Mudur, Kavya Banerjee, Abhijit Alok, Rakshit Tewari, Rachit Shah, Shaun Meric Menezes, Bladen Martin, Harshit Sharma, Sayantika Paul, Akanksha Kaushal, Akshat Tulsani

"It was a wonderful experience of leading a team in an international competition. It was great to see the hard work by the team members has brought success. We got to learn many things and just wanted to make everyone proud. The feeling of representing the institute and country cannot be expressed," said Safal Ajmera.

"The team has been remarkable at work since the start. It has been a wonderful experience during the competition, lots to learn and showcase. At the end, we just wanted our well-wishers to be proud of everything we did," remarked the other leader of the team, V. Sai Shyam.

Bangaluru Rates Dell, Amazon and Tanishq as Top 3 Trusted Brands

TRA’s Most Trusted Brands Report, India Study, 2019 (BTR 2019), in its ninth edition, has listed the country’s Most Trusted 1000 brands based on a primary study with consumer-influencers, based on TRA’s proprietary model of Brand Trust. Out of a total of 27 brands from the city listed in the report, Dell is Bengaluru’s as well as All-India Most Trusted Brand. The city’s 2nd most trusted is Amazon (All-India rank 4th) followed by Tanishq at 3rd.Titan, ranked 4th in the city (All-India rank 39th) is also a leader in the Category of Watches. The report has sevenbrands from the Super Category of Internet; 3 each from Apparels, Personal Accessories and Technology that make it to the list.

N. Chandramouli, CEO, TRA Research on emphasizing the unique differences in each of the cities said, “The internet-tech scenario and the entrepreneurial spirit in Bengaluru are booming. An evident shift can be seen from software-factory model to a startup mindset. To remain competitive in today’s economic landscape, brands have to keep innovating and nurture trust-relationships with its customers. Bangalore remains ahead in this and can be evidently seen in the national listing in TRA’s Brand Trust Report 2019.”

Several Bengaluru brands have risen significantly in ranks over last year. The consistent brands from Bengaluru include Foodpanda(up 516 ranks from last year), Swiggy (up by 440 ranks), Big Basket (up 290 ranks), Bharti Axa(up 245 ranks), Café Coffee Day(up 119 ranks), Canara Bank(up 119 ranks).

Seven brands from the city lost Brand Trust ranks with Wrangler leading the fall with 639 ranks down from last year, BPL down 526 ranks, Myntra eroding 289 ranks and Wipro slipping 219 ranks

TRA’s Brand Trust Report 2019 is the result of a comprehensive primary research conducted on the proprietary 61-Attribute Brand Trust Matrix of TRA. This year’s study involved 15,000 hours of fieldwork, and generated 5 million datapoints and 9,000 unique brands, from which the top 1000 brands have been listed in this year’s report. The study covered 2,315 consumer-influencers across 16 cities in India. Indian Statistical Institute is TRA’s statistical partner for the research methodology.

In the All-India list Dell has been ranked as India’s Most Trusted Brands in TRA’s Brand Trust Report, 2019. It is followed in second position by Jeep, which also becomes the Most Trusted Automobile Brand of India this year. LIC and Amazon are ranked 3rd and 4th and Apple iPhone is India’s 5th Most Trusted Brand, rising 116 ranks from 2018 to also lead in Mobile Phone-Series. The mobile phone brand of Samsung is at 6th spot and the leader among Mobile Phones. LG’s Televisions makes to 7th rank and is also the leader in the Consumer Electronics Super-Category. The 8th Most Trusted Brand rank is held by Aviva Life Insurance, Maruti Suzuki is at 9th position and is followed by State bank of India at 10th slot. The largest number of brands are from the Tata Group and it has 23 brands in among the Most Trusted list. Godrej has 15 brands, Amul has 11 and Samsung is represented in 8 Categories. LG, Honda, Cadbury’s, Nestle, Parle and Dabur are represented by 7 brands each. A significant achievement for Dabur is that its brands are leaders in each of the Categories represented.

Yes Bank Wins Multiple Accolades for Excellence in Transaction Banking at the Asian Banker Awards 2019

Yes Bank has won multiple awards at The Asian Banker’s Choice and Asian Banker Transaction Awards 2019 programme recently held in Thailand.

*      Best Trade Finance Bank in India – The Asian Banker Transaction Awards 2019 (5th  year in a row)
*      Best Financial Supply Chain Management in India - YES BANK and DTDC Express Digital Wallet solution - The Asian Banker Bankers Choice Awards 2019
*      Best Corporate Trade Finance Deal - YES BANK and Welspun Global Brands Ltd Paperless Export solution - The Asian Banker Bankers Choice Awards 2019

Yes Bank has been awarded the Best Trade Finance Bank in India for the fifth year in a row (2015-2019) for achieving significant growth in terms of business performance and a testimony to the Bank’s strategic focus on consistently delivering value- accretive Trade Finance solutions across its client base. The Bank has contributed significantly to India’s dynamic trade finance ecosystem and demonstrated strong ability to cater to large supply chain partners. Its innovations amongst private banks include propagating fully digitalized solutions include Seamless processing of cross border trade transactions, its adoption of the BOLERO platform on the electronic Bill of Lading (e-BL) processing and its use of DLT technology for Supply Chain Financing and cross border remittances.

YES BANK has been awarded the Best Financial Supply Chain Management in India for developing an integrated solution allowing DTDC Express to substantially reduce their Days Sales Outstanding (DSOs) from franchisees hereby providing positive impact to the working capital cycle besides streamlining their re-conciliation process.

YES BANK also bagged the Best Corporate Trade Finance Deal award for the unique first-of-its-kind digital solution involving end to end electronic presentation of export documents. The solution has enabled Welspun Global Brands Ltd to eliminate the need to exchange physical documentation, thereby reducing turnaround time from 10 days to real-time for all parties involved, while establishing a precedent for faster, secure, cost efficient settlement of cross-border trade, resulting in optimization of working capital.

Speaking about the awards, Mr. Asit Oberoi, Senior Group President & Global Head & Chief Experience Officer, Transaction Banking Group, YES BANK said “The prestigious recognitions from The Asian Banker, Media & Research house from Singapore, are the true testament of the Bank’s leadership in the Transaction Banking and Payments domain - backed by robust innovation and technology frameworks. I am also particularly pleased that this is also the 5th successive year where YES BANK’s expertise in this space has been recognized as the Best Trade Finance Bank in India. YES BANK is proud to be at the forefront of such innovations along with its clients like DTDC Express and Welspun Global Brands Ltd”

The Asian Banker Awards are widely acknowledged by the financial services industry as the highest possible accolade available to professionals and banks in the industry as recognized in the Asia Pacific region. A stringent three-month evaluation process based on a balanced and transparent scorecard had been used to determine the winners.

Earn JPMiles Across Airlines Worldwide with Jetprevilege's Air Reward Offering 'Select Flights'

JPMiles, the reward currency of JetPrivilege, has become even more compelling with the launch of a unique platform ‘Select Flights’. Members can now earn JPMiles across airlines worldwide to any destination, on any flight and for all seats booked on this platform.  JetPrivilege, the award-winning loyalty & rewards programme, part of the Etihad Aviation Group, has introduced the offering ‘Select Flights’, powered by EaseMyTrip.com, one of India’s leading online travel aggregator. Members can also book flights for their loved ones, family or friends, and earn JPMiles for their entire booking. 

Commenting on this development, Manish Dureja, Managing Director, Jet Privilege Private Limited said, “At JetPrivilege, it is our aim to maximise value for our members through our rewards currency. ‘Select Flights’ offers a fantastic opportunity for our members to accumulate JPMiles much faster and on the entire booking as well. We are certain that this innovation will amplify our ability to fulfil the aspirations of our members and enhance their overall experience. This is also a unique innovation in the industry and talks about our ability to continuously challenge the status quo as a leading loyalty programme in this region.”

As an exclusive offer, JetPrivilege is offering its members 1000 Bonus JPMiles on their first flight booking until 15th July, 2019 with ‘Select Flights’ via  www.jetprivilege.com.

Commenting upon this association, Nishant Pitti, CEO and Co-Founder, EaseMyTrip said, “Joining hands with JetPrivilege will make ensure that customers get the best value for their loyalty points. As a reliable travel agency of India, we are committed to fulfilling the hopes of our customers and offering them further opportunities to gain maximum value for their JPMiles. Loyalty and rewards allow travelers to enjoy additional benefits from choosing to fly. It gives us confidence that coming together with JetPrivilege will bring immense value for our customers and we would be able to expand our consumer-base.”

JPMiles will be credited only for air bookings which are not cancelled before travel and where the member has provided their JetPrivilege membership number at the time of the booking. The flight bookings on the websites www.jetprivilege.com, flights.jetprivilege.com and corresponding mobile websites are powered by EaseMyTrip ("EaseMyTrip") and are brought to you by Jet Privilege Private Limited.

JetPrivilege members can continue to redeem their JPMiles to fly free across airlines worldwide, any destination, any flight and any seat in India and globally through the `Select Flights’ platform.

Tablez Unveils First GO Sport Store at Forum Mall, Whitefeild

Tablez, a leading organised retail group, has opened the first GoSports outlet in Bengaluru today. GoSport, a French global sportswear now at Forum Shantiniketan Mall, The outlet was inaugurated by champion shuttler, Mr. Prakash Padukone. The Go Sports was launched successfully in India last month, with its first superstore in Mumbai.

The brand will host a multitude of sports brands under one roof making it the first Multi-Brand, Multi-discipline Sports Superstore for all sports enthusiasts of Bangalore. GO Sport is positioning itself as the only one stop organised sports retailer with a multitudeofconsumer-friendly power brands and private label brands. Spread over 12,000 sq. ft, the superstore will provide Bengaluru sporting enthusiasts an experience to remember. Tablez plans toexpand GOSport outlets to other metropolitan cities later this year.

On this special occasion, Mr. Adeeb Ahamed, Managing Director, Tablez said,“Tablez has time and again engaged with the aspirations of a young India and positioned itself as an identity, providing quality brands at great value. We are proud to have GO Sport join us on this journey and work with great zeal and intensity to be a game changer in the sporting retail industry.”

Tata Motors Unveils the New ‘ULTRA’ Business Utility Vehicle in Vietnam

Tata Motors, one of the world’s leading automobile brands and India’s No.1 automobile company, today officially launched its next-generation range of ULTRA Business Utility Vehicles (BUV), specially designed to meet the changing customer needs in the light commercial vehicle segment. It’s a BUV offering an SUV like comfort with a truck like performance and the profitability of a Light Commercial Vehicle.

This range comes with superior performance, a comfortable world-class cabin, heavy-duty aggregates and multiple load-body configurations, offering customers the advantage of increased productivity and longer life. It will cater to payloads ranging from 4 to 11 tonnes with engine capacities from 85 HP to 180 HP.

Be it for large captive users, transporters or owner-drivers, the Tata ULTRA offers the lowest overall cost of ownership, superior safety, unique style and offers multiple features, setting new performance benchmarks in the light commercial vehicle segment.

Commenting on the launch, Mr. Girish Wagh, President - Commercial Vehicles, Tata Motors said “The Tata Ultra Business Utility vehicle is a result of extensive feedback from customers and an immersive study into the lives of drivers to better understand their expectations, and is thereby designed to fast-track their businesses with superior all-round performance.  Tata Motors is committed to shaping the industry here in Vietnam, with the latest global technologies, giving the Vietnamese customer competitive business advantages with the trusted credentials of the Tata Motors brand.”

Mr. Bui Van Huu Chairman, TMT Group said, “Having successfully launched Tata Super ace in Vietnam, we hope to repeat the same success with the Tata ULTRA. We are very excited and we hope to consolidate our position in the light-duty commercial vehicle space here in Vietnam with the Tata Ultra. TMT Motors aims to become a market leader in Vietnam CV market with Tata Motors products.”

ULTRA PERFORMANCE, ULTRA COMFORT SAFETY & STYLE, & Ultra Profitability

The ULTRA offers faster turnaround time and enhanced profitability for any goods carrying business, making it an ideal work horse for movement of materials across distances.

Ultra Performance: The driveline of Tata ULTRA 814 launched today has Tata’s proven engine technology – TATA NEW GENERATION 3L COMMON RAIL ENGINE Euro 4, with an output of 140 HP, designed to ensure maximum uptime and reducing maintenance costs. A new-generation transmission with aluminium casing – the G-550 six-speed gear-box comes with overdrive, cable-shift mechanism (a first-of-its-kind in its segment in Vietnam) and axle technology and reduced weight, offering superior performance and greater fuel efficiency for varied payloads. The straight frame modular chassis available in 3920 mm can be customized for multi-purpose loads providing you with flexibility for your business and a versatility to adapt to multiple applications. It has a factory fitted heating, ventilation and Air conditioning system.

Ultra Comfort & Style: Besides the mechanics of the vehicle, the uniqueness of the Tata ULTRA is that its cockpit is both functional and attractive. Designed by a leading European design house, Bertone, the walkthrough cabin with a width of 2.2m is best in class offering comfort, safety and style. Three way adjustable mechanically suspended seats enhance driver comfort, the ergonomically designed dash mounted gear lever reduces driver fatigue; panoramic windscreen offers better line of sight and the ample storage space, HVAC and music system are additional features. The smartly designed instrument cluster offers features like fuel economy indicator, ideal gearshift indicator, water in-Fuel Indicator, etc. The vehicle also offers the provisions for the fitment of various accessories including Global Positioning System (GPS) tracking for tracking the vehicles, etc.

Ultra Safety: The Ultra meets Europe’s top safety norms and is equipped with a full air brake system, ABS and power steering that facilitates improved driver control and precision. The clear lens headlamps, LED integrated tail lamps offer superior visibility. The trucks get 3 years or 2 hundred thousand kms driveline warranty – whichever is earlier – and come in 3 colours – Arctic White, Arizona Blue and Sardinia Red. The TATA Ultra 814 is built for Vietnam conditions, which means it will surpass user expectations. Exceptional total cost of ownership and running costs, unique styling, best in class comfort and versatility makes Ultra the perfect BUV.

Tata Super Ace Euro IV
Also on display is the new Tata Super Ace EIV version, the 1 ton mini-truck, launched first in 2016.  Since then, it has been a preferred choice for last-mile transportation and has created entrepreneurship across Vietnam in the last 2 years, with a choice of Driving one’s own life.   Super Ace EIV is equipped with a powerful 4 cylinder TCIC DICOR engine for faster trips and low turnaround time. It comes with a technologically superior DICOR engine for excellent mileage of 5.6 Litre/100 Km (ARAI certified) & lower emissions. A higher torque output of 140 Nm provides better acceleration, less engine wear and better fuel consumption in laden condition.

Toyota Kirloskar Motor Forays into Premium Hatchback Segment with Toyota Glanza

Key Highlights

-      The newest premium hatchback with a suite of intuitive features and sophisticated  design that come together with unmatched comfort
-      The name Glanza is derived from a German word which means Brilliancy/ Radiance/ Sparkle.
-      Equipped with a powerful yet fuel e­fficient K-series Petrol engines to deliver superior driving experience with exceptional power and low-end torque with the choice of seamless CVT/MT transmission. All variants of Glanza are BS VI compliant
-      Catering to the younger generation of car owners, the new Toyota Glanza comes with LED Projector Headlamps with DRL, UV Protect Glass, Electric Fold ORVMs with Auto Fold Function, Electro-chromic IRVM Adjustable light intensity, ensuring safer drive.
-      Safety continues to be a top priority with Total Eff­ective Control Technology Body (TECT) –effectively absorbs and disperses crash energy ensuring increased safety for all occupants, Dual Front SRS Airbags, ABS with EBD & BA
-      Glanza comes with plush and comfortable cabin which is ergonomically designed, well crafted & thoughtfully featured
-      The new Toyota Glanza comes loaded with enhanced technology and new-age features like Touchscreen Audio with Android Auto & Apple Car Play and Smart Phone based Navigation, Interactive TFT Multi Info Display, Reverse Parking Camera
-      Superior warranty for complete piece of mind with standard 3 years/100K Km extended upto 5 year/220K kms
-      Comes with 5 exciting exterior colors – Café White, Sportin Red, Insta Blue, Gaming Grey, Enticing Silver
-      The special introductory price ranges from Rs 721,900 to Rs 890,200 (Ex Showroom Delhi)

Toyota Kirloskar Motor (TKM) today marked its entry into premium hatchback segment with the official launch of Toyota Glanza.  Designed to cater to the needs of the youth car owners, this newest premium hatchback is sophisticated with a suite of intuitive features and intelligent design that come together with unmatched comfort and safety.

The name Glanza is derived from a German word which means Brilliancy/ Radiance/ Sparkle. True to its name, this new hatchback is specially designed keeping the youth customer in mind “who likes to outshine in the society”.  The new Toyota Glanza is just as stylish on the inside as it is on the outside. Plush and comfy Ergonomic Design, swanky
one-of-a-kind Dual-Tone interiors, and irresistible Smoke Silver accents blend perfectly to create a cabin that’s truly a class apart.

Equipped with a powerful yet fuel efficient K-series petrol engines to deliver superior driving experience with exceptional power and low-end torque with seamless CVT/MT transmission, this latest offering from Toyota comes with BS-VI compliant engines. In order to further enhance customer delight, the company is offering superior warranty of 3year/100K Kms & extended upto 5year/220K Kms along with the ‘Toyota ownership’ experience, Q-Service app utilization and Toyota Connect facilities, apart from attractive finance schemes.

Present at the launch Mr. Masakazu Yoshimura, Managing Director, Toyota Kirloskar Motor said, “ The Automotive Ecosystem is witnessing a transition with rise in income levels, increased awareness about products & services, rapidly evolving customer requirements, new technologies and innovation, changing mobility infrastructure.

Customers are the center point and we have to constantly upgrade and innovate to cater to the changing aspirations. "To put a smile on our customers' faces" We will continue to create mobility that is valued and cherished.

In a dynamic market like India, it will be our constant endeavor to offer a range of options to our customers whose choices are governed by their mobility needs and expectations from the brand. Our endeavor is not just to sell volumes and chase numbers. We believe in sustainable growth. Our key focus has been to deliver world-class premium services to achieve customer delight.”

Speaking on the new offering, Mr. N. Raja, Deputy Managing Director, Toyota Kirloskar Motor said, “We are happy to announce our entry into the premium hatchback segment to cater to the growing demands of our existing and prospective customers. At Toyota, we truly believe in ‘Customer First’ philosophy, constantly striving to evaluate the evolving customer expectations & dynamics of the market. With the fast growth of the Indian economy, customer lifestyles have evolved due to higher disposable incomes. The market potential is expanding with the growing aspirations of the Indian middle class, especially in the non-metros. We have been capturing customer voice at all touch points to give them what he or she wants. Our key focus is to offer ‘Best in Town’ customer experience by improving customer convenience ensuring even better sales and after sales services satisfaction. We are confident Glanza backed by Toyota’s unique sales and service efficiency will create a new benchmark in the industry in customer delight.

We would like to thank our valued customers for their loyalty through the years and we hope that they will extend their appreciation to this new product also.”