The proposed exemption in customs duty on import of lithium, cobalt and other rare minerals in the Union Budget 2024-25 is likely to lower the battery production cost and help in making electric vehicles more affordable for the buyers, auto industry leaders said on Tuesday.
Honda Motorcycle and Scooter India (HMSI), the country's second-largest two-wheeler manufacturer, is planning to launch its first electric vehicle (EV) here by March next year, said CEO & MD Atsushi Ogata on Monday. The company would also enter the low-end motorcycle market in March by launching a 100cc engine bike at a price that will "positively shock" customers, he said while speaking with reporters, after launching the Activa with Honda Smart Key. HMSI's first EV, an electric scooter, will have a fixed battery and the second model will have two swappable batteries, Ogata explained.
The TVS Phoenix 125 is a comfortable commuter motorcycle with good quality, writes Faisal Ali Khan of MotorBeam.com.
Passenger vehicle sales are expected to experience muted growth in the current financial year.
Overseas shipments at auto firms expanded at a brisk pace year-on-year (YoY) in March, bumping up the overall annual exports for FY22 and taking it to a record level for some like Maruti Suzuki India and Bajaj Auto. Amid a semiconductor shortage, a depreciating rupee and a strong demand in various export destinations, passenger vehicle makers diverted capacity meant for the local market in favour of the more-lucrative export market. Among the passenger vehicle makers, market leader Maruti Suzuki led the rally with its overseas shipments touching a record level of 238,376 units in FY22 - the highest for the company in any financial year.
The new financial year started on a mixed note for car makers.
To be launched in early 2016, TVS is planning to introduce a new 125cc motorcycle as part of its new product strategy
Two-wheeler exports from India have decreased by 20 per cent year-on-year (Y-o-Y) to 1.69 million units in the first half (H1) of 2023-24 (FY24) due to a challenging geopolitical situation and foreign exchange (forex) crises in key markets such as South Asia, industry body Society of Indian Automobile Manufacturers (Siam) said on Monday. On the other hand, passenger vehicle (PV) exports in H1FY24 increased by 5 per cent to 336,754 units because the key markets are much more diversified worldwide, Vinod Aggarwal, president, Siam, told reporters during a press conference. The Russia-Ukraine war, which started in February 2022, has brought significant instability to global fuel prices.
At Rs 46,534 (ex-showroom, Mumbai), the Jupiter is a well rounded package offering tremendous value for money, writes Faisal Ali Khan of MotorBeam.com.
The damage to aircraft estimated to be around Rs 200 crore.
Tamil Nadu is leaving no stone unturned in marketing its upcoming global investors meeting on January 7 and 8. While business veterans are promoting the positives of the state's industrial climate through the 'Titans of Tamil Nadu" campaign, the state is narrating the human stories behind its robust industrial growth via the 'One Trillion Dreams' campaign. Among the industry bigwigs, who are showcasing Tamil Nadu to the world through this mega marketing initiative include Venu Srinivasan of TVS Motor Company, K M Mammen of MRF Ltd, Pratap Reddy of Apollo Hospitals, P R Venketrama Raja of Ramco Group, Mallika Srinivasan of TAFE; and Vellayan Subbiah of Murugappa Group.
Be it performance, styling, features, refinement and price, the NTORQ ticks all the boxes, says Rajesh Alva.
To take on Bajaj Pulsar 180 and Hero Karizma R and to celebrate the release of X-Men -- Days of Future Past, TVS has launched Apache RTR 180 Matte Black Edition. But will it succeed?
While the country's largest car maker, Maruti Suzuki India, said its car will become costly by two per cent, Hyundai Motor India said it will result in a price rise of Rs 6,500-25,000 on average.
The entry of SoftBank-backed Ola into the electric scooter (e-scooter) segment is set to power up the overall market and perhaps fast-track the adoption of battery-operated vehicles. But for manufacturers of internal combustion engine (ICE)-powered two-wheelers, such as Bajaj Auto, Hero MotoCorp, and TVS Motor, it will be a double whammy. Not only will they have to contend with the aggressive pricing of Ola's scooter and incur a loss at each unit of the e-scooter sold, the volumes of their regular (ICE) models, too, could feel the squeeze, observed analysts. Ola is expected to price its e-scooter in the range of Rs 85,000-1.1 lakh.
Car maker Maruti Suzuki India Ltd on Monday reported a 15.75 per cent jump in the total sales in May at 79,872 units as against 69,001 units in the same month last year.
Home-grown automotive players like Tata Motors, Ashok Leyland, Bajaj Auto, Hero Honda, TVS Motors and Maruti Suzuki are augmenting the use of plastics in engine components in an ambitious effort to reduce dependence on key metals like steel and aluminium, all of which have witnessed stupendous rise of 35-50 per cent in the past 5 months.
Amid rising petrol prices, two-wheeler makers such as Mahindra & Mahindra, TVS Motors, Hero MotoCorp and Bajaj Auto are stepping up research to develop engines run on diesel or other fuels.
Say lower duties could enhance demand.
A majority of HMIL's current export comprises the i10 model, which is exported to Asia, Latin America and Western Europe. In addition, the company has stated that 90 per cent of the i20 model (a premium hatchback) will be exported. The company will produce 150,000 units of the model annually.
These include Adani Enterprises, BEML, TVS Motor, KEC International, Sintex Industries, Ceat and Suzlon Energy.
The Ministry of Heavy Industries announced on Tuesday that it has received bids from seven players for the re-bidding tender of the 10 gigawatt-hour (Gwh) tranche of the Advanced Chemistry Cell (ACC) manufacturing production-linked incentive (PLI). "The list of bidders (in alphabetical order) who have submitted bids in response to this tender are ACME Cleantech Solutions, Amara Raja Advanced Cell Technologies, Anvi Power Industries, JSW Neo Energy, Reliance Industries, Lucas TVS, and Waaree Energies for a cumulative capacity of 70 Gwh," the ministry said in a statement. After the re-auctioning for the manufacturing unit was announced in January, the pre-bid meeting was held on February 12, the ministry said.
The Apache manages to strike a great balance between outright performance and everyday usability. To top it off, the build quality is absolutely top-notch and the bike looks absolutely drop-dead gorgeous.
Venkataraman Krishnamurthy, who is considered as the turnaround man of several Indian corporate houses like BHEL, Maruti Udyog, SAIL and Gail (India), passed away on Sunday at the age of 97. Krishnamurthy is considered as "the father of public sector undertakings in India" by many in India Inc. Born in the temple town of Tamil Nadu's Karuveli, he started his career as an airfield technician during the Second World War.
To regain its number 3 position from TVS Motor, the Chakan-based two-wheeler manufacturer will soon be launching Discover 150 S and 150 F priced at Rs 64,000 and Rs 68,000 respectively.
However, notable absentees from the expo will be Honda, Toyota, Ford, BMW, Audi, Lexus, Volvo and Jaguar Land Rover along with two-wheeler majors Hero MotoCorp, Bajaj Auto and TVS Motor Co.
The brand new Wego is all set to take on the Honda Activa-i and the recently launched Suzuki Let's. The question is, will it be able to?
The Sensex ended at 17,198, stronger by 272 points, and the Nifty closed at 5,122, higher by 89 points.
Low-base effect to kick in, but higher raw material prices could spoil the show.
India's largest two-wheeler maker by volume - Hero MotoCorp (Hero) - posted a better-than-expected operating performance in the January-March (fourth quarter, or Q4) quarter of 2022-23 (FY23). Riding on higher average selling prices which were up 5 per cent year-on-year (YoY) and volume growth of 7 per cent, the company registered a 12 per cent growth in revenue to Rs 8,306 crore. The company sold 127,000 units in the quarter, largely driven by domestic sales which were up 11.6 per cent, while exports saw a sharp fall of 57 per cent over the year-ago quarter.
Take the Rediff Biz Quiz and find out how much you know about India and its two-wheeler companies.
Experts attribute the high valuation of Indian auto makers to the faster growth in India compared to the rest of the world.
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.
Suzuki Motorcycle India announced the launch of two new bikes for the domestic market 'Heat' for excessive bike users and 'Zeus' targeted at college students and executives.
Electric vehicle retail sales in the country witnessed over three-fold jump last fiscal with two-wheeler offtake leading the segment, according to data compiled by automobile dealers' body FADA. Total electric vehicle (EV) retails reached 4,29,217 units in 2021-22, a rise of three-fold from 1,34,821 units in the financial year 2020-21, the industry body said. Total EV sales had stood at 1,68,300 units in the 2019-20 fiscal, it noted.
Of the 32 students, 28 self-sponsored students were successfully placed in manufacturing companies like Crompton, McNallyBharat, Cummins, Hewlett-Packard, JSW, VNL (Gurgaon), TVS Motor, PricewaterhouseCoopers, Ashok Leyland, Vedanta and Adani Power, among others.
The TVS Scooty Zest aims to lure female buyers from Hero Pleasure, Suzuki Let's and Honda Activa-i
Automobile manufacturers are likely to report strong numbers for the September quarter of Financial Year 2023-24 (Q2 FY24), riding on growth across segments and offset by a marginal drop in overall two-wheeler (2W) volumes. Higher average selling price (ASP) year-on-year (YoY), which was necessitated by price hikes taken by original equipment manufacturers (OEMs), and an improved product mix will also aid revenues and margins. Moreover, commodity prices are down on a YoY basis, leading to higher margins in earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation and amortisation (Ebitda).
