Hero MotoCorp sold 254,813 Splendors, about 4,000 more than the 250,681 Activas sold by its rival Honda Motorcycles and Scooters India.
New participants included Chinese players such as Great Wall Motors and Haima Automobile along with Olectra.
B M Munjal positioned motorcycles as more fuel efficient than scooters, which struck a chord with the cost-conscious Indian buyers.
The key beneficiary of this expansion in the motorcycle market happens to be Bajaj Auto.
Most rate-sensitive stocks ended on a negative note, with BSE auto, bankex, finance and realty indices cracking up to 2.10 per cent.
In the Sensex kitty on Wednesday, Tata Motors emerged as the top loser falling 3.01 per cent, followed by Vedanta shedding 2.92 per cent. Other laggards include HUL, Kotak Bank, NTPC, Infosys, HDFC Bank, Bajaj Finance, Hero MotoCorp, ICICI Bank, Yes Bank, HDFC, IndusInd Bank and PowerGrid, falling up to 1.77 per cent.
Auto stocks will be in focus
Navratri and Onam saw flat sales, but industry hopes to turn the corner with a cracker of a Diwali.
The NSE Nifty after regaining the 10,600-mark hit a high of 10,604.90 on the back of widespread gains, and finally concluded 72.25 points or 0.69 per cent higher at 10,584.75.
In the Sensex pack, losers included TCS, HUL, Tata Steel, HCL Tech, Infosys, Bajaj Finance, HDFC, IndusInd Bank, Asian Paints, ITC and Vedanta, shedding up to 3.70 per cent.
Modi did not consider these deaths important enough to express regrets. Will these lives continue to count for nothing? asks Jyoti Punwani.
The broader NSE Nifty sank 177.65 points or 1.53 per cent to 11,419.25.
Check out some of the stocks that will react on the basis of their numbers in the near term.
Infosys was the top gainer in the Sensex pack, closing 7.20 per cent higher as investors cheered its financial results. The IT major posted better-than-expected 5.3 per cent rise in its June quarter net profit, and raised revenue growth forecast for the current fiscal.
The broader NSE Nifty ended 57 points, or 0.49 per cent, lower at 11,498.90 in its fourth straight day of losses.
Top losers in the Sensex pack included Yes Bank, Vedanta, IndusInd Bank, Tata Steel, L&T, SBI, NTPC, Kotak Bank, HDFC, HDFC Bank, PowerGrid, Infosys and ITC, falling up to 4.18 per cent.
Sectorally, metal, auto and IT stocks were leading gainers amid sustained foreign fund inflow.
Labour rights activist Naudeep Kaur was freed Friday by the Punjab and Haryana high court, which said slapping charges like attempt to murder on her is a 'debatable issue' to be considered at a later stage in the trial.
RIL was the biggest gainer in the Sensex pack, rising 2.63 per cent, followed by NTPC, Axis Bank, Tata Steel, PowerGrid, HDFC twins, Bharti Airtel, M&M, ICICI Bank, SBI and Bajaj Finance -- gaining up to 2.51 per cent.
The fall was led by L&T, IndusInd Bank, PowerGrid, NTPC, TCS, ICICI Bank, Axis Bank, Hero MotoCorp, Bharti Airtel and SBI, declining up to 2.64 per cent.
Yes Bank topped the gainers' list on the Sensex. It was followed by HDFC, Bajaj Finance, HDFC Bank, ICICI Bank, L&T, SBI, Axis Bank and Kotak Bank -- rallying up to 5.24 per cent.
Hyundai Motor and Toyota Kirloskar Motor have announced the suspension of manufacturing operations at their respective plants amid coronavirus outbreak. On Sunday, various automakers like Maruti Suzuki India, Honda Cars, Mahindra & Mahindra and Fiat announced a temporary halt in manufacturing operations at their respective facilities.
Samsung's Gear Live is available in India for about Rs 15,900, while LG's G Watch is priced at Rs 14,999.
Sectorally, BSE metal, basic materials, energy, realty, power, oil and gas, finance, FMCG, bankex and telecom indices fell up to 1.71 per cent.
Top losers in the Sensex pack included IndusInd Bank, Yes Bank, SBI, L&T, Tata Steel, M&M, Bajaj Finance, Vedanta, Tata Motors and RIL, tumbling up to 6.97 per cent.
Ferrari still want MotoGP world champion Valentino Rossi to race for them next year if they manage to change Formula One rules and enter a third car.
Passenger vehicle wholesales in India increased by 17 per cent in the second quarter of the current fiscal year as buying sentiment improved and companies stocked up to cater to enhanced demand in the festive season, auto industry body SIAM said on Friday. According to the latest data by the Society of Indian Automobile Manufacturers (SIAM), passenger vehicles sales in the July-September quarter increased to 726,232 units from 620,620 units in the same period last year. Similarly, two-wheeler sales during the September quarter this fiscal rose marginally to 46,90,565 units as compared with 46,82,571 units in the same period last fiscal. However, commercial vehicles sales saw a dip of 20.13 per cent at 133,524 units in the quarter under review as compared with 167,173 units in July-September 2019.
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.
Yes Bank was the biggest gainer in the Sensex pack, rallying 4.06 per cent. Other gainers were Coal India, Infosys, PowerGrid, Vedanta, Reliance, TCS, HUL, ONGC, HCL Tech, IndusInd Bank, HDFC Bank and Asian Paints, gaining up to 2.72 per cent.
Tata Steel was the biggest gainer in the Sensex pack, rallying 5.78 per cent; followed by Yes Bank, NTPC, L&T, Axis Bank, SBI, M&M, HDFC twins, Vedanta, HUL, PowerGrid, ICICI Bank, Kotak Bank, HCL, TCS and ITC, gaining up to 3.79 per cent.
The broader NSE Nifty plunged 119.15 points, or 1.01 per cent, to 11,709.10.
In the Sensex pack, Vedanta took the biggest hit (5.55 per cent), followed by Tata Motors, SBI, Yes Bank, Bharti Airtel and Infosys, which lost up to 4.50 per cent.
To be able to tide over the current crisis, automobile manufacturers have waged a war against all cost heads.
In the Sensex pack, Tata Motors was the biggest loser, shedding 3.29 per cent, followed by ICICI Bank, IndusInd Bank, Infosys, HCL Tech, Axis Bank, TCS, HUL, Asian Paints, Sun Pharma, SBI, Tata Steel and NTPC, which dropped up to 3.23 per cent.
Rediff.com gives a quick tour through BEST Photos of the Week!
Honda's Dani Pedrosa won the U.S. MotoGP Grand Prix on Sunday, the Spaniard's first victory in over a year, by holding off a late challenge from world champion and current leader Valentino Rossi.
Making a debut in India with an SUV, Citroen's products in the next couple of years will clearly chart and define its destiny in what has become both a vibrant but also a daunting market for foreign entrants, says Pavan Lall.
Investor wealth on Wednesday diminished by Rs 1.84 lakh crore amid massive sell-off in the equity market.