L-R: Dr Arun Jaura - managing director, Michelin India Technology Center, Eric Philippe Vinesse – director of the Michelin R & D, member of the group executive, Rashmi Urdhwareshe – Director, ARAI, Nitin B. Dhande – senior deputy director, HOD – BD&CP, ARAI

Michelin India and Automotive Research Association of India (ARAI) today signed an MoU designed to encourage knowledge-sharing, enhance general awareness of the transportation industry and to drive forward collaborations in automobile technology projects in India.

The signed MoU encompasses several areas of collaboration related to the development of the automobile industry in India, such as training on vehicle dynamics, tyre technologies and exploring future stakes in standardisation and regulation, among others. This strategic partnership will also see Michelin India and ARAI join forces to facilitate testing of tyres for regulatory requirements like wet grip and rolling resistance.

During the signing ceremony Eric Philippe Vinesse, executive vice president, research and development - a member of the Michelin Group executive committee, said: “At Michelin, we continue to expand our external partnerships to tap into new perspectives on innovation. Our strategic partnership with ARAI will allow us to share our expertise and multi-country know-how on tyre technology for the Indian market. Working in collaboration and sharing the wealth of knowledge and experience in the field, Michelin and ARAI will also improve representation and reproducibility of tyre certification testing, leading to increased confidence in the industry and to benefit the consumers in India.”

The partnership will also explore possibilities for Michelin India Research and Development to entrust and explore cooperation with ARAI on tyre technology R&D, and exchange new technology know-how for UNECE regulatory requirements.

Elaborating on this partnership, Dr Arun Jaura, managing director, Michelin R&D India said, “In addition to joint innovative missions, this partnership will work on collaborative technical projects that will benefit consumers, enlighten the mobility industry in preparation of upcoming norms and regulations and build knowledge for testing and evaluation in various weather conditions on Indian terrains that will catapult sustainable mobility solutions pertinent to the Indian ecosystem.”

Rashmi Urdhwareshe, Director, ARAI, said: “We are very happy to collaborate with Michelin on supporting the development of the Auto and Tyre industries in India. As an autonomous R&D organisation, ARAI is at the cutting edge of assessing Auto industry technologies and Michelin is a global technology leader in the Tyre industry with a robust R&D and testing process. This partnership will help us strengthen learnings that drive innovation and standardisation to harness mobility opportunities for India.”