With just a month left in this financial year, electric two-wheeler sales, so far, are at just 62 per cent of the ambitious target of 1 million units set for 2022-23 by the NITI Aayog. According to VAHAN data, compiled by the Society of Manufacturers of Electric Vehicles (SMEV), 620,006 units of electric two-wheelers were sold across the country in FY23 until February 21. Though the industry may miss the 1-million target, sales in FY23 are already up 146 per cent from 249,621 units sold in FY22.
Tata Motors, Maruti, Tata Steel, Vedanta, Bajaj Auto, IndusInd Bank, SBI, Hero MotoCorp, M&M, Asian Paints, Axis Bank, RIL and L&T too jumped up to 10.21 per cent.
Supposed to be one of the top-paid stars in Tamil cinema, actor Vijay is known for his big-ticket hits and commands good box-office opening.
Top losers in the Sensex pack included IndusInd Bank, Bharti Airtel, Tata Motors, Axis Bank, Kotak Bank, Bajaj Auto, Yes Bank, HCL Tech, HUL and Hero MotoCorp, falling up to 4.36 per cent.
Upon completion, the factory will create almost 10,000 jobs and will initially have an annual capacity of 2 million units.
Yes Bank was the biggest gainer in the Sensex pack, climbing 4.08 per cent, followed by Tata Motors, ICICI Bank, Bajaj Auto, Coal India, Hero MotoCorp, HCL Tech, Vedanta, Sun Pharma, Axis Bank, Maruti, ITC, IndusInd Bank, TCS, HUL and SBI, rising up to 2.67 per cent.
IndusInd Bank, Infosys, Maruti, Vedanta, Hero MotoCorp, Tata Motors, ONGC and RIL too fell up to 4.96 per cent.
Here are the best models in the market right now.
Market leader Maruti Suzuki India's passenger vehicles sales declined by 2.34 per cent last month at 133,702 units. Hero MotoCorp reported total two-wheeler sales of 480,196 units last month, down 20.05 per cent.
IndusInd Bank was the biggest gainer in the Sensex pack, rallying 4.84 per cent, followed by Sun Pharma, Bajaj Auto, Bharti Airtel, Coal India, Tata Motors, SBI, ICICI Bank, Hero MotoCorp, ONGC, HDFC, Vedanta, L&T, Kotak Bank, Maruti and Axis Bank, ending up to 2.92 per cent higher.
Ajit Mishra, vice president, Research, Religare Broking, answers your queries.
Consumer stocks remain the biggest laggard on the bourses. The Nify50 weighting of FMCG stocks declined to a decade low of 9.9 per cent at the end of March this year, down 150 basis points from 11.4 per cent a year ago. At their peak in March 2013, major FMCG stocks, such as Hindustan Unilever, ITC, and Asian Paints, together accounted for 15 per cent of the Nifty50. But now together with automobile stocks, the consumer goods sector accounts for only 14.7 per cent of the index, down 200 basis points in the past 12 months and 37 per cent from the record high weighting of 23.4 per cent at the end of March 2014.
For Hero MotoCorp, India's largest two-wheeler company, it's a calculated gambit to revive Harley-Davidson whose ride in India has been anything but easy since it got here.When automotive firms embark on alliances, it's a roll of the dice on how such marriages will play out.
Indian two-wheeler majors Hero MotoCorp and Bajaj Auto are the biggest beneficiaries of this surge and, between the two, they are estimated to control about half of the local market there
Leading automakers Maruti Suzuki India, Hyundai Motor, Kia Motors and Tata Motors reported sales growth in the domestic market in November, aided by robust offtakes amid the festival season. While Maruti Suzuki India reported marginal growth, Hyundai logged in its highest ever monthly sales in November. Others like Honda Cars India, Toyota Kirloskar Motor, Mahindra & Mahindra and MG Motor India also reported sales growth in November as compared with the same month last year.
Investors engaged in profit booking in the recent gainers at attractive and higher valuations.
Passenger vehicle wholesales in India increased by 12.73 per cent to 285,367 units in November as against 253,139 units in the same month last year riding on the back of festive demand, auto industry body SIAM said on Friday. According to the latest data by the Society of Indian Automobile Manufacturers (SIAM), two-wheeler sales rose 13.43 per cent to 16,00,379 units, compared with 14,10,939 units in the same month last year.
Ola Electric's technology team is working hard to iron out the technical kinks that marred the electric vehicle company's hyped online sale of its electric scooters (e-scooters) - the S1 and the S1 Pro - on Wednesday, said company sources. The SoftBank-backed firm is facing technical difficulties in making the website live for the purchase of its e-scooters. According to company sources, the website couldn't go live as there were integration issues.
The country's top carmaker Maruti Suzuki India (MSI) on Wednesday said it has decided to advance maintenance shutdown at its two Haryana-based manufacturing plants by a month amid a surge in the COVID-19 cases across the country. The auto major was supposed to take the shutdown at its two plants in Gurugram and Manesar in June, but due to the tsunami of COVID-19 cases, it decided to take it one month earlier to save oxygen for medical needs. MSI noted that as part of the car manufacturing process, it uses a small amount of oxygen in its factories, while relatively much larger quantities are used by the manufacturers of components.
On the Sensex chart, losses were mainly driven by Hero MotoCorp, Tata Motors, Axis Bank, Tata Steel, Maruti and SBI -- falling as much as 6.19 per cent.
The 41-year-old former Ashes hero had a narrow escape after he careered his high speed trike, while ride on the track on Elvington Airfield, off the road near York while filming a stunt for the BBC motor show.
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.
Yes Bank gained the most, spurting 5.94 per cent. Bajaj Finance, Hero MotoCorp, TCS, HUL, Bajaj Auto, HCL Tech, Infosys, SBI, M&M, ICICI Bank and Tata Motors rose up to 1.65 per cent.
Other players who have declared no production days in the recent past, and during this month, include Mahindra & Mahindra, Maruti Suzuki, Hero MotoCorp, Bosch, Jamna Auto, Wabco and Sundaram-Clayton.
Top losers in the Sensex pack included IndusInd Bank, Bajaj Finance, Tata Motors, Tata Steel, Hero MotoCorp, Axis Bank, M&M, Vedanta and Maruti, falling up to 3.50 per cent.
Hero MotoCorp was the top gainer in the Sensex pack, spurting 4.46 per cent. IndusInd Bank, Tata Motors, Vedanta, SBI, M&M, Sun Pharma, Tata Steel, HDFC and HDFC Bank too rose up to 3.63 per cent.
An analysis of past 20 years' demand cycles done by Edelweiss Securities indicates that the auto sector is currently in the middle of a down cycle. Volume recovery, they say, is unlikely to be as sharp as in the past, unless there is strong fiscal support.
After selling brands like Pulsar, Boxer, Platina and RE in over 70 countries, Bajaj Auto plans to enter Thailand this year followed by Brazil next year.
Passenger vehicle wholesale in India increased by 14.19 per cent to 3,10,294 units in October against 2,71,737 units in the same month last year as companies despatched more units to dealers to cater to enhanced demand in the festive season, auto industry body SIAM said on Wednesday. According to the latest data by the Society of Indian Automobile Manufacturers (SIAM), two-wheeler sales also rose 16.88 per cent to 20,53,814 units, compared with 17,57,180 units in the same month last year. Motorcycle sales were at 13,82,749 units as against 11,16,886 units in October 2019, up 23.8 per cent.
Leading automakers Maruti Suzuki, Hyundai and Tata Motors on Thursday reported robust sales in March as a shift towards personal mobility and pent up demand continued to help companies push dispatches to their respective retail partners. Toyota Kirloskar Motor, Honda Cars and Mahindra and Mahindra (M&M) also reported strong sales last month as compared to the year-ago period, when dispatches were adversely impacted due to the impending transition to BSVI from April 2020 and the nationwide lockdown to contain the coronavirus pandemic. The country's largest carmaker Maruti Suzuki India said its domestic sales stood at 1,49,518 units last month. The auto major had reported sales of 76,976 units in March 2020.
Nearly a decade ago, the first fully electric vehicle (EV) caught fire on the road in the US. It was a model from Tesla, the world's most admired EV maker. A metal fragment punctured the underbelly of the vehicle, penetrating its battery pack, leading to a fire. Indian lawmakers and automakers have had nine years to study the incident (in fact, three Tesla Model Ss caught fire in two months in 2013) but seem to have learnt little.
Auto firms are likely to perform better in coming months.
Nestle India was the top loser in the Sensex pack, shedding 2.20 per cent, on its first day as part of the index.
In the Sensex pack, Yes Bank, Tata Motors, Bajaj Finance, Tata Steel, HDFC twins, IndusInd Bank, RIL, Asian Paints, Hero MotoCorp, Axis Bank, M&M, HUL, Bajaj Auto, NTPC, HCL Tech, Kotak Bank and Infosys fell up to 5.30 per cent.
In doing so, Bajaj has become the first internal combustion engine two-wheeler company to launch an all-electric two-wheeler in India.
EV players suggest a reduction in the goods and services tax on batteries from 18 to 5 per cent as it would help push demand.
In the Sensex pack, Vedanta rallied 3.20 per cent, followed by Tata Steel, M&M, Tata Motors, ONGC, Hindustan Unilever, Maruti, Hero MotoCorp, HDFC, Bajaj Finance, SBI, HDFC Bank, HCL Tech, Coal India, Sun Pharma, Infosys, Reliance and Bharti Airtel, rising up to 2.69 per cent.
Rediff.com's Rajesh Karkera and Hitesh Harisinghani bring you all the exclusive action from Greater Noida.
After swinging nearly 330 points, BSE Sensex finished 172.69 points or 0.43 per cent higher at 40,412.57. Similarly, the 50-scrip NSE Nifty appreciated 53.35 points or 0.45 per cent to close at 11,910.15.
Consumers will get a list of dealers in their neighbourhood once they have made a selection of vehicles.