MAM
Animax claims success with school contact programme
MUMBAI: The anime channel Animax’s school contact programme Get Irfan to School contest has received nearly one lakh entries from 500 schools across the country.
The brand ambassador for Animax Irfan Pathan visited six schools across three metros. According to a company release, the response rate for the contact programme was nearly 25 per cent, which is way ahead of the average industry response rate (12 to 15 per cent ) in this category.
Through the contact programme, the channel reached out to approximately 4,00,000 children. “Irfan was a great draw for the contest and the students were really excited at the prospect of meeting him. Both the schools and kids are very eager to meet this India’s greatest cricket sensation,” said AXN & Animax assistant vice president sales and marketing Rohit Bhandari.
The winning schools were selected based on the highest number of entries generated from each school. Nearly, 7,664 entries were received from New Cambridge High School, Bangalore, which is also the school with highest responses in the country.
While, the other schools that would get to meet with Irfan Pathan are Sacred Heart Boys School from Bangalore, St. Joseph High School (Colaba) and Holy Name High (Fort) from Mumbai and Kalka Public School and Cambridge Foundation School from New Delhi.
Through Get Irfan to School contest the students had to answer a simple question that was featured on Animax and also name their favourite character on the channel.
Through the contest, the Animax character Astro Boy, the robot emerged as the most popular character amongst school kids. While, Daigunder, Hungry Heart and Cyborg Kurochan also emerged as the other popular characters.
In a bid to promote the animation industry, the media release says that Animax has also invited all the 500 participating schools to nominate two of their most deserving students to participate in an animation workshop conducted by a leading animator. Each of the winning school will also get a personalised cricket bat from Irfan.
Brands
Hyundai and TVS Motor partner to develop electric three wheelers
Joint development pact targets last mile mobility with localisation push
MUMBAI: Three wheels, one big ambition and a charge towards the future. Hyundai Motor Company and TVS Motor Company have signed a joint development agreement to co-create electric three-wheelers (E3Ws), aiming to crack India’s complex last-mile mobility puzzle. The collaboration moves beyond concept talk into execution mode, building on the E3W prototype first showcased at the Bharat Mobility Global Expo 2025. The goal now is clear, design, develop and commercialise a purpose-built vehicle tailored to Indian roads, riders and realities.
Under the agreement, Hyundai will lead design and co-development, bringing its global R&D muscle and human-centric engineering approach to the table. TVS Motor, meanwhile, will anchor the product on its electric platform, leveraging deep three-wheeler expertise and local market insight. It will also handle manufacturing and sales in India, with an eye on exports down the line.
The timing is strategic. India remains the world’s largest three-wheeler market, where affordability, durability and adaptability often outweigh sheer innovation. The upcoming E3W aims to strike that balance combining advanced technology with practical features such as adaptive ground clearance for monsoon-hit roads, improved thermal management for tropical climates, and flexible interiors suited for passengers, cargo or emergency use.
A key pillar of the partnership is localisation. Major components will be sourced and manufactured within India, a move expected to strengthen the domestic supply chain, create jobs, lower costs and improve after-sales support.
The shift from prototype to production will involve rigorous testing, certification and refinement to meet regulatory standards and consumer expectations. Dedicated cross-functional teams from both companies are already in place to accelerate timelines.
At a broader level, the tie-up reflects a growing trend in mobility, global players partnering with local specialists to navigate emerging markets. For Hyundai and TVS, the bet is that combining scale with street-level insight could unlock a new chapter in sustainable urban transport, one that runs not just on electricity, but on relevance.
