MAM
Kia India partners with Airtel Business to launch Kia Connect 2.0
Mumbai: Kia India launched the advanced Kia Connect 2.0 platform, transforming in-car connectivity and user experience across all connected car variants. The company partnered with Airtel Business, the B2B division of Bharti Airtel, to introduce the Kia Connect 2.0 platform for its connected cars. By integrating Airtel’s robust nationwide network, Kia Connect 2.0 enables secure real-time data connectivity, revolutionising vehicle management, AI-powered voice commands, and safety features for both internal combustion engine (ICE) models and electric vehicles (EVs).
The platform emphasises five key areas: Vehicle management, AI voice command, convenience, remote control, safety and security, and navigation. Kia India, senior VP & head of sales & marketing, Hardeep Singh Brar highlights the importance of this collaboration: “As part of our 2.0 transition, we are introducing the OTA (Over-the-Air) Kia Connect Diagnostics, unlocking the possibilities of software-defined vehicles where IoT technology becomes fundamental to our offerings. We are excited to partner with Airtel Business whose future-ready solutions will seamlessly integrate with our vehicles, ensuring robust data security and privacy.”
The partnership marks a step towards enhancing Kia’s position as an industry disruptor. The Airtel IoT hub empowers Kia with advanced analytics, real-time monitoring, and FOTA updates, keeping vehicles up-to-date with the latest software. Airtel Business CEO, Sharat Sinha states, “We at Airtel Business are at the forefront of empowering brands across sectors with a secure and dedicated network designed for IoT for the safe transmission of all customer data across connected devices.”
Key features of the Airtel IoT platform for Kia include:
– Seamless connectivity for ICE & EV models: Airtel’s future-ready solution connects vehicles right from the factory.
– Data privacy compliance: Ensures customer data security across connected devices.
– Comprehensive automotive use cases: Supports telematics, infotainment, and other connected car features.
– eSIMs for a ‘Connected at Birth’ experience: Vehicles come equipped with Airtel eSIMs and eUICC technology for future-proofing.
– Enhanced safety features: Includes emergency calling, real-time accident response, and more.
– Custom data plans: Tailored options for different data consumption requirements.
– End-to-End monitoring & support: Covers pre-launch testing and ongoing analytics for improved performance.
https://www.airtel.in/b2b/iot-connectivity
Brands
Estée Lauder to shed 10,000 jobs as new boss bets on digital shift
The cosmetics giant raises its profit outlook but stays silent on a possible merger with Spain’s Puig, as job cuts deepen and a three-year sales slump weighs on the turnaround
NEW YORK: Stéphane de La Faverie is not done cutting. Estée Lauder announced on Friday that it plans to eliminate as many as 3,000 additional jobs, taking its total redundancy programme to as many as 10,000 roles, up from a previous target of 7,000 announced a year ago. The company, which owns La Mer, The Ordinary, Tom Ford, and Aveda, employs roughly 57,000 people worldwide. The mathematics of what is now being contemplated is stark.
The fresh round of cuts is expected to generate a further $200 million in savings, bringing the total annual savings from the programme to as much as $1.2 billion before taxes. That money, De La Faverie has made clear, will be ploughed back into the turnaround.
A CEO in a hurry
De La Faverie, who took the helm in January 2025, inherited a company that had endured three consecutive years of annual sales declines. His response has been to move fast and cut deep. A significant portion of the latest redundancies reflects his push to reduce headcount at US department stores, long a cornerstone of Estée Lauder’s distribution model but now a channel in structural decline. In their place, he is accelerating the shift toward faster-growing online platforms, including Amazon.com and TikTok Shop, a pivot that is reshaping not just where Estée Lauder sells but how it thinks about its customers.
The numbers are moving in the right direction
Despite the pain, there are signs the medicine is working. Estée Lauder raised its profit outlook for the remainder of the fiscal year, guiding for adjusted earnings per share in the range of $2.35 to $2.45, above analyst estimates and a notable step up from the $2.05 to $2.25 range it had guided for in February. Organic net sales growth is expected to come in at 3 per cent, the company said, at the high end of the range it set out in February.
The share price tells a mixed story. After De La Faverie took charge, the stock surged nearly 60 per cent, buoyed by investor optimism that a longtime company insider could finally arrest the decline. But 2026 has been rougher: the shares have fallen 27 per cent this year, weighed down by disappointing February results and the overhang of unresolved merger talks with Spanish beauty giant Puig Brands SA. The company gave no additional details about those discussions on Friday, leaving the market to guess.
Silence on Puig
The proposed tie-up with Puig remains the most consequential unknown hanging over Estée Lauder. A deal with the Barcelona-based group, which owns brands including Carolina Herrera and Rabanne, would reshape the global luxury beauty landscape. But with nothing new to say and a turnaround still very much in progress, De La Faverie is asking investors to trust the process.
Three years of sales declines, 10,000 job cuts, and a merger that may or may not happen. At Estée Lauder, the overhaul has barely started.
