Electro-Offensive And A Leader In Premium Segment: BMW Group Posts Strong Sales For 2021

* The BMW Group posted solid year-on-year sales growth of 8.4 percent last year, with a total of 2,521,525 BMW, MINI and Rolls-Royce vehicles delivered to customers worldwide.

* BMW sales reached a new all-time high of 2,213,795 units (+9.1%) last year, with the brand leading the global premium segment.

* BMW Group delivered 2,521,525 units (+8.4%)

* BMW brand reports all-time sales high, up +9.1% year?on?year; number one in global premium segment

* Sales of fully-electric vehicles more than doubled to 103,855 units

* MINI Electric* is MINI family’s highest-volume model

* One in four vehicles of the BMW Group sold in Germany is electrified

* Pieter Nota: “Want to continue profitable growth in 2022 and more than double sales of fully-electric vehicles again”

 The BMW Group posted solid year-on-year sales growth of 8.4 percent last year, with a total of 2,521,525 BMW, MINI and Rolls-Royce vehicles delivered to customers worldwide. BMW sales reached a new all-time high of 2,213,795 units (+9.1%) last year, with the brand leading the global premium segment. The company more than doubled its sales of fully-electric vehicles in 2021 to 103,855 units (+133.2%).

“Despite supply bottlenecks and the continuing coronavirus pandemic: We achieved a strong sales performance in 2021, thanks to a powerful operational performance and stellar product line-up. Our brands reported numerous all-time best sales results around the globe – spearheaded by the BMW brand, which is number one in the global premium segment,” said Pieter Nota, member of the Board of Management of BMW AG responsible for Customer, Brands, Sales. “With more than 100,000 fully-electric vehicles sold last year, ramping up electromobility was our clear focus,” Nota continued.

BMW Group well positioned to continue profitable growth in 2022

The company is optimistic about the current year. “In 2022 we want to continue our profitable growth and we will systematically expand our range of fully-electric vehicles. We have set ourselves particularly ambitious growth targets in this area and aim to more than double our sales of fully-electric vehicles from last year,” Nota added.

Systematic digitalisation of customer interface paves the way for sales success in the future

With the introduction of the BMW iX and BMW i4, the BMW Group has significantly expanded its digitalisation of the customer interface.

For instance, as well as offering intuitive configuration to simplify the purchasing process, pre-configured new vehicles and newer used cars across the entire model range can already be bought online in the BMW Group’s domestic market of Germany. By 2025, the company plans to sell around a quarter of its vehicles entirely online.

Data-based recognition of service requirements enables proactive customer care. This means the customer can be contacted directly and receive assistance remotely, wherever possible, or a visit to the workshop can be set up easily and efficiently, if needed.

The new My BMW/MINI app offers even more additional features, such as booking of digital services or broad access to charging options, and also provides a direct channel to customers.

BMW sales surpass all-time high of pre-crisis year 2019

The BMW brand ended 2021 with global sales up 9.1 percent (to 2,213,795 vehicles) on the previous year. Thanks to its young and attractive product line-up, BMW achieved its highest-ever sales figures.

2021 dominated by electromobility offensive

In 2021, 13 percent of BMW and MINI vehicles sold worldwide – a total of 328,316 units (+70.4 %) – were already electrified. In Europe it was already more than 23 percent (225,415 units).

With 37,939 BMW iX3* vehicles sold in 2021, about one in ten BMW X3 vehicles delivered to customers worldwide was fully electric. During this same period, one in three customers worldwide who bought a MINI 3 door model opted for the model’s fully-electric variant* (34,851 units). At the same time, the BMW i3, the world's only fully-electric premium vehicle in the compact segment, continued to grow in its ninth year: With 28,216 vehicles sold, 5.4 percent more BMW i3 vehicles were sold than in the previous year.

The BMW Group released two key innovation flagships, the BMW iX and the BMW i4, onto the market late last year. In 2022, the company will further expand its electric line-up with fully-electric versions of the BMW 7 Series and BMW X1 and, in 2023, the high-volume BMW 5 Series. These will be joined by other models, including the successor to the MINI Countryman and the all-electric Rolls-Royce Spectre.

By 2023, the company will have at least one fully-electric model on the roads in about 90 percent of its current market segments. Over the next ten years or so, the company plans to sell a total of about ten million fully-electric vehicles.

The Neue Klasse, which is uncompromisingly geared towards fully-electric drivetrains, will make a significant contribution to BMW Group sales volumes from the middle of the decade onwards.

The MINI brand’s product range will be exclusively all-electric by the early 2030s, while Rolls-Royce will also be an all-electric brand from 2030 onwards. All future new models from BMW Motorrad in the field of urban mobility will be fully electric.

Another milestone in the success story of BMW M GmbH

With a total of 163,542 M vehicles (+13.4%) delivered to customers, BMW M GmbH once again posted all-time record sales in both the high-performance and performance segments. The new BMW M3 and BMW M4 performed especially well. Sales of the BMW X5 M and BMW X6 M Sports Activity Vehicles also increased year-on-year. In the performance segment, growth came mainly from the new 4 Series derivatives – and the 4 Series Coupé, in particular. The X3 M40i* and X7 M50i* also enjoyed growing popularity. This year, the fully-electric BMW iX M60* and BMW i4 M50* models will further contribute to the future success of the brand.

One in ten MINI customers worldwide already drives fully electric

The MINI brand delivered 302,144 vehicles to customers last year – 3.3 percent more than in 2020. Around 17 percent of these vehicles had an electrified drive train. More than one in ten MINI customers opted for the fully-electric MINI: the MINI Cooper SE* (34,851 units). The MINI Electric is the MINI family’s highest-volume model and was a driving force for the brand in 2021, delivering growth of 98.2 percent worldwide. With a planned realignment of the model range, expansion of production capacity and development of new target groups and markets, the MINI strategy will remain focused on successful, profitable growth going forward.

Rolls-Royce Motor Cars posts highest sales in its history

Rolls-Royce Motor Cars reported the highest sales in the brand’s 117-year history, with 5,586 units sold worldwide (+48.7%). This overall figure includes all-time record sales in most regions, including Greater China, the Americas and Asia-Pacific, and in multiple countries across the world. The past year was characterised by high demand worldwide for all models, particularly Ghost and Cullinan and all Black Badge variants, with current orders extending well into the third quarter of 2022.  Bespoke commissions were at record levels and the company announced, alongside the launch of Boat Tail, that Rolls-Royce Coachbuild would become a permanent fixture in its future portfolio. The marque continues to evolve as a true luxury house and now prepares for the historic market introduction of its first all-electric motor car, Spectre, in the fourth quarter of 2023.

2021: Best year ever for BMW Motorrad

With 194,261 units (+14.8%) delivered to customers, 2021 was BMW Motorrad’s best year ever. As in previous years, sales growth was assured by the BMW 1250 GS, which once again made a vital contribution to the success of the brand in 2021, with around 60,000 units sold. The all-new BMW R 1250 RT got off to a good start in the marketplace, as did the large R 18 models, with four derivatives presented so far. The new S 1000 R was also very well received: Together with the first BMW M model for BMW Motorrad, it brought fresh energy to the four-cylinder scene and demonstrated BMW Motorrad’s technology leadership.

BMW & MINI sales in the regions/markets

In China, the BMW Group once again posted a new all-time sales high in 2021 and continues to lead the premium segment. A total of 846,237 BMW and MINI vehicles were delivered to customers in China (+8.9%). Sales of electrified vehicles in China continued to gain momentum with growth of 69.6 percent and more than 21,000 units of the BMW iX3. The company’s fifth-largest market, South Korea, also increased its sales by 11.0 percent in 2021, with 77,592 units sold.

In the US, BMW brand deliveries climbed 20.8 percent to 336,644 units and were therefore on a par with the pre-crisis year 2019. The MINI brand sold 29,930 vehicles in the US in 2021 – an increase of 6.4 percent compared to the previous year. The BMW X model range accounted for 60 percent of total US sales last year.

In Europe, total sales figures for BMW and MINI reached 948,087 units (+3.9%). Belgium marked a historic first for the company, as the BMW brand led a country’s total market in Europe for the first time. The Netherlands also posted an all-time high: The BMW iX3* was the best-selling electric model in the premium segment, with 2,733 new vehicle registrations.

The BMW Group continued to grow its segment share in its domestic market of Germany, with 267,917 units delivered (-6.8%) in 2021, and leads the premium segment, with a market share of over 35 percent. Sales of fully-electric vehicles more than doubled (27,248 new vehicle registrations). Including the 43,842 PHEVs that were sold, a quarter of all vehicles delivered in Germany were already electrified.   

Simple Energy Gears Up To Capture The EV Market, Delivery For The e-Scooter Simple One To Commence From June 2022

India’s leading electric vehicle (EV) and clean energy start-up, Simple Energy, announced the delivery of its flagship scooter, Simple One from June 2022. Making debut in the EV marketspace last year on country’s Independence Day, the awe-inspiring e-scooter, which is futuristic, stunning and strong built witnessed a record rush in pre-booking, with over 30,000 orders placed till date

Sharing further details Suhas Rajkumar, Founder and CEO, Simple Energy, said, “We understand electric mobility is the future, and two-wheelers are the vehicle of the masses. It is a part of our vision to revolutionise the electric two-wheeler segment and make premium electric mobility solutions affordable and accessible to people. We are elated with the market response that has been coming across our way on Simple One. The technology used for the Simple One will define and enable our future in this industry. We have some of India’s best minds conducting R&D, designing and engineering for our products, and we are confident that Simple One will supersede customer expectations.”

Being the fastest manufactured ‘Made in India’ e-scooter, Simple One offers the highest driving range of 203 km in Eco mode and a maximum range of 236km in IDC for a fully charged battery. The vehicle can sprint from 0-40 in just less than 2.95 seconds along with a speed of up to 105km/h making it the best in class in the product offering. It comes with the largest 30L boot space and features like intuitive smart dashboard, and much more to surprise the customers. The angular sharp design with winglets on the sides, proportioned and sleek body structure, sporty look, integrated turn indicators both on the front and rear side has been winning hearts since its debut. 

The Simple One will be produced at phase 1 of the manufacturing unit located at Hosur, Tamil Nadu, which will have an annual capacity of up to 1 mn units. The factory is currently getting ready for mass manufacturing, and will be operational in the coming weeks. The company has also commissioned a second plant in Dharmapuri, Tamil Nadu, which will be spread across 600 acres and have a capacity of 12.5 mn units annually — making it the largest two-wheeler producer in the world.

In line with building the best in-class electric scooter, Simple Energy has recently announced the completion of developing an advanced thermal management system with the Indian Institute of Technology-Indore (IIT Indore). This association was aimed at improving the safety, dependability, and lifespan of the battery modules in all its products.

The Simple One is priced at INR. 1, 09,999/- (Ex-showroom), and can be pre-booked at www.simpleenergy.in at INR. 1947 only.

Land Rover Opens Bookings For New Range Rover In Indian Market

* True to its roots: The New Range Rover leads by example with breathtaking modernity, peerless refinement and unmatched Land Rover capability informed by over 50 years of evolution

* Modern luxury: New Range Rover is defined by presence and formality, achieved by the harmony of proportions, surface and lines

* Materiality choices: Luxurious alternatives to traditional leather include a new premium textile that combines Ultrafabrics™ and Kvadrat™ wool-blend 

* Peerless refinement: Engineers have reduced the cognitive load on the driver at every point, while next-generation noise-cancelling with headrest speakers creates the ultimate refinement

* Perfect poise: Integrated Chassis Control with Dynamic Response Pro provides supreme ride comfort using Electronic Air Suspension that primes the vehicle for corners using eHorizon data

* Dynamic agility: Standard All-Wheel Steering combines superior high-speed stability with exceptional manoeuvrability at low speeds – and a turning circle of less than 11 m1 

* Breadth of choice: New architecture provides Standard and Long Wheelbase bodystyles with luxurious four, five or seven-seat interiors 

Powertrains: Available in 3 powertrains- 3.0 l diesel, 3.0 l petrol and New 4.4 l petrol

* Serene performance: New 4.4 l Twin Turbo V8 petrol delivers trademark Range Rover drive, with Dynamic Launch enabling 0-100 km/h in 4.6 seconds

* Tranquil sanctuary: Cabin Air Purification Pro features PM2.5 filtration and nanoe™ X technology, helping to significantly reduce odours, bacteria, viruses and allergens 

* Configure yours: The New Range Rover is available to order now with prices starting from ? 231.91 Lakh, ex-showroom India

The elegant New Range Rover defines modern luxury, providing more refinement, customer choice and scope for personalisation than ever before. 

Range Rover is the original luxury SUV and has led by example for 50 years, combining serene comfort and composure with all-conquering capability. The New Range Rover is the most desirable yet, mixing breathtaking modernity and aesthetic grace with technological sophistication and seamless connectivity.

Rohit Suri, President and Managing Director, Jaguar Land Rover India, said: “The Range Rover sits at the pinnacle of luxury SUVs in India and the new fifth generation Range Rover ups the desirability quotient significantly higher.”

Land Rover’s new flexible Modular Longitudinal Architecture underpins every aspect of this luxury SUV, from its unmatched capability and agile handling to its peerless refinement. By combining state-of-the-art engineering techniques with new levels of virtual development and Land Rover’s punishing development programme, the New Range Rover will deliver new levels of quality. 

The new luxury SUV is available in SE, HSE and Autobiography models. A First Edition will be available throughout the first year of production, based on the Autobiography model and featuring a unique specification. It is exclusively available in a Sunset Gold Satin finish, among a choice of five exterior colours. Both Standard (SWB) or Long Wheelbase (LWB) body designs are available with five seats, while the New Range Rover LWB model is available with a third row for extended comfort for up to seven adults. 

Breathtaking Modernity

The fifth-generation luxury SUV takes Land Rover’s modernist design philosophy to the next level, with a contemporary interpretation of its trademark profile to create an incredible design statement. It continues to lead, bringing breathtaking modernity, aesthetic grace and sophistication to Land Rover’s latest flagship. 

The New Range Rover is defined by three lines that can trace their origins back through the generations; the falling roofline, strong waistline and rising sill line. These trademark features combine with a characteristically short front overhang and a distinctive new boat tail rear – complete with practical split tailgate – to create an elegant profile that conveys Range Rover’s peerless presence.

The unbroken waistline showcases Land Rover’s attention to detail as the rounded edge of the door meets the glass in a simple, clean finish thanks to a specially engineered hidden waist finisher. The design-enabling technology combines with flush glazing, hidden-until-lit lighting and precise detailing to create the impression that the vehicle has been milled from solid. 

The sophisticated surfaces provide a clean and contemporary appearance – and contribute to a drag coefficient of 0.30, making this the most aerodynamically efficient luxury SUV in the world.

The exterior colour palette elevates New Range Rover’s elegant proportions and clean surfaces while the interior options are more sustainable, responsible and progressive than ever. Customers have a wider choice of materials and finishes, including innovative textiles and tactile Ultrafabrics™ with a continuation of Land Rover’s pioneering relationship with Kvadrat™ – Europe’s leading manufacturer of premium textiles. It is combined with Ultrafabrics™ to create a defining materiality option that is lighter and generates only a quarter of the CO2 of traditional leather.

Peerless Refinement

The New Range Rover makes every journey an occasion to be remembered, combining advanced technology with modern luxury to deliver peerless refinement for every occupant, including those in the new third-row seats. By eliminating unwanted noises, vibrations and distractions – and reducing the cognitive load on the driver and passengers – occupants will arrive at their destination feeling refreshed, even after the longest journeys.

Advanced speaker technology builds on the fundamental refinement provided by the MLA-Flex body architecture to deliver serene cabin calmness – ensuring passengers enjoy a first-class experience. It uses the 1 600 W Meridian Signature Sound System to create one of the quietest vehicle interiors on the road, with additional 20 W speakers in the four main headrests for the most immersive sound experience.

The third-generation Active Noise Cancellation3 system monitors wheel vibrations, tyre noise and engine sounds transmitted into the cabin and generates a cancelling signal, which is played through the system’s 35 speakers. These include a pair of 60 mm diameter speakers in the headrests for each of the four main cabin occupants, which create personal quiet zones similar to the effect when using high-end headphones.

The New Range Rover brings new levels of wellbeing to the luxury SUV sector and Cabin Air Purification Pro is the culmination of this pioneering technology. It combines dual-nanoeTM X technology for allergen reduction and pathogen removal, to help significantly reduce odours and viruses, while CO2 Management and PM2.5 Cabin Air Filtration enhance air quality. 

The Range Rover was the first luxury SUV to feature Electronic Air Suspension, in 1992, and the New Range Rover continues this pioneering approach with Dynamic Response Pro and pre-emptive suspension that uses eHorizon Navigation data to read the road ahead and prime the suspension to provide perfect responses. 

The new Tailgate Event Suite2 takes the Versatile Loadspace Floor backrest concept to new heights, combining additional lighting and audio features to create the perfect vantage point for outdoor relaxation.

Seamless Technology

The New Range Rover maintains its rich bloodline of pioneering innovation with a suite of technologies designed to effortlessly enhance convenience, efficiency, refinement and safety. Land Rover’s latest Electrical Vehicle Architecture (EVA 2.0) is the enabler-in-chief and includes Software-Over-The-Air (SOTA) updates for more than 70 electronic modules, meaning the New Range Rover will constantly evolve, improve and remain up to date as it matures. 

The New Range Rover elevates Land Rover’s award-winning Pivi Pro infotainment technology with its largest ever touchscreen. The 33.27 cm (13.1) curved, floating screen embodies the architectural lightness of the interior with a minimalist frame design. 

Pivi Pro works in harmony with an elegant new semi-floating 34.79 cm (13.7) Interactive Driver Display, which features new high-definition graphics based around a three-panel layout that intuitively reflects the design of the Pivi Pro homescreen. Customers can choose from a variety of configurations, including a conventional analogue layout, using the steering wheel controls. 

Rear passengers can enjoy a new Rear Seat Entertainment (RSE) system, which provides adjustable 28.95 cm (11.4) HD touchscreens mounted on the rear of the front seatbacks. They can be operated independently and support the connection of most devices with an HDMI port. The 20.32 cm (8) Rear Seat Touchscreen Controller4 mounted in the centre armrest of Executive Class Rear Seats provides quick and intuitive control for the perfect seating position, elevating the luxurious rear-seat experience.  

Efficient and powerful all-LED lighting is provided on every New Range Rover, with the new high-definition Digital LED Headlights providing a beam range of up to 500 m. They create an exceptional design detail and feature Signature daytime running lights, animated indicators, Adaptive Front Lighting and Image Projection technology on start-up, making them the most advanced headlights ever fitted to a Land Rover. 

New Manoeuvring Lights help drivers complete low-speed manoeuvres in dimly lit surroundings with complete confidence, by creating a carpet of light around the perimeter of the vehicle, working with the 3D Surround Camera system to provide effortless manoeuvrability. 

Serene Capability and Composure

The flagship of the Land Rover family represents the pinnacle of refined capability thanks to advanced hardware and software systems working in complete harmony, enabled by the new MLA-Flex body architecture. This unrivalled breadth of dynamic capability is governed by Land Rover’s Integrated Chassis Control – a single control system for a suite of advanced technologies that tailor the vehicle dynamics to suit every mile of every journey, to pre-emptively and reactively fine-tune the driving characteristics.

Every New Range Rover features All-Wheel Steering for an effortless drive with heightened high-speed stability and improved manoeuvrability at low speeds, ensuring it is equally at home on the open road and negotiating tight urban streets. 

The electrically operated rear axle provides up to seven degrees of steering angle and, at low speeds, turns out-of-phase of the front wheels, giving the New Range Rover a turning circle of less than 11 m1 – the smallest of any Land Rover. At higher speeds the rear axle turns in phase with the front wheels for enhanced stability and comfort. 

Fully independent air suspension isolates the cabin from surface imperfections more effectively than ever, for serene composure at all times. It combines industry-leading air springs volumes with twin-valve dampers – all managed by in-house-developed Adaptive Dynamics control software. 

All of this technology feeds into Land Rover’s award-winning Terrain Response 2 system, which harnesses the various chassis systems to automatically provide the perfect settings for the surroundings, from a choice of six driving modes, to minimise driver workload across all terrains. Alternatively, the driver can select the most appropriate setting manually or, use Configurable Terrain Response to create a bespoke chassis set-up.

Powertrain Efficiency

The New Range Rover maintains its compelling combination of effortless performance and peerless refinement with a comprehensive line-up of advanced six- and eight-cylinder powertrains. 

The New Range Rover provides the latest mild-hybrid (MHEV) 3.0 l petrol engine, delivering power of 294 kW and torque of 550 Nm, and 3.0 l diesel engine, delivering power of 258 kW and torque of 700 Nm. A powerful new petrol flagship – 4.4 l Twin Turbo V8 delivering power of 390 kW and torque of 750 Nm – ensures increased refinement and performance.

The six-cylinder petrol and diesel engines feature the latest 48 V MHEV technology which harvests energy usually lost under deceleration and braking to boost fuel efficiency. The system’s clever belt-integrated starter motor ensures more responsive and refined operation of the stop-start system and provides extra assistance to the engine when accelerating.

The New Range Rover is available to order now with prices starting from Rs 231.91 Lakhs ex-showroom India. To know more about the New Range Rover, visit www.landrover.in.

3i Infotech Wins A Multi-Year Contract With A Major US Based Supply Chain And Enterprise Product Company

* To provide cloud and managed services as part of the long-term engagement  

3i Infotech Limited (BSE: 532628, NSE: 3IINFOTECH), a global Information Technology company, committed to accelerating business transformation, is now providing cloud and managed services to Bamboo Rose, a US based industry-leading Multi-Enterprise Product and Supply Chain Platform. As part of this multi-year contract, 3i Infotech will be the preferred infrastructure managed services provider (MSP) as well as Microsoft cloud service provider (CSP) for Bamboo Rose globally. Additionally, both the companies are committed to working on a joint go-to-market in select geographies. 

Bamboo Rose connects members of the retail business community to streamline product innovation, development, sourcing, and supply chain operations helping clients bring great products to market faster and at higher margins. It serves 85+ major retailers and 400 brands connecting 50,000 suppliers and 150,000 user members globally. 

Commenting on the new client win, Mr. Thompson Gnanam, Managing Director & Global CEO, 3i Infotech Limited said, “New 3i Infotech is a one stop technology orchestrator who plays the role of a cloud transformation specialist, managed services provider and cloud services provider taking end-to-end business KPI, partner of choice to scale and accelerate business of our next generation cloud native, digital first clients like Bamboo Rose.” 

Mr. Kamal Anand, CTO at Bamboo Rose said, “With 3i Infotech, we will achieve our goal of a centralized, rationalized and optimized cloud operations center with embedded industry best practices. The complete cloud infrastructure backend support provided by 3i Infotech helped us monitor the key activities and the managed services accelerated our business operations. We would like to thank the team for their continuous assistance.” 

About 3i Infotech 

Headquartered in Mumbai, India, since inception in 1993, 3i Infotech has been committed to driving business value across multiple industry verticals. 3i Infotech, today, has emerged as a leading name in propelling the current wave of digital transformation initiatives, with deep domain expertise across BFSI, Healthcare, Manufacturing, Retail and Government sectors. The Company has over 4500 employees in 30 offices, 15 countries and across 4 continents. With a wide range of IT services, 3i Infotech has successfully transformed business operations of customers globally. The Company has a very strong foothold and client base in geographies like North America, India, Asia Pacific, Middle East and Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. 

Website: https://www.3i-infotech.com/  

Lincode Raises Fresh Round Funds From Accel And Four Others

*  Launches state-of-the-art AI/ML-powered solutions for Manufacturing sector  

* Lincode, a leading AI visual inspection company, has closed its another round of funding. 

Founded by Rajesh Iyengar, Founder and CEO, and Ritika Nigam, Co-founder and CTO, Lincode enables manufacturers to identify surface defects, identify and measure individual components, and generate real-time data about products on the production line through its flagship industry 4.0 solution, the Lincode Visual Inspection System (LIVIS). 

Speaking of the investments, Rajesh Iyengar said: “The automotive industry has shown an impressive adoption of manufacturing technologies. The manufacturers are not hesitant to deploy technology or a solution that they know will bring them high ROI. For instance, our AI-backed visual inspection solution has made the inspection of the production lines much more efficient than the traditional vision systems. The manufacturers have seen a drastic difference with our solution.” 

Ritika Nigam added, “The manufacturers see that microscopic surface defects were detected with the highest precision and accuracy within the established cycle times and now we have seen an ever-growing demand amongst the automotive manufacturers. I certainly believe the industry is now more than ready to invest in manufacturing technologies. The future of smart automotive manufacturing is very promising.”

Shekhar Kirani from Accel showed his optimism in the offerings of Lincode, saying, “We are excited about how Lincode is taking industry 4.0 to the next level, leveraging AI/ML to revolutionize precision manufacturing. Quality inspection is a critical challenge faced by manufacturers across the industries  and Lincode has an amazing IP/Tech to address in multiple categories and markets. They are seeing great early success with their products across the globe.”  

Seconding him is K C Chea of Tech Coast Angels, San Diego: “The Lincode computer vision technology is very promising for the automotive industry and manufacturing in general.  The solution will deliver higher quality products at a lower cost.  We invested in Lincode because we believe Lincode is the future as customers demand zero defects. ”

Hus TIgli of Tech Coast Angels added, “Lincode has demonstrated that its technology has achieved impressive results in defect detection vs. traditional machine vision technologies. We believe that these phenomenal AI-enabled results and the quick set-up times achieved are real differentiators for Lincode.” 

“We believe in backing entrepreneurs who are looking to transform industries and even creating new ones leveraging technologies like AI. We see a lot of synergy between our vision and what Lincode is trying to achieve.” says Robbie Dutta of Nurture Ventures.

Raj Snehil Juneja, Managing Partner of Disruptors Capital said, “We are glad to partner with Lincode as seed investors. Lincode is uniquely spearheading industrial transformation globally.  Their strong competitive edge (reflected in extremely low false calls, high compatibility and IP) along with Rajesh and Ritika's execution capabilities, makes us believe they are disruptors poised for large scale success.”

Yashwanth Hemraj, Founding Partner of Arka Venture Labs concluded saying, “Our investment in Lincode aligns with our vision of backing game-changing cross-border vertical solutions that are built with three main components - AI, workflow automation and datasets. Lincode stands out among competitors, in its ability to execute and grow rapidly. We are very excited to back Rajesh and Ritika as Lincode embarks on becoming the go-to Visual Inspection solution in the factory floors for the largest OEMs and their supplier ecosystem.”

The automotive industry is witnessing a bullish trend and has been adopting smart manufacturing to a great extent. The industry is making large investments in smart technologies such as AI, IIoT, Automation, Big data, 5G, etc. to streamline and scale up the automotive manufacturing process for higher efficiency and production capacity.

By the end of 2022, automotive manufacturers expect that some 24% of their plants will be smart factories,and 49% of automakers have already invested more than $250 million in smart factories. However, only a few automotive manufacturers have translated this enthusiasm into real progress – some 42% of smart factory initiatives are struggling and the digital maturity of their manufacturing operations is below par.

The automotive sector has seen growth in its sales and increased adoption of critical manufacturing technologies, which is an important driving factor. This has led to the delivering of best-in-class quality of products that are available to the market in keeping with the demand due to better production capacity. 

About Us

Lincode is a leading AI visual inspection company that was founded by Rajesh Iyengar, the Founder and CEO, and co-founded by Co-founder and CTO, Ritika Nigam. Rajesh has to his credit three successful ventures and has over 19+ years of experience across IT, and manufacturing sectors. Rajesh has also developed a patent-pending Secure OS for IIoT. Meanwhile, Ritika Nigam has over 13 years of experience in senior technology roles and architecting solutions across multiple domains such as Extreme Healthcare, Adwords, HCM, IT and Networking.

Honeywell Expands OT Cyersecurity Portfolio With Active Defense And Deception Technology Solution

* The Honeywell Threat Defense Platform (HTDP) features autonomous deception technology from Acalvio, which helps thwart threat actors and provide accurate threat detection for buildings’ operational technology environments

* Acalvio is backed by a Honeywell Ventures investment; new product expands Honeywell’s relationship with Acalvio

Honeywell (Nasdaq: HON) and Acalvio Technologies announced today the launch of a new solution designed to detect known and unknown (zero-day) attacks across the operational technology (OT) environments in commercial buildings. Honeywell Threat Defense Platform (HTDP) powered by Acalvio® employs sophisticated active defense – featuring autonomous deception tactics to outsmart attackers – and provides high fidelity threat detection. Honeywell’s technology features an approach recommended by governments and cybersecurity standard bodies because of its ability to detect and control attacks.1

Traditionally, building OT environments rely on prevention technology and passive detection such as perimeter security and network traffic analysis to secure systems. Yet, more than 1 in 4 (27%) surveyed facility managers experienced a cyber breach of their OT systems in the last 12 months, according to a recent survey conducted by Honeywell Building Technologies. Threat actors continue to target building systems with both targeted attacks and ransomware attacks. These attacks can go beyond accessing private customer data and may potentially impair the operations for critical organizations that keep society running such as utilities, data centers, hospitals and airports.

HTDP uses deception tactics to confuse and mislead threats away from critical assets and devices, resulting in low false alerts and a high rate of detection. The solution leads threat actors to decoy assets, which appear to be valuable OT and IT devices; however, none of the devices are real and there is no access to the enterprise assets. The solution makes real, critical operational devices harder to find, slowing down adversaries and helping security teams capture them faster.

“The quantity and complexity of cyberattacks unfortunately are increasing every day, reinforcing the need for building owners and operators to rigorously monitor, maintain and protect their OT environments,” said Mirel Sehic, global director of cybersecurity, Honeywell Building Technologies. “Incorporating Acalvio’s autonomous deception technology into our OT cybersecurity toolbelt provides a highly effective solution to help protect our customers’ buildings from increasingly sophisticated attacks.”

Powered by Acalvio’s breakthrough deception technology, HTDP incorporates design-, intent- and industry-specific knowledge into a seamless workflow to deploy effective deception across distributed enterprise OT networks. Using specially crafted deception elements, HTDP also helps detect ransomware and even zero-day variants with precision and speed. HTDP uses advanced analytics to confirm and investigate threats.

“We’re excited to work with Honeywell to secure and keep building OT systems properly operating while also protecting the people and data throughout an organization,” said Ram Varadarajan, co-founder and CEO, Acalvio Technologies. “Importantly, this technology is something that can benefit every building and facility – especially those that do not have teams of cyber experts. It requires no prior knowledge of attacker tactics and can be deployed without special training or modifications to existing OT environments.”

The HTDP solution includes deployment and ongoing monitoring, freeing up internal security team resources. Advanced artificial intelligence makes the service easy to use and scalable. HTDP is well-suited for organizations that desire advanced intrusion detection in their building network without having to install or operate complex technology. HTDP can be deployed across both IT and OT environments as either an on-premises offering or cloud service.

Honeywell is committed to simplifying the cybersecurity equation for customers. This new offering also helps customers improve their resilience and business continuity efforts to help meet their environmental, social and governance (ESG) goals. Honeywell’s relationship with Acalvio includes investment by Honeywell Ventures to further support the development of the latest cybersecurity solutions and disruptive technologies.

TECNO Introduces POP 5 Series, With Its 1st Device POP 5 LTE Featuring 5000mAh Battery & 6.52 HD+ Display Priced At Rs. 6299

* Available in three new exciting colors including Ice Blue, Deepsea Luster and Turquoise Cyan, the all-new TECNO POP 5 LTE can be purchased on Amazon.in as Amazon Specials starting 16th January, 2022.

* Interested buyers can click Notify Me tab on Amazon.in from January 12th 2022

TECNO, the global premium smartphone brand, has once again donned the mantle of being the industry leader and disruptor with its latest product offering, POP 5 LTE, under its ‘POP Series’ portfolio.

Boasting of segment first features such as 6.52 HD+ dot-notch display, 5000mAh battery, 8MP AI dual rear camera, the POP 5 LTE is powered by HiOS 7.6 based on Android 11 Go.  In addition, the smartphone packs in various smart features such as IPX2 Splash Resistant, enhanced 14 regional language support, 120 Hz sampling rate and face unlock — all this in a premium design and vibrant colors.

Today, the young generation is all about speed and they want to stay ahead in every race of life. Sharing the same spirit, POP 5 has been designed to help the country’s youth stay ahead in life. While the POP series smartphones are known for their all-rounder capabilities, especially display, camera, and battery which give an additional edge to the smartphones against their competitors, the POP 5 amplifies the value for money quotient to an all new level. With the launch of POP 5 LTE, TECNO has further cemented its position of being the industry leader in the 5-10K segment.

Commenting on the launch, Arijeet Talapatra, CEO of TRANSSION India, said, ‘We at TECNO endeavor towards democratizing premium technology for the masses and bridging the existing tech divide. With the POP series, our vision is to continue to focus on smartphones that can bring in the best features at industry disrupting prices. The latest POP 5 Series has been designed keeping in the mind the need of the hour requirements of the GENZ. We are confident that with the all-new POP 5 LTE hitting the markets, we will be successful in meeting the smartphone needs of the aspiring young clan of Bharat’

Key USPs of POP 5 LTE:

6.52 HD+ Immersive Display

The TECNO POP 5 LTE features a big 6.52 HD+ dot-notch display which is quite handy. With 480nits max brightness, the screen is clearly visible in sunlight. The 90.0% screen to body ratio gives you a near bezel-less experience.

5000mAh Powerful Battery with Optimized Ultra Power Saving Mode

POP 5 LTE offers a powerful 5000mAh battery that gives an uninterrupted smartphone experience for a long duration on a single charge. Its optimized power-saving modes give you a step ahead battery backup. This huge battery makes way for a whopping 31 days’ standby time, 115 hours of music playback and 18 hours of calling time.

Segment breaking 8MP High Definition Resolution Camera

The camera of the POP 5 LTE is equipped with 8MP AI Dual Rear Camera lens with F2.0 Aperture. It features various professional photography and videography modes such AI Beauty, AI portrait, 1080P Video, HDR Filters, 16 AI Scene Detection, 4X Zoom, and Dual Flashlight. The selfie camera is 5MP with F2.0 Aperture with Micro Slit Flashlight featuring adjustable brightness.

Exhibit your style with new stylish design

Today, smartphones are an extension of your personality. The youth-centric design of the POP 5 LTE makes the smartphone stand out of the clutter. Its bold, appealing and stylish. The phone features glossy finish, larger and bolder brand logo with visual light reflections.

Other Segment Breaking Features

IPX2 Splash Resistant: Can resist water that hits the product at a 15° angle or less.

Regional Language Support up to 14 Languages: The phone offers regional language support which will make your communications smooth

120Hz Touch sampling rate: To give the user non lagging experience the smartphone features 120Hz touch sampling rate.

All this with HiOS 7.6 based on Android 11 Go, the latest android with localized features such as Vault 2.0, Smart Panel 2.0, Kids Mode, Social, Turbo, Dark themes, Parental control, Digital Wellbeing, Gesture Call Picker and many more makes the POP 5 a perfect buy for the Gen Z in the sub 7K segment. The phone features 2GB RAM and 32GB Internal Storage, which can further be expanded up to 256GB via a dedicated SD card slot.