The auto industry has had a mixed month. The build up to Dhanteras and Diwali was good but the demand tapered off subsequently.
Ajit Mishra, vice president, Research, Religare Broking, answers your queries.
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.
The automaker was found to have engaged in anti-competitive practices.
Cumulative sale at India's top six passenger vehicle (PV) makers dropped 0.7 per cent to 267,000 units, from 269,000 a year before.
Vehicle sales across categories registered a decline of 8.62 per cent to 20,86,358 units from 22,83,262 units in May 2018.
Maruti Suzuki India said its domestic sales rose 10.6 per cent in May.
Public-interest litigators Arundhati Katju and Menaka Guruswamy, who spearheaded a historic legal battle for LGBTQ rights in India, along with Reliance Industries Chairman Mukesh Ambani are among the Indians who have been named by TIME magazine in its prestigious list of the 100 most influential people in the world. The list also includes Indian-American comedian and TV host Hasan Minhaj.
Ajit Mishra, vice president, Research, Religare Broking, answers your queries
The phenomenal success of Xcent, Grand and Santa Fe increased volumes creating positive momentum
Data issued by Siam shows sale of PVs (cars, vans and utility vehicles) grew 14.3 per cent to 275,417 vehicles.
Higher exports will also drive up volumes, as the company seeks to avail of the benefits under the government's recently announced production linked incentive scheme.
Fuel price hike will impact demand going forward.
The rough and tough image of SUVs is now being presented in a more technologically upgraded form.
While the share of diesel vehicles sales in the overall passenger car industry has already fallen sharply, sales of CNG vehicles have shown a compound annual growth rate of 15.5 per cent over the past five years.
As global economies contract because of the Covid-19 pandemic, the focus of most of the India Inc has now moved back to the home market where demand is expected to pick substantially from the coming festival season.
By 2026, around 25 per cent of the global population may spend at least an hour a day on Metaverse. This will open the doors for many businesses, the NFTs market will spread, and Web 3.0 will attract more investment.
Young, raw energy from India's engineering colleges on display!
While customers in metro cities are still buying cars, quick growth is likely only from upcountry markets, where highways and roads are being built, and discretionary income and aspirations are rising.
US President Donald Trump on Tuesday wooed Indian industry leaders to invest more in America, promising to reduce more regulations in his country as he looked for overseas investment to boost the economy there. Speaking at a high-profile CEO round-table which included captains of the Indian industry such as Reliance Industries chairman Mukesh Ambani, Mahindra group chairman Anand Mahindra, Tata Sons chairman N Chandrasekaran and Aditya Birla group chairman Kumar Mangalam Birla, Trump reassured that regulations "will only get better" for investment in the US.
Some of the notable models set to make a debut next year include the Tata Harrier, the Mahindra S201, the Kia SP Concept, MG Motors' Boujun 530, and the Honda HR-V.
Ssanyong has invested 700 billion won since its M&A (with Mahindra) and would put one trillion won ($920 million) in next three years.
According to the latest data from SIAM, in the top 10 best passenger vehicles, Maruti's Alto retained the top position last month
With diesel cars set to become costlier from next year with the implementation of stricter BS-VI emission norms, major automakers in India are contemplating about the future of such vehicles in their portfolios.
Major carmakers in the country are loading barrels for the coming battle in the field, reports Arnab Dutta.
Sidhu and Amarinder Singh has been at loggerheads for the past some time, with the Amritsar (East) MLA recently attacking the CM over the desecration cases.
Maruti's sales of the compact segment comprising Swift, Estilo, Ritz, Dzire and Baleno went up by 9.9% to 45,579 units
Commercial vehicles witnessed a fall of 15-17% in November as buyers struggled to meet margin money requirements, reports Swaraj Baggonkar.
What explains India's love affair with SUVs? They are not exactly "value for money" -- the watchword for brands across segments -- nor always practical. Is it for the badge value? Or the butch imagery associated with SUVs? Maybe both, says Alokananda Chakraborty.
What will it take for Tesla to plug and play in India? Sector pundits say it's a mix of strategy, getting the price right, timing, the right talent, and above all, patience.
The passenger car segment, in comparison, remained sluggish and grew a modest 1.9 per cent to 162,566 units in April
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.
Big brands like Hyundai, Mahindra and Mahindra (M&M), Toyota and Renault have lost share.
Maruti Suzuki, Hyundai and Mahindra failed to register significant growth.
Maruti Suzuki posted a marginal increase in January and the likes of Hyundai, Ford and Mahindra & Mahindra reporting a single-digit growth.
This is the first decline since June this year when car sales declined by 11%.
The Pune-based vaccine major has entered into a collaboration with the University of Oxford and AstraZeneca to manufacture the vaccine.
Indian vehicle manufacturers saw their market share of the total South African new vehicle market drop below one per cent in September, despite the month being a buoyant one for most manufacturers.
The new year has brought good news for almost all car manufacturers, with market leader Maruti Suzuki, Hyundai Motors, Tata Motors, Mahindra & Mahindra, General Motors and even Fiat, posting their highest monthly sales since their inception.
Since April, India has seen multiple strains of the coronanavirus sweep the nation, upending life and businesses alike. Out-of-home retail and discretionary categories such as durables, auto, fashion, lifestyle, hospitality, food services, travel, and tourism have been the worst-hit as Covid cases remain high, leaving state governments with no option but to curtail mobility and economic activity.
