Schedule a Call Back
ContiTech Expands Pune R&D Capabilities to Boost Automotive Innovation
Industry News- Nov 12,26
ContiTech expands its Pune innovation hub with a dedicated colour lab, prototype facilities and an enhanced R&D team to support India's automotive sector.
Pune (Maharashtra)
ContiTech is expanding its research and development capabilities at its Surface Solutions facility in Pune, investing in India's first dedicated Surface Solutions Colour Lab, enhanced prototype development infrastructure and additional technical expertise to accelerate innovation in automotive interior materials.
Announced on 12 November 2026, the investment aims to strengthen local product development, reduce response times and support closer technical collaboration with automotive original equipment manufacturers (OEMs) in India. The expansion forms part of ContiTech's long-term strategy to strengthen its presence in one of the world's key automotive markets.
The planned Colour Lab will provide advanced capabilities for colour development, colour matching, appearance evaluation and customer-specific material engineering. Primarily serving automotive manufacturers in India, the facility will also support selected research and development activities across the Asia-Pacific (APAC) and Europe, Middle East and Africa (EMEA) regions.
Alexander Scholz, Head of Business India, Surface Solutions at ContiTech, said: “India is a key growth market for our business and an important pillar of our long-term development strategy. As automotive manufacturers increasingly seek localized development support, faster response times and closer technical collaboration, these enhanced local capabilities will help us better support our customers' evolving needs.”
“This investment reinforces our ‘In India, for India’ approach and reflects our confidence in the continued growth potential of the Indian automotive industry.”
The investment also includes upgraded prototype development facilities designed to accelerate the evaluation, testing and validation of customised automotive interior solutions. By bringing these capabilities closer to domestic customers, ContiTech aims to shorten development cycles and improve responsiveness to evolving design and material requirements.
The expansion comes as automotive manufacturers increasingly prioritise premium cabin experiences, advanced synthetic materials, improved durability and sustainable interior solutions. Vehicle interiors are becoming an important area of differentiation, prompting greater demand for sophisticated surface finishes, customised colours and innovative material technologies.
Burak Üzel, Head of Design, Surface Solutions, said: “Automotive interiors have become a key differentiator for vehicle brands. Customers increasingly expect premium, comfortable and individualized interior experiences, while OEMs seek innovative and sustainable material solutions. This investment will strengthen our ability to develop and validate color concepts locally, enabling closer collaboration with customers and supporting the next generation of interior design and material solutions for the Indian market.”
Alongside the laboratory and prototyping investments, ContiTech plans to strengthen its Pune R&D team by introducing four additional positions. The expanded workforce will enhance local technical capabilities and support customer development programmes across India and other regional markets.
The company has also appointed Alok Pandey as Head of Plant Management Pune. He will oversee the site's continued development, focusing on operational excellence, local innovation and customer-oriented engineering capabilities.
Jan-Philipp Behrndt, Head of Operations Automotive Plants, Surface Solutions, said: “The expertise and dedication of our local teams are key to our success. With the planned expansion of our R&D organization, enhanced technical capabilities and strong local leadership, Pune will continue to grow as an important contributor to our global innovation network. I am confident that the team's expertise and commitment will support our future growth and create additional value for customers.”
Strategically located near Pune, a major automotive manufacturing hub, the Surface Solutions facility supplies premium interior surface materials for passenger vehicles and two-wheelers. The site serves leading automotive OEMs in India and plays an important role in ContiTech's regional manufacturing and technical support network.
The latest expansion is expected to strengthen the facility's contribution to ContiTech's global innovation network while enabling greater localisation of automotive material development. Enhanced colour engineering and prototyping capabilities will allow customers to collaborate more closely with technical teams during the design and development stages.
ContiTech, a Continental group sector, specialises in advanced materials and industrial solutions across automotive, off-highway, rail, aerospace and other industrial applications. As of March 2026, the company employed approximately 20,000 people across more than 60 sites worldwide and recorded sales of around Euro 6 billion in 2025.
Its parent company, Continental, founded in 1871, reported sales of Euro 19.7 billion in 2025 and employs approximately 76,000 people across 54 countries and markets.
With the latest investment, ContiTech aims to position its Pune operations as a stronger centre for automotive material innovation, supporting the growing demand for premium, customised and sustainable vehicle interiors while reinforcing India's role in its international research and development network.
ContiTech
Continental
Alexander Scholz
Burak Üzel
Alok Pandey
Automotive Industry
Automotive Interior Materials
Pune R&D Investment
Related Stories
Auto & Auto Components
ContiTech Expands Pune R&D Capabilities to Boost Automotive Innovation
ContiTech expands its Pune innovation hub with a dedicated colour lab, prototype facilities and an enhanced R&D team to support India's automotive sector.
Read moreAuto & Auto Components
Tata Motors, Iveco Group Unite to Build Global Commercial Vehicle Giant
Tata Motors and Iveco Group form a global commercial vehicle enterprise with Rs 2.28 trillion in revenue, operations in over 130 countries.
Read moreAuto & Auto Components
India’s PV and CV sales surge as EVs, infrastructure drive growth
India’s passenger and commercial vehicle markets are expanding on policy support, infrastructure growth, rising incomes, exports and faster EV adoption.
Read moreRelated Products
Automotive Oil Pump
AUTO COMPONENTS & ACCESSORIES
Kalpak Auto Pvt Ltd offers a wide range of
automotive oil pump.
Tata Motors unveils facilities for development of Hydrogen propulsion tech
AUTO COMPONENTS & ACCESSORIES
Tata Motors, India?s largest automobile company, unveiled two state-of-the-art & new-age R&D facilities for meeting its mission of offering sustainable mobility solutions. The unveilings constitute of Read more
Tata Motors plans petrol powertrain for Harrier and Safari SUVs
AUTO COMPONENTS & ACCESSORIES
Tata Motors is in the process of developing a new petrol powertrain for its premium sports utility vehicles, the Harrier and Safari, as confirmed by a senior company official. Currently, these models Read more
latest News
Subscribe to iNoW
For Industry News on WhatsApp, Give a Miss Call on: +91 84228 74016
