The first leg of the 35-day festive period, which ended with Dussehra, failed to bring any cheer for auto companies. While makers of passenger vehicles struggled to meet demand due to the persistent shortage of semiconductors, a recovery in demand remained elusive for two-wheeler manufacturers despite offers and schemes. The overall season, which ends two days after Diwali, is unlikely to bring any turnaround in either the supply or the demand scenario, said dealers and officials at auto companies.
North American automotive executives have picked India over China as the most popular offshore destination for the migration of business processing activities, according to a new survey.
German premium carmaker Audi on Monday launched the facelift version of its mid-spec performance car S5 Sportback in the domestic market at a starting price of Rs 79.06 lakh (ex-showroom). The five-seater, four-door sports coupe, has been brought as a completely built unit, the company said in a release. Audi India has seen a growth in demand from Tier-II and Tier-III cities, which is expected to accelerate further going forward, it added.
The company is voluntarily undertaking a recall for WagonR (1 litre) manufactured between November 15, 2018, and October 15, 2019, and Baleno (petrol) manufactured between January 8, 2019, and November 4, 2019, MSI said in a regulatory filing.
A Mercedes-Maybach S650 Guard was recently added to the prime minister's cavalcade by the Special Protection Group.
The country's largest carmaker Maruti Suzuki India on Wednesday reported a 66 per cent decline in consolidated net profit at Rs 487 crore in the second quarter ended September 30, 2021, as production was affected by the ongoing semiconductor shortage. The rise in commodity prices also had an adverse impact on the company's earnings.
Bhavish Aggarwal, the founder of ride-hailing firm Ola who disrupted the electric scooters market in the country, is planning to launch an electric sports car in 2024. The plan will put it in competition with Indian players, such as the Tata group and Mahindra & Mahindra, and global giants like Tesla and Hyundai. Aggarwal, recently, took a group of reporters to the firm's design studio at the Ola campus in Bengaluru where his teams are working on several EVs, including scooters, motorcycles, sedans, and SUVs - and even robotaxis.
Passenger vehicle market leaders Maruti Suzuki and Hyundai on Saturday reported a decline in wholesales in December 2021, although homegrown majors Tata Motors and Mahindra & Mahindra reported growth, amid semiconductor shortage continuing to impact production. Other manufacturers Nissan and Skoda also reported an increase in December 2021 sales although Honda Cars India witnessed a decline last month. The country's largest carmaker Maruti Suzuki India (MSI) reported a 4 per cent fall in wholesales to 153,149 units in December 2021 as against 160,226 units a year ago.
'Localisation saves a lot of time and cost for them. Keeping an eye on a long-term market, this is the best way these car-makers can build momentum for their brands.'
With the threat of a third Covid-19 wave looming large, companies are scrambling to protect employees and keep operations safe--from a no-jab-no-entry-at-workplace policy to ramping up vaccination, it's an all-out effort to prevent the scale of devastation seen in the first two waves. At least two top steel companies--Tata Steel and ArcelorMittal Nippon Steel India (AM/NS India)--are pushing for vaccination certificates for entry into work premises. AM/NS India, a joint venture between world's leading steelmaker, ArcelorMittal, and Japan's Nippon Steel, is set to make vaccination the certificate a requirement from July 1.
Mercedes-Benz joins the connected cars revolution with the launch of their app -- 'Mercedes Me'.
Indian consumers are likely to get respite from rising prices just before the festival season. Some consumer companies, including automakers, have indicated that they are planning to pause price hikes just before demand picks up in August, while keeping a close eye on volatile raw material prices.
The country's biggest carmaker is now more valuable than the combined market cap of the three leading automobile companies in the country: Tata Motors (Rs 1,18,684 crore), M&M (Rs 86,336 crore) and Ashok Leyland (Rs 34,700 crore).
India's electric mobility goal, which has so far been riding on two wheels, is all set to graduate to four wheels. At least, the journey has begun. Hyundai Motor India said it would invest Rs 4,000 crore till 2028 to launch half-a-dozen electric vehicles (EVs) in India. It would eventually straddle premium and mass segments. The first of these - the electrified version of an internal combustion engine (ICE)-powered model - will go on sale as early as next year.
German luxury carmaker Audi on Thursday launched a new version of its flagship SUV Q7 in India with prices starting at Rs 79.99 lakh (ex-showroom) as it seeks to further accelerate growth in the country. The locally assembled vehicle is powered by a 3-litre petrol engine with a 48V mild-hybrid system generating 340 hp. It can accelerate from 0-100 km/hr in 5.9 seconds. The new Q7 will be available in two variants -- Q7 Premium Plus and Q7 Technology -- priced at Rs 79.99 lakh and Rs 88.33 lakh (ex-showroom), respectively.
When a manufacturer launches the fifth generation of a product, it is given that earlier avatars hit the mark. Ditto for the new Honda City, the latest version of which also brings in sweeping changes to the carmaker's product strategy for the Indian market, says Pavan Lall.
Time was when you turned on your car's ignition, all that happened was that the mechanical system fired up your engine and made it run. Today, the moment you do so, your stereo system probably lights up, connects to the Bluetooth on your smartphone, and lets you make calls through an audio assistant or play music from your phone, which you can hear on the car's speakers. All these smart features in a car are powered by semiconductors, or chips, as they are commonly called.
Uniqueness of the first-ever BMW X3 M lies in a newly developed powerful engine and sophisticated chassis technology.
The growth momentum that started during the festival season is likely to sustain in the new year, reports Arindam Majumder.
The country's largest carmaker Maruti Suzuki India (MSI) on Wednesday reported a consolidated net profit of Rs 475 crore for the first quarter ended June 30. The auto major had posted a consolidated net loss of Rs 268 crore in the April-June quarter of 2020-21. It noted that during the first quarter its sales and production were adversely impacted due to the second wave of the COVID-19 pandemic.
With 15 models and a market share of close to 50 per cent, it rules the Indian market, selling almost 1.5 million units every year, rolling out one model every ten seconds.
Market leaders Maruti Suzuki and Hyundai, who together control two-thirds of the domestic market, have not yet firmed up a decision on raising prices.
The country's largest carmaker Maruti Suzuki India on Tuesday said its models Swift, Baleno, WagonR, Alto and Dzire have emerged as best selling cars in 2020-21 and the top five models have come from its stable for the fourth consecutive year. Swift with over 1.72 lakh units was at the number one position followed by Baleno with 1.63 lakh units, the company said in a statement. Maruti Suzuki India's (MSI) tall boy WagonR was in the third spot with 1.60 lakh units while Alto and Dzire were at fourth and fifth with 1.59 lakh units and 1.28 lakh units respectively, it added.
'Bharat has been leading, but it cannot carry India as the bulk of the sales come from India in terms of volume and profitability.'
Tata Motors' UK-based subsidiary, Jaguar Land Rover or JLR, reported a muted operational performance in the December quarter of financial year 2021-22 (Q3FY22). The luxury carmaker saw a 33 per cent year-on-year (YoY) decline in wholesale volumes to just under 70,000 units in Q3, against estimates that were 16 per cent higher. The drop in despatches to dealers was on account of shortage in semiconductors.
M&M also saw its domestic passenger vehicle sales grow by 1 per cent, while Toyota Kirloskar Motor witnessed a decline in its PV sales.
There is another common trend among these three players - they are all registering a volume decline in a market that is expanding at over 8 per cent
Besides their country of origin, General Motors, Ford Motor and Harley-Davidson have another trait in common: all three have failed in India, the world's fifth largest automobile market. All three of them took a tough call to de-prioritise India as a market amid disruption from heightened regulations and sharper focus on capital allocation by the parent.
While auto sales in the US have plunged, vehicle sale in China has more than doubled since 2005, rising near 13 million units this year.
'The same thing takes place in the Congress and we have to call it democracy'
The country's largest carmaker Maruti Suzuki India (MSI) aims to sell 4-6 lakh CNG units in the current fiscal year depending upon supply situation of essential components, as per a senior company official. The company sold about 2.3 lakh CNG units in 2021-22. MSI currently sells nine of its 15 models with CNG powertrain and is looking to drive in more models with such technology in the coming days.
The country's leading automakers Maruti Suzuki and Hyundai Motor reported a decline in dispatches to dealers in March as shortage of electronic components impacted production. On the other hand, Tata Motors, Skoda and Kia India posted their highest ever monthly wholesales last month. Toyota Kirloskar Motor said its dispatches in March were the highest in the last five years while Mahindra & Mahindra also reported a robust increase in its passenger vehicle dispatches in March.
The company, which sells every second car in the domestic market, said it expected production and sales to grow between 4 per cent and 8 per cent for the financial year started in April.
With rising petrol and diesel prices driving up demand for its CNG vehicles, the country's largest carmaker Maruti Suzuki India plans to widen its CNG portfolio by offering the fuel option in four more models 'very shortly', according to a senior company official. The company, which plans to launch an electric vehicle (EV) in the Indian market by 2025, is also currently keeping a close watch on the country's EV ecosystem "to find out what is the best way of evolution" to be able to offer affordable EVs with hassle free charging infrastructure in order to clock high volumes for a sustainable business.
Analysts said the demand recovery in two-wheeler and car segments was skewed towards the semi-urban and rural markets.
The country's largest carmaker Maruti Suzuki India (MSI) is planning to invest around Rs 18,000 crore on a new manufacturing facility in Haryana, as per a top company official. The new plant would replace the company's Gurugram-based facility and is expected to have an installed production capacity of 7.5-10 lakh units per annum. While confirming the Rs 18,000 crore investment plan, MSI chairman RC Bhargava told PTI that the company had always planned to shift the Gurugram facility to a nearby location.
Former managing director of Maruti Suzuki India, Jagdish Khattar, passed away on Monday morning following a cardiac arrest, according to people close to him. Khattar (79), a former bureaucrat, was considered as one of the most high profile leaders of the Indian automotive industry, laying the foundation for Maruti's future growth after the government began its disinvestment in 2002 and gradually exited from its joint venture with Suzuki Motor Corporation (SMC). He had joined the then Maruti Udyog Ltd in July 1993 as director (marketing) and went on to become executive director (marketing) in the next six years.
The country's largest carmaker Maruti Suzuki India is neither shifting investments nor jobs from Haryana to Gujarat by shifting production of its compact sedan Dzire, company chairman RC Bhargava said on Tuesday. The company is maximising the efficiency of production at its two plants at Haryana and the parent Suzuki's Gujarat plant, keeping in mind the demand of its multiple models.
The new year will see a line of hatchbacks (including compact SUVs) hit the Indian roads. Rajesh Karkera/Rediff.com offers a peek.
