Stellantis, in collaboration with the Indian Institute of Technology Madras (IIT Madras) and its Centre for Innovation (CFI), organised a Technical Idea Hackathon focused on generating cost-optimising solutions for the automobile industry.

The event saw participation from over 500 engineering students from IIT Madras, contributing more than 100 innovative ideas. Six student teams were awarded a total of Rs 4 lakhs for their innovative approaches to cost optimisation.

The hackathon provided participants with hands-on experience with Citroen India models, including C3, eC3, and C3 Aircross, encouraging the development of frugal engineering solutions.

Ashwani Muppasani, COO, Stellantis India & Asia Pacific gave away the awards to the winning teams and shared Stellantis’ vision of fostering and leveraging industry-academia relations. He said, “We as Stellantis are thrilled to be part of the CFI Open House 2024 hosted by IIT Madras. I am very encouraged with the student-designed cost optimization ideas that were showcased at the event as they were not just cutting-edge but also practical to implement in the real world.”

“As a company, our ambition is to embrace breakthrough ideas that will reinforce our leadership in offering innovative, clean, safe and affordable mobility to all. I congratulate all the winners and participating students for their outstanding commitment and efforts to display their spirit of entrepreneurship and innovation,” he further added.