Wednesday, 31 August 2022

Media.Monks India wins Autodesk Imagine award for innovations in the Virtual Production space

National, August 30, 2022: Media.Monks India’s pursuit to merge creative and technology was applauded at the Autodesk Imagine awards where it was recognised for the innovative use of technology to drive forward Virtual Production. 

Autodesk Imagine Awards recognize exceptional contributions to innovation, spanning the fields of architecture, engineering and construction, product design and manufacturing and media and entertainment.

The winning entry focused on Media.Monks India’s maiden venture into changing the landscape of traditional shoots by using 3D environments , culminating in the first of its kind Virtual Production studio. 

Robert Godinho, Managing Director, Media.Monks India, comments, “Virtual Production is a brand’s best friend and this accolade is a recognition of the future trends that will take filmmaking into a whole new plethora of techniques. We can't wait to add more layers and dimensions to what technology and creative art can build together

Virtual Production revolutionizes traditional film production in an industry which still uses on-location, studio shoots or green screen set-ups by incorporating a new way of shooting films: the use of real-time 3D environments + post-production VFX. Virtual production solves the problem of location scouting and cuts down tremendously on production costs and time while delivering improved results.  In short - It gives you a lot more, for much less. 

For the first project in the Virtual Studio, Media.Monks created a short film on the imaginative power of a child.

According to Media.Monks, with myriad moving parts to the whole project, previsualization, and planning were crucial. The Virtual Production process allowed Media.Monks to align all pipelines, pre-production: production: and post-production, and create the film in real-time without using green screens, instead, using only set lights and LEDs for a super seamless process.

John Paite, Chief Creative Officer (art & tech), Media.Monks India, adds, "Virtual Production is not about the hardware per se. It's purely the people. The success of it comes down to teamwork. Right from the Director, DOP, Art, Technical director and the Artists. It requires highly technical skill sets to get the best results and you will have to trust each other. I guarantee that great things will come out of it if you use the right people and vice versa."

Link to the winning film: POWER OF IMAGINATION

Link to Behind The Scenes: BTS | POWER OF IMAGINATION

Images: Award Ceremony Gallery

About the film & Credits

Hrithik Roshan, Saif Ali Khan & Directors Pushkar & Gayatri share their excitement about Vikram Vedha teaser receiving a great response from the audience


The most liked Hindi film teaser garnering 30+ millions views across platforms

The craze for the most awaited film of the year Vikram Vedha is constantly touching new skies. Ever since the teaser of the film has been released, it has cemented its place at the top as the most liked Hindi Film teaser. This has doubled up the audience's excitement to watch this cinematic wonder on the screen. 
The story of Vikram Vedha is full of twists and turns, as a tough cop Vikram (Saif Ali Khan) sets out to track and chase a dreaded gangster Vedha (Hrithik Roshan). What unfolds is a cat-and-mouse chase, where Vedha - a master storyteller helps Vikram peel back layers through a series of stories leading to thought-provoking moral ambiguities.  
While the teaser of the film has created havoc with its release, the cast and the team are overwhelmed with the amazing response the teaser is receiving from the audience. 
While speaking about the great response the teaser has been receiving, Hrithik Roshan who will be seen playing the role of Vedha in the film, shares, "The whole team of Vikram Vedha submitted to the vision of Pushkar & Gayatri in bringing this film to life. Our teaser was a little glimpse of the world of Vikram Vedha, and the response that it has garnered is heartwarming. I've been told that Vikram Vedha's teaser stands to be the most liked Hindi Film teaser, and the number of viewers it has reached to across social media platforms is hugely rewarding for me as an artist. We cannot wait to present our film to the audience."
Speaking about the delight of receiving such a great response from the audience for the teaser, Saif Ali Khan, who will be seen playing the role of Vikram in the film, shares, "It feels good to know that the teaser of Vikram Vedha is the most liked teaser for a Hindi film till date. We all have put in so much of our love and hard work into making this film, and learning that our audience is as excited as we are to witness the film in theatres is the most positive outcome for me as an actor."
Moreover, the directors Pushkar & Gayatri also shared their excitement about the great response, the teaser is receiving, "We chose to make Vikram Vedha with Saif Ali Khan & Hrithik Roshan to take our story of the film to a larger Hindi speaking audience base. The response that we have witnessed for the teaser of Vikram Vedha is encouraging. Learning that Vikram Vedha teaser has become the most liked teaser for a Hindi film has left us positively motivated."
Vikram Vedha is presented by Gulshan Kumar, T-Series and Reliance Entertainment in association with Friday Filmworks & Jio Studios and a YNOT Studios Production. The film is directed by Pushkar & Gayatri and produced by Bhushan Kumar & S. Sashikanth and Vikram Vedha will hit the big screens globally on 30th September 2022.
Vikram Vedha Social Media Tags:

Vikram Vedha is the most liked Hindi film teaser garnering 30+ million views across platforms

Twitter
#VikramVedha
@iHrithik #SaifAliKhan @PushkarGayatri @radhika_apte @TSeries @RelianceEnt @StudiosYNot @FFW_Official @jiostudios @APIfilms @PicturesPVR @PenMovies @rohitssaraf @iyogitabihani @sharibhashmi #SatyadeepMisra #BhushanKumar @Shibasishsarkar @sash041075 @chakdyn @vivekbagrawal #ShivChanana @homescreenent @VVMovie

Facebook:
#VikramVedha
@hrithikroshan #SaifAliKhan #PushkarGayatri #RadhikaApte @tseriesfilms @tseriesmusic @RelianceEnt @YNotStudios @FridayFilmworks @officialjiostudios @APInternational @pvr.pictures @PenMovies @rohitsaraf.official @YogitaBihani @OfficialSharibHashmi #SatyadeepMisra #BhushanKumar #ShibasishSarkar #SSashikanth #VivekAgrawal #ShivChanana  @homescreenentertainment @VikramVedhaTheFilm

Instagram:
#VikramVedha
@hrithikroshan #SaifAliKhan @pushkar.gayatri @radhikaofficial @tseries.official @tseriesfilms @reliance.entertainment @studiosynot @fridayfilmworks @officialjiostudios @apinternationalfilms @pvrpictures @penmovies @rohitsaraf @iyogitabihani @mrfilmistaani @instasattu #BhushanKumar @sarkarshibasish @sash041075 @chakdyn @vivekbagrawal @shivchanana #homescreenentertainment @vikramvedha_movie

eB2B – A promising opportunity within $1.2 Trillion B2B General Trade Market by 2030: Redseer


·         eB2B platforms have been able to effectively resolve some of the pressing pain points such as higher prices, no credit option, untimely delivery, and low quality of products, among others.

·         With immense headroom to grow and led by multiple favorable factors, eB2B to reach $90-100 Bn GMV by 2030

Bengaluru, 31 August 2022: At 84%, India holds the largest share in general trade when compared to developed nations, including the US and the UK. In our country, which has over 8000 towns and 665k villages where the bulk of the population resides, there are multiple barriers to organized brick-and-mortar adoption. It is the unorganized GT channel that is driving India's retail market and will continue to grow, doubling in size from $0.7 tr to $1.4 tr by 2030, finds a report by Redseer Strategy Consultants. 

It is further projected that the B2B GT opportunity in India will reach ~$1.2 trillion by 2030, with eB2B coming up as a promising digital procurement solution. 

India's B2B eCommerce market is one of the fastest growing in the world and international benchmarks indicate that the eB2B market will reach $90-100 Bn GMV by 2030 influenced by multiple favourable factors. 

The report observes that while it is at an early stage right now, given low adoption in lower city tiers and small stores, eB2B is emerging as a strong digital procurement solution. The report also sheds light on how eB2B platforms have been able to effectively resolve some of the pressing pain points, such as higher prices, no credit option, untimely delivery, and low quality of products, among others. Credit, efficient & high supply quality of products, and FoS assistance are some of the critical offerings of eB2B platforms for Indian retailers. eB2B players are solving these challenges via a more streamlined supply chain.

“Retailers, brands and manufacturers have realized eB2B market’s potential and are betting on it to shape the way they do business. While manufacturers have limited competitive threat, the eB2B channel is also helping retailers and brands solve multiple problems in their day-to-day business. India’s eB2B market has scope for multiple models but, multi-category play with wide category coverage and national coverage is likely to win. eB2B is projected to reach $90-100 Bn GMV by 2030 owing to a humongous opportunity,” said Mrigank Gutgutia, Partner at Redseer.

eB2B has already captured a fair wallet share of the offline market, and retailers are confident about increasing their spending soon. The report further suggests that approximately 50% of the non-users are willing to shift to eB2B platforms in the coming year. 

India's eB2B market is comprised of multiple players who differ in terms of their city presence and the range of retail categories they cover. While the regional market is generally restricted to metros and top Tier 1 cities, the national market implies a presence across the country. Owing to higher opportunity size, adoption and engagement, multi-category national players are best placed to win in this market. With these advantages, among eB2B players, Udaan is emerging as the clear leader, followed by Jiomart.

In order to access underserved markets, brands are turning increasingly to eB2B, either as an addition to their current distribution network or as a replacement for ineffective traditional distributors. 

Even established brands with their own eB2B initiatives do not consider 3P (Third party) eB2B a threat, given the difference in scale and significant value add of 3P eB2B. For manufacturers, traders, dealers, wholesalers, and retailers, implementing a digitized and automated supply chain ecosystem using platform-driven techniques has become essential for business growth. With better retailer-serving capabilities at a wide scale, the eB2B platforms could assist both established and emerging brands in achieving the needed scale.

At scale, eB2B platforms are likely to have an ROI of 50%+, much superior to offline retail as well as cash & carry formats. In particular, the ones with multicategory revenue have a better margin. While the EBITDA margin post VAS revenue stands at 3-5% for the eB2B grocery vertical and 5-7% for the discretionary vertical, under multi-category it stands at 6-8%. However, getting the category mix is critical to boosting margin profiles.

The future will see a shift from unorganized trade to organized digital trade while rallying for emerging brands to scale in India, making eB2B a de-facto channel for brand marketing & ad spend, and a holy grail for retailer insights & data intel. All this and more will enable stable growth for eB2B at scale.

About Redseer Strategy Consultants: 

Redseer Strategy Consultants is a leading strategy consulting firm. Founded in 2009, Redseer works with new-age consumer-focused businesses and offers growth advisory, digital strategy, and investment thesis. The company is a thought leader in the Internet economy space and is the most widely quoted consulting firm in the media. 

The company boasts a 90% + market share of new-age IPOs. Zomato, India’s first major consumer tech IPO; GoTo, one of the world’s largest consumer tech IPO, Nykaa, Paytm, Cartrade, and Delhivery are other noted IPO engagements of Redseer. The company enjoys more than 50%+ market share in the new-age deal advisory and a lion’s share in the strategy consulting space. 

Redseer sees itself as a band of strategy consultants who have disrupted the 100+-year-old management consulting industry and, in the process, has emerged as the most sought-after consumer business-focused advisory firm. The company is known for its proprietary methodologies, deep consumer understanding, high-quality research, and entrepreneurial mindset. Run by the youngest set of consultants, today Redseer has a strong presence in India, the Middle East, Southeast Asia, the USA, and the UK. The company is headquartered in Bengaluru and has a formidable team of 200+ consultants in 7 offices across India and overseas.

R Discovery partners with Springer Nature to create an open-access content bank for global researchers

~ The partnership will enable researchers to access Springer Nature’s content in the form of daily recommendations on R Discovery ~

India, August 31st, 2022: R Discovery, a Cactus Communications (CACTUS) brand, has partnered with Springer Nature, global academic publisher, to help broaden the reach of open access (OA) content to the global researcher community. The inclusion of Springer Nature’s OA portfolio into R Discovery means that the platform offers its over 1.4 million researchers access to high-quality OA content in over 32,000 journals worldwide across a breadth of subject areas.

Commenting on the partnership, Abhishek Goel, CEO & Co-founder, CACTUS, said, “Helping the scientific community with access to a vast bank of content is one of our top priorities. Our aim is to bring the most relevant and recently published scientific literature to the fingertips of researchers across the globe. By providing access to full-text open-access papers, we can facilitate content discovery and help save reading time. With this association, researchers will now have access to some of the most valuable OA research published in Springer Nature via the R Discovery app.”

Till Moepert, Vice President Indirect Channels at Springer Nature said, “Researchers are at the heart of what we do and ensuring access and engagement with high-quality content is central to the advancement of knowledge and discovery. With a long history in OA, we are committed to supporting researchers with streamlined routes to high-quality content in the fields of science, technology, medicine and the humanities and social sciences, alongside our wider commitment to supporting open data and open research, for example by creating the largest linked open data set in SciGraph and supporting FAIR data projects through our Text and Data Mining API’s. Partnering with the Cactus Communications R Discovery App enables us to continue this rich tradition of making open research accessible through new platforms and avenues and supporting the research community with access to the widest possible content, tools, and services.”

Among a host of CACTUS products, R Discovery is used by researchers regularly for literature search via the app or the web version. It currently has over 32,000 journals covering over 9.5 million research topics across subject areas such as life sciences, biology, medicine, philosophy, political science, environmental science, social sciences, and psychology. With more than 30 million open access articles available and access to paywalled articles with one’s university credentials, R Discovery is one of the largest repositories of research that is accessible on the go.

Springer Nature is one of the first major publishers to make their content available to R Discovery. By combining Springer Nature’s expertise in publishing high-quality research with R Discovery’s online platform for millions of researchers, both organizations aim to deliver an upgraded and seamless experience for the communities they serve.

To know more please visit- R Discovery (Web | Android | iOS)

About Cactus Communications

Cactus Communications (cactusglobal.com), a technology company accelerating scientific advancement. CACTUS solves problems for researchers, universities, publishers, academic societies, and life science organizations through innovative products and services developed under the brands Editage, Cactus Life Sciences, Researcher.Life, Impact Science, UNSILO, PaperPal and Cactus Labs. CACTUS has offices in Princeton, London, Aarhus, Singapore, Beijing, Shanghai, Seoul, Tokyo, and Mumbai; a global workforce of over 3,000 experts; and customers from over 190 countries. CACTUS is considered a pioneer in its workplace best practices and has been consistently ranked a great place to work over the last several years.

About Springer Nature

For over 180 years Springer Nature has been advancing discovery by providing the best possible service to the whole research community. We help researchers uncover new ideas, make sure all the research we publish is significant, robust and stands up to objective scrutiny, that it reaches all relevant audiences in the best possible format, and can be discovered, accessed, used, reused, and shared. We support librarians and institutions with innovations in technology and data; and provide quality publishing support to societies. As a research publisher, Springer Nature is home to trusted brands including Springer, Nature Portfolio, BMC, Palgrave Macmillan, and Scientific American. For more information, please visit springernature.com and @SpringerNature.

PinkAprons launched its mobile application at one of the biggest awards for Home Chefs in Pune

Pune, India, August 31, 2022: PinkAprons, one of the leading online platforms for ordering home-cooked food in Mumbai and Pune, organised “Maggi Presents Ek Shaam Aapke Naam - Awards Night For PinkAprons Masterchef” on August 28th, 2022 at Mahratta Chamber of Commerce, SB Road, Pune.

The programme is being hailed as Pune’s biggest gathering of home chefs, as more than 80+ home chefs participated in this event. The event was sponsored by Maggi, FoodGinie, JuiceWale, and other prominent brands who joined their hands with PinkAprons to make it a big show.

During the event, top home chefs were facilitated with award trophies and were appreciated for their passion and hard work. Along with home chefs, the event also witnessed a rendezvous of renowned food entrepreneurs, bloggers, and experts in the food and beverages industry.

On the occasion, Adetee Agarwaal, Founder and CEO of PinkAprons said, “We thank all home chefs and veterans of the food industry, who participated in our first offline event and contributed to make it a mega success. We celebrated the passion of home chefs, acknowledged their relentless and unstoppable dedication towards culinary arts, and awarded them for their hard work.”

During the event, renowned food photographers shared their knowledge with the audience and showcased how they can use the visual medium to spread the message. PinkAprons also launched their new app, which is now available on Google Playstore and will be soon launching on Apple app store.The application will help users to order home-cooked food more easily and without much hustle while ordering.

“We are sure that PinkAprons will continue to empower home chefs, especially women home chefs, and continue to unleash a revolution in the home-cooked food market. We thank all our sponsors, especially Nestle Maggi for supporting us, and encouraging us”, concluded Ms. Agarwal.

About the PinkAprons:

With more than 30,000 users and 1000+ home chefs, PinkAprons, which started just two years ago, has already delivered 50,000+ orders of homemade food across Pune. Founded by Adetee Agarwaal in 2020, PinkAprons is a one-of-its-kind platform for ordering home-cooked food, prepared by local home chefs, who have expertise in diversified dishes such as Bengali, Marathi, Tamil, Andhra, North Indian and more.

For more details, please visit PinkAprons.com or download their app.

Shiprocket Partners with Invest India to Build D2C 2.0 - The Next Generation of D2C brands

  • Rocketfuel D2C Accelerator X Startup India Initiative at Invest India invites new-age D2C startups across the country to apply for a 3-month program
  • A cohort of 10 breakout startups will receive cash grants, shipping credits and an opportunity to get investments from Shiprocket and its fund partners 

New Delhi | 31st August 2022:Startup India Initiative at Invest India, the guiding vision maker for India’s entrepreneurship ecosystem, has partnered with Shiprocket, India’s latest unicorn and leading eCommerce enabler to build D2C 2.0 together, backing the next generation of consumer products built by founders from across the country. The program will help accelerate D2C and eCommerce startups who have delivered early success and on-ground impact with products built by Bharat, for Bharat.

D2C startups can apply for the Rocketfuel D2C Accelerator hosted exclusively on the Startup India portal. Shiprocket will be offering INR 1 Lakh in cash grants to each of the shortlisted startups, in addition to the INR 50,000 provided in shipping credits on an immediate basis and provide an opportunity to get investments upto INR 50 Lakhs from Shiprocket and its fund partners.
During the 3-month accelerator program, Shiprocket will support the D2C startups with top-tier privileges for logistics and eCommerce services, providing shipping credits that can be used on its platform. Additionally, startups will gain access to D2C Verse, a pan-India D2C community of key startups and investors and receive one-on-one mentorship from the leading minds of the industry. The shortlisted startups will also benefit immensely from Startup India’s guidance and pan-India reach.
Speaking on this, Saahil Goel, Co-Founder and CEO of Shiprocket said “Startup India is one of the largest platforms for startups and entrepreneurs in India. With their support, Shiprocket can further propel the growth of early-stage D2C and eCommerce startups across the length and breadth of all emerging markets in India. Our aim is to create a support system that caters to not just the monetary requirements of companies but one that encompasses all aspects of the business. This collaboration with Startup India is one step towards achieving that goal.”
Mr. Deepak Bagla, MD & CEO, Invest India, said: “The excellence of Indian ingenuity has been at the forefront who are developing impactful frugal solutions as India’s strength. As we move towards an Atmanirbhar Bharat, envisioned by the Hon’ble Prime Minister, it becomes imperative to ensure that India builds on these strengths and this challenge will help D2C founders to distribute their impactful products in more and more households across the country.”
Applications for the program are open till 15th September 2022, and the results will be declared on 28th September 2022.
About Invest India
The most awarded investment promotion agency in the world, Invest India is the advisor, guide, and facilitator to every investor looking to make a home in India. We are the first point of contact for global companies whom we handhold from the day they start exploring India and at every step of the way throughout their journey in the world's most liberal investment destination.
About Shiprocket
Shiprocket is India’s largest eCommerce enablement platform providing digital retailers an end-to-end customer experience platform. The platform creating an operating system for direct commerce enables shipping, fulfilment, customer communication and marketing tools as well as providers for SMEs, D2C retailers, and social commerce retailers in India. With 17+ courier partners on board, the brand permits pan-India as well as international shipping deliveries. Its shipping solutions are available across 24,000+ pin codes within India and 220 countries worldwide.
Launched in 2017, Shiprocket is on a mission to create a seamless logistics data platform that connects retailers, carriers, and consumers across national and international locations. Shiprocket provides a technology stack to help retailers integrate their shopping websites on Shopify, Magento, WooCommerce, Zoho, and others with the platform’s multi-carrier API to manage orders, prints, and shipping labels. It also avails tracking information from multiple providers, including managing Cash on Delivery (COD) orders and payment reconciliation. Shiprocket also offers state-of-the-art fulfilment solutions with more than 45 warehouses located across India. The technology stack provides a robust post-purchase experience to consumers resulting in higher engagement and lower RTO (failed deliveries).
Today, Shiprocket is the platform behind more than 2.5L sellers who generate a GMV of more than $2.5B annually. The platform delivers packets to more than 70M consumers annually and is growing transactions 2.5-3X year on year.

Coliving operator Settl. to add 2,000 beds by June next year


       The company currently has 2,000 beds across 40 properties in the three cities.

       The Company plans to add at least 1,000 beds in the National Capital Region (NCR)

 

New Delhi, August 31—Coliving operator Settl. will add about 2,000 beds by June next year across Delhi-NCR, Bengaluru and Hyderabad to cater to rising demand of managed accommodation by working professionals.

The company has chalked out an aggressive expansion plan as the coliving segment has started to recover from the disruptions caused by the COVID-19 pandemic.

"We are witnessing a surge in demand for managed rented homes from working professionals. Most of these employees are working on a hybrid model and they need quality space for living and work purposes," Settl. Co- founder Abhishek Tripathi said.

Started in 2020, the company currently has 2,000 beds across 40 properties in the three cities. As per the expansion plans, Settl. aims to touch 4,000 beds by June next year. It plans to add at least 1,000 beds in the National Capital Region (NCR) alone.

"We take properties from builders and asset owners on long term lease and then sub-lease the space to working professionals," Tripathi said.

Each of its facilities provide a high-quality mix of co-living, community-living and coworking solutions to the working professionals.      

"We are currently present in 3 cities and we want to expand to 3 new cities including Delhi and Noida by June 2023," Tripathi said.

"We sell beds in a price range of Rs 11,000 per month to Rs 18,000 per month, depending on city to city, location and available facilities. About 80-90% of our occupants are working professionals between the age group of 25-35 years," he added.

In view of the pandemic, the demand for individual rooms has increased as working professionals want privacy and hygiene.      

It plans to raise further funds to expand and grow the business and has started a preliminary round of discussions with potential investors.

ABOUT SETTL:

Settl. is a Full-Stack Real Estate Operator that acquires assets of the builders/ asset owners for a long lease to provide a high-quality mix of Co-working + Co-living + Community-living Solutions to the working professionals, along with a host of other benefits. At present Settl. co-living is operating 2,000 beds in Bangalore, Hyderabad and Gurugram, with robust plans to increase the offerings in other cities across India.

Ready for the future: ŠKODA AUTO unveils new brand identity and accelerates e‑campaign

 

  • New design language, new logo and comprehensive corporate identity update
  • ŠKODA VISION 7S concept study gives specific preview of an entirely new e-model
  • Accelerated e-campaign: Three new models as early as 2026, more to follow
  • ŠKODA AUTO to invest a further €5.6 billion in e-mobility and €700 million in digitalisation over next five years
  • ŠKODA VISION 7S: Seven-seater SUV based on the MEB with a 600+ km range
  • Ambitious sustainability targets along the entire value chain

Mladá Boleslav, 31st August 2022 – ŠKODA AUTO is presenting its new brand identity as part of the NEXT LEVEL – ŠKODA STRATEGY 2030. The focus is on a new design language, a new logo and comprehensively updating the corporate identity (CI). In addition, the Czech car manufacturer is accelerating and expanding its e-campaign: ŠKODA AUTO is going to have three new all-electric models on the market as early as 2026, with more to follow. The VISION 7S concept study provides a specific preview of one of these models. The all‑electric share of the ŠKODA brand’s European vehicle sales will rise to over 70% by 2030. To support this, the Czech car manufacturer will be investing a further €5.6 billion in e-mobility and €700 million in digitalisation over the next five years.

ŠKODA AUTO CEO Klaus Zellmer emphasises: “Today is a very special day in ŠKODA AUTO’s history: We’re unveiling our new brand identity, including a new logo and CI update. With the VISION 7S concept study, we’re giving a specific preview of an entirely new ŠKODA model that will round off the top end of our product portfolio and customer base. Also, we’re significantly accelerating our e-campaign and will be launching three additional all-electric models already by 2026, with more in the pipeline. This will put us in an even stronger position for the decade of transformation. In addition, we’ll be investing a total of €5.6 billion in e-mobility and a further €700 million in digitalisation over the next five years, thus securing the future viability of the company and jobs.”

Martin Jahn, ŠKODA AUTO Board Member for Sales and Marketing, adds: “Through our new brand identity, we’re getting ready for the electric future and clearly positioning ŠKODA among the external competition while at the same time distinguishing ourselves even more clearly from the other brands in the Volkswagen Group. The VISION 7S is the forerunner of our new design language that we’ll be rolling out across the entire product portfolio over the coming years. We’ll also be using it to sharpen our customer appeal; with the new styling, we are taking the brand to the next level and aligning it to our customers’ new needs and expectations, particularly regarding user experience (UX), connectivity and the entire customer journey.”

Accelerated e-campaign: Three new models already by 2026, more to follow

The Czech carmaker is significantly accelerating its e-campaign and will be launching three more all-electric models as early as 2026. Besides a small car, there are plans for a compact SUV and a seven-seater for families. The VISION 7S concept study, with its range of over 600 kilometres and peak charging rate of 200 kW, offers a specific preview of the seven-seater electric SUV. ŠKODA AUTO is aiming for a share of all-electric models in Europe of over 70% by 2030. During the transition phase to e-mobility, the brand is strengthening its product portfolio of highly efficient combustion engines and will be unveiling the new-generation SUPERB and KODIAQ in the second half of next year. The refreshed OCTAVIA will follow in 2024.

ŠKODA VISION 7S: Seven-seater SUV based on the MEB with a 600+ km range

The VISION 7S provides the first specific preview of an all-new ŠKODA model and at the same time showcases the brand’s new design language. The all-electric SUV offers generous space for up to seven passengers and numerous Simply Clever details, rounding off the top end of the carmaker’s product portfolio and customer base. The concept study is based on the Volkswagen Group’s Modular Electrification Kit (MEB) and has an 89 kWh battery. This delivers a maximum range of over 600 kilometres in the WLTP cycle.

New design language, new logo and corporate identity update

ŠKODA AUTO has created a new design language for the electric and digital age, which will gradually be rolled out starting next year. It is defined by clear, reduced lines that emphasise the simplicity and value of ŠKODA’s new models. Characteristic elements of the new design language include the new front end with a so-called Tech-Deck Face and sustainable materials in the interior.

The new brand logo no longer uses sculptural 3D graphics. This is ŠKODA’s response to a growing shift in marketing activities from print to online. The CI has also been substantially revised; in terms of colour, ŠKODA AUTO will now be using two different green hues – Emerald and Electric Green, which represent ecology, sustainability and electromobility.

Ambitious sustainability targets along the entire value chain

ŠKODA AUTO is a strong advocate of sustainability along the entire value chain. For example, the company is committed to using electricity from renewable sources. In Mladá Boleslav, producing batteries directly at the plant ensures short transport distances, with the carmaker using two electric trucks for this purpose. From 2030, the Czech and Indian plants will be manufacturing cars with net-zero emissions. The Vrchlabí plant is leading the way; the site has already been CO2‑neutral since 2020.

ŠKODA is also committed to sustainability in its products: An ENYAQ iV uses 13 kilograms of recycled plastics recovered from end-of-life battery cases and bumpers. The recycling rate for steel used in the body is 40%, while the aluminium recycling rate is as high as 60%. The side windows are made of 20% recycled glass. In the interior, the ENYAQ iV also offers seat covers made of 40% virgin wool and 60% recycled PET bottles.

At the same time, ŠKODA AUTO has enlisted the support of a Sustainability Advisory Council to implement its ambitious sustainability goals. The five internationally experienced members provide new impetus and suggestions for current and future measures related to sustainability. This way, they promote a more versatile dialogue on sustainability topics between the car manufacturer and its stakeholders.

Spyne launches first-of-its-kind Photography SDK Solution for the Automobile industry



Introduces a ‘Self-Serve’ app for the SMB market that dealers can download from the app and play store free of cost

National, 31st August 2022: Spyne, a Deep Tech start-up helping businesses and marketplaces create high-quality product images and videos at scale with AI, today announced the launch of its first-of-its-kind AI-powered photography solution – SDK Solution for the Automobile industry.  With the help of this solution, the manual processes used by businesses to photograph and edit car images can be automated and streamlined, reducing the amount of time, money, and labour required significantly.

The newly launched SDK solution can be directly embedded in the enterprise dealer app and help businesses capture and create uniform, studio-quality car images that can directly be uploaded to their website and App. Equipped with a smart AI-powered camera interface, the solution manages the smartphone automotive shoot experience. The solution further instructs the dealer on how to shoot, what angles to shoot from, and provides an error if the light is too harsh or dull, among other things.

In addition to this, the company has also introduced a Spyne AI photoshoot & Editing App for the SMB market. The dealers can download it from the app store and play store free of cost. Through the self-serve App, dealers can do a smart shoot and generate an interactive 360 view for every car they sell. These can further help them with better customer engagement and conversions.

Speaking on the launch, Sanjay Kumar, Co-founder, and CEO at Spyne said, “We are one of the first companies in the industry to have developed an innovative SDK solution for the automotive sector. In the used car market, the product image is crucial in helping customers make decisions in purchasing the car. Our newly launched solution helps large auto tech companies and dealerships get studio-quality car images within seconds using the integrated app. With this launch, we would like to enable every used-car dealer to sell their cars better through the online channel. We are working to roll out cost-effective solutions and plans for the smaller dealerships to make it easy for them to adopt and use.”

Spyne works with more than 60 auto enterprise clients located across the US, South America, Middle East, Europe, and Southeast Asia, as well as leading used car marketplace brands in India.

About Spyne:

Founded in 2018 by Sanjay Kumar and Deepti Prasad, Spyne develops 100% automatic, industry-first AI image processing products to help large e-commerce marketplaces in the automotive, fashion, and retail industry enhance the visual value of the images without a physical studio. The AI tech products enable businesses to create 500X faster studio-finish images and help them scale operations in real-time. At present, the brand is currently serving 80+ customers including OLACars, Karvi, SellAnyCar, Megadealers, Amazon India, Flipkart, etc. across 15+ countries. The company has also recently launched its self-serve AI technology for the automotive industry and will further be replicating the model for the e-commerce and food industry in the upcoming months.  

Spyne is backed by Accel, Storm Ventures, Angellist, Smile Group, Pentathlon Ventures, Core91, and prominent founders/CXOs from leading Internet companies.

Website Link: https://www.spyne.ai/category/cars

Spyne logo files: https://spyne.ai/brand-logo.zip

Photo: https://drive.google.com/file/d/1D4i2rMdAsgg8VY_K3EFIHsicOyn8b959/view?usp=sharing

MG Motor India introduces the 'Advanced Gloster' starting at INR 31.99 Lakh

·         India’s first autonomous (Level 1) premium SUV now with a richer and safer drive experience

·         Available in 2WD and 4WD options with 6- and 7- seater variants

·         First-in-Segment 2.0-litre twin-turbo diesel engine with Best-in-Segment 158.5 kW power

·         Updated i-SMART now with more than 75 Connected Car features

Gurugram, August 31st, 2022: MG Motor India today announced the launch of the Advanced Gloster starting at Rs 31.99 lakh. India's first autonomous (Level 1) premium SUV now comes with new and advanced safety, style, and technology enhancements.

The existing Gloster’s Advanced Driver Assist System (ADAS) has additional first-in-segment features such as Door Open Warning (DOW), Rear Cross Traffic Alert (RCTA), and Lane Change Assist (LCA). These advances on the existing 30 standard safety features make the Advanced Gloster a safer and smoother drive.

The towering road presence of the Advanced Gloster is further strengthened by the all-new British Windmill Turbine-themed alloy wheels in 4WD variants. It is now being offered in the newly introduced ‘Deep Golden’ colour option which further enhances the luxurious appeal of the SUV. This is in addition to the already existing colours of Metal Black, Metal Ash and Warm White.

Speaking on the launch, Rajeev Chaba, President and Managing Director, MG Motor India, saidTechnological disruption, constant evolution, and best-in-class customer experience are key priorities for us at MG. The Gloster is known for being bold, sturdy, versatile, and luxurious, and we are grateful for our customers’ response to it. With its 2WD and 4WD trims, powerful engine options, next-gen technology, Autonomous Level 1 and MY MG Shield Package, the ‘Advanced Gloster’ is designed to delight and excite our new-age customer.

He further added, “We are actively addressing the supply chain issues through efforts such as additional localisation to ensure improvement in production. We hope to double our Gloster sales with this launch.

The ‘Advanced Gloster’ offers entertainment on the go and retains its Best-in-Segment 31.2 cm Touchscreen and High-Quality Audio System with 12 speakers along with Android Auto and Apple Car Play including the First-in-Segment Shortpedia News App and Gaana song search via voice commands. The SUV ups the ante with its upgraded and smart-tech inclusion of more than 75 Connected Car features.

Available in 2WD and 4WD with 6- and 7-seater options the ‘Advanced Gloster’ brings with it unmatched premium luxury and best-in-class interior space. The 'Advanced Gloster' keeps the powerful 2.0-litre diesel engine which is available in two choices including First-in-Segment twin-turbo diesel engine producing Best-in-Segment 158.5 kW power.

The MG Gloster is a hallmark of comfort and luxury. The 'Advanced Gloster' continues with this legacy. It comes with best-in-class features, a towering road presence, a powerful capability, and luxurious interiors. The SUV possesses an intelligent 4WD, an all-terrain system with 7 modes, a dual panoramic electric sunroof, a 12-way power adjust driver seat, driver seat massage and ventilation feature, and wireless charging, among its many noteworthy features.

The Advanced Gloster will also offer a personalized car ownership program “MY MG SHIELD” with over 180 after-sales service options. Also, customers will be offered a standard 3+3+3 package i.e., warranty of three years unlimited kilometers, three years of roadside assistance and three labour-free periodic services.

About MG Motor India

Founded in the UK in 1924, Morris Garages vehicles were world-famous for their sports cars, roadsters, and cabriolet series. MG vehicles were much sought after by many celebrities, including the British Prime Ministers and even the British Royal Family, for their styling, elegance, and spirited performance. The MG Car Club, set up in 1930 at Abingdon in the UK, has thousands of loyal fans, making it one of the world’s largest clubs for a car brand. MG has evolved into a modern, futuristic, and innovative brand over the last 98 years. 

MG Motor India's state-of-the-art manufacturing facility in Halol, Gujarat, has an annual production capacity of 1,25,000 vehicles and employs nearly 2,500 workers. Driven by its vision of CASE (Connected, Autonomous, Shared, and Electric) mobility, the cutting-edge automaker has augmented across-the-board ‘experiences’ within the automobile segment today. It has introduced several ‘firsts’ in India, including India’s first Internet SUV – MG Hector, India’s first Pure Electric Internet SUV – MG ZS EV, India’s first Autonomous (Level 1) Premium SUV – MG Gloster and MG Astor- India’s first SUV with personal AI assistant and Autonomous (Level 2) technology.