Japanese auto major Nissan on Wednesday said it is discontinuing Datsun brand in India, nine years after the company kicked off the marque's global relaunch in the country. Having failed in its ambitious global relaunch of Datsun, Nissan had in 2020 discontinued the brand in Russia and Indonesia, the other two countries along with South Africa and India which were marked as key markets targeting the entry level car segment. Confirming the move to discontinue the Datsun brand, Nissan India in a statement said, "Production of Datsun redi-GO has ceased at the Chennai plant (Renault Nissan Automotive India Private Ltd). "Sales of the model still continue (till the stock lasts)."
Close to 60 per cent models that Kia sells in India are top trims of the models. In line with its global strategy, the India arm of South Korean major Kia has dropped 'Motors' from its name. This is to reflect the transition from an automaker to a provider of advanced and eco-friendly mobility solutions, the company said. With a new brand identity and slogan, the fourth-largest car maker in India by sales aims to accelerate growth and strengthen its premium positioning.
FIFA president Sepp Blatter's decision to resign amid corruption allegations at soccer's governing body is a relief for corporate sponsors who have called for more transparency at the organization, sports marketing experts said on Tuesday.
The car will compete with Hyundai Grand i10 and Maruti Suzuki Celerio
Leading tyre maker Apollo also saw a production loss of 450 tonnes till December 2.
Maruti Suzuki India is eyeing a leadership position in the SUV segment as it continues to add new products across various sub segments, a top company official said on Wednesday. The country's largest carmaker has bolstered its presence in the high volume entry and mid level SUV segments with new Brezza and all new model -- Grand Vitara. "In every segment except SUV, we are the market leader by a distance. "It is only in the SUV that we are behind, so we need to catch up. Clearly, we have to become number one in the SUV space also," Maruti Suzuki India MD and CEO Hisashi Takeuchi said in an interaction on the sidelines of the global unveiling of Grand Vitara.
Apart from the growing adoption of the internet in the country, brands are drawn to the agility of the medium, its targeted and data driven approach and the increasing cost of offline channels for sales and distribution.
To ramp up domestic battery manufacturing capacity and reduce the dependence on imports, the government has initiated talks with a few lithium-rich countries to supply the mineral to Indian companies, industry sources informed Business Standard. The Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) held a meeting with the ambassadors of countries, including Argentina, Chile, and Bolivia, among others, to put forth its request.
Some cars that are emblematic of India's automobile industry will no longer come off the assembly lines after this year.
The country's largest carmaker Maruti Suzuki India will not "walk away" and fight to get back to 50 per cent market share in the domestic passenger vehicle segment, according to company Chairman R C Bhargava. The auto major, which is commemorating 40 years of operations, has seen its market share drop to 43.38 per cent in FY22 from a peak of 51.21 per cent in FY19. In order to get back its dominant leadership, the company plans to drive in models catering to both urban and smaller cities and rural areas.
Maruti will showcase its first concept electric vehicle, the e-SURVIVOR; M&M it's six new EVs, including two futuristic concepts
During September, Maruti said it dispatched 1,375 units of the soon-to-be-launched sedan Ciaz.
Demand for passenger vehicles has been driven by new models, especially in the SUV category with the likes of Maruti Vitara Brezza and Hyundai Creta clocking good numbers
Rediff.com's Rajesh Karkera and Hitesh Harisinghani bring you all the exclusive action from Greater Noida.
Toyota Motor Corp is betting on pricier premium models offering better safety and quality.
Maruti, Hyundai & Mahindra together had 72.5% market share in year's first half.
Ashish Narsale/Rediff.com brings you some of the innovative cars presented at the latest edition of the Consumer Electronics Show.
Amid a shift in mobility trends and people increasingly opting for less polluting energy sources, sales of compressed natural gas (CNG) vehicles increased more than 82 per cent in the past five years. A total of 729,902 CNG vehicles were sold in 2022-23 against 400,825 in 2017-18, according to VAHAN Dashboard. Though the increase in sales of CNG-powered vehicles has been significant, their share in overall vehicle sales remains minuscule as is the case with EVs.
'It says, we are not just an overseas player -- we are Kia India and here for good'
The MG Motor India management is focused on scaling up and launching smaller cars to play the long game in the country, says Pavan Lall.
The investment will be made through a joint venture with Toshiba and Denso. The battery is the most expensive single part of an EV.
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.
On a cloudy Monday this month, Mohammed Irshad flew from Kochi to Gurugram to attend an exclusive investor networking event. Among a handful of founders selected for the event, Irshad was to pitch his peer-to-peer learning start-up Notespaedia for funding in front of top venture capital investors such as AngelBay, Elevation Capital, and Inflection Point Ventures. He failed to woo them, but the feisty entrepreneur was determined to continue his hunt.
A study by second-hand car dealer CARS 24 showed 42 per cent of the consumer feel the need for a car to travel safely now. Those who used cabs to commute before the pandemic want to buy a car for the family and a two-wheeler for shorter runs.
Toyota, General Motors, Volkswagen, Ford, Honda, Renault, Hyundai, Suzuki and Nissan are among those who boast of production of a million unit or more every year.
This could be make or break product for the company.
Move aimed at removing confusion among private buyers
Why Kia is keen to drive into India? The Korean automobile maker plans to carve out a niche for itself in the crowded Indian market with its compact sedans and SUVs.
This is the first time a global company is looking to introduce an SUV in this price segment.
About two dozen car & SUV models and two-wheelers lined up for launch
The partnership will look to expand Ford's reach in the fast-growing Indian market and improve M&M's access to global markets
A weaker rupee against the US dollar and the Japanese yen along with margin sustenance pressures have forced companies to raise prices.
Most top car makers are offering discounts, targeted specifically at government employees. About 5 million employees are expected to benefit from the government's move to raise its employees' salary by 70 per cent. The revised pay scales will be effective January 2006, which means they will get their pending salaries in bulk. Auto makers are hoping they will use the lumpsum payment to make a down payment for a car.
Harman, the premium global audio and infotainment group, which retails brands such as JBL, AKG and Harman-Kardon, is training Indian engineers based at its research and development centre in Bangalore to work on audio components for brands like BMW and Audi. This business contributes an estimated $600 million to the company's sales.
India has exported passenger vehicles worth $268 million to the US in three months ended June
Maruti Suzuki is the big exception, with double-digit surge in volume
Sales of commercial vehicles rose 8.59 per cent to 56,140 units in September, SIAM said.
According to experts, Tata Tiago JTP and Tigor JTP -- a sedan and hatchback -- are not only powerful and faster than every other car in the segment, but also in the segment above, including their peers Maruti Baleno RS, Volkswagen Polo and others.
Auto, tourism exceptions but major sectors otherwise saw decline in FY13 inflows.
India has a history of jugaad, and retrofitting vehicles is one such manifestation of the legendary Indian skill. Not so long ago autorickshaws and small Marutis used to strap on subsidised LPG cylinders and power themselves to a cheap ride. There were the odd explosions, lives were lost, but the jugaad continued. Then compressed natural gas (CNG) was introduced in Delhi following a court order. Initially, customised CNG kits were fitted to conventional (internal combustion engine or ICE) autos cheaply, enabling commuting at less than half of what you would cough up for diesel. The industry is better organised now with Suzuki and Hyundai designing CNG-fired vehicles, and Mahindra and TVS manufacturing liquefied petroleum gas (LPG)-powered three wheelers.
