After a record-breaking year, India's automobile industry is entering 2026 on a relatively strong footing, with sales growth expected in the 6-8 per cent range. The outlook is underpinned by policy support, including GST rationalisation, easing monetary conditions, and income tax relief, which together are likely to improve affordability and sustain consumer demand across vehicle segments.
'Football is such a beautiful sport, and for the first time, I felt like I wasn't being seen for my gender, but for my game.'
The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) on Friday allowed multiple entities in a bank group to undertake the same business as long as they cater to different client segments, while mandating board approval to ensure that any overlap in business has proper rationale and justification.
The Tata Harrier.ev is a car that makes you feel safe and powerful within a luxurious cocoon, raves Rajesh Karkera/Rediff after a gruelling test drive.
Two Delhi-based traders were arrested in Hapur after attempting to cremate a mannequin instead of a human body to fraudulently claim insurance money. The scheme involved using the identity of an employee's brother to obtain a life insurance policy and then staging his death.
From the Sensex firms, Power Grid, Eternal, Tata Motors, Tata Steel, Maruti and Bharat Electronics, were among the major laggards. However, Titan, Bharti Airtel, Bajaj Finance, Mahindra & Mahindra, and State Bank of India were the gainers.
Financial services giant HDFC Bank, carrying a brand value of $44.9 billion, has surged past IT consulting behemoth Tata Consultancy Services (TCS) to reclaim its crown as the country's most valued brand, according to the 2025 Kantar BrandZ Most Valuable Indian Brands report.
Among the Sensex firms, Infosys, HCL Technologies, Bajaj Finance, Asian Paints, Tata Motors Passenger Vehicles, Tata Consultancy Services, Bharti Airtel, Titan, Bajaj Finserv, Reliance Industries and Larsen & Toubro were the gainers. Trent Ltd, Eternal, Power Grid, UltraTech Cement, Mahindra & Mahindra, Axis Bank, State Bank of India, Adani Ports, Hindustan Unilever and NTPC were the laggards.
While GST on ICE vehicles was brought down significantly, for electric cars it remained at 5 per cent.
Tata Harrier.ev versus Mahindra BE.06 versus Mahindra XEV.9E -- which one should you buy? Rajesh Karkera offers a checklist of features to influence your decision.
Delhi Capitals' head coach Hemang Badani said they want to move towards a younger and more aggressive option aligned with the team's style of play.
'The market is still very bullish. The demand is so strong that for eight models, we have no units in our factories to dispatch to dealers,' said Partho Banerjee, senior executive officer, marketing & sales, Maruti Suzuki India (MSIL).
Pilots' body Airlines' Pilots Association (ALPA) India on Friday took 'strong' objection to safety regulator Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA)'s 'selective and unsafe' relief to domestic carrier IndiGo, amid widescale cancellations, saying the decision sets a dangerous precedent.
Harmanpreet Kaur was the shining star in an otherwise bizarre show.
Air India Group expects to induct 26 wide-body and narrow-body planes, and operate 81 per cent of its international flights with upgraded aircraft by the end of 2026, while overall capacity will remain almost unchanged next year.
Pilots' body the Federation of Indian Pilots (FIP) has alleged that IndiGo, despite getting a two-year preparatory window before the full implementation of new flight duty and rest period norms for cockpit crew, "inexplicably" adopted a "hiring freeze."
Frankly, I never expected to be offroading in an electric vehicle, let alone an SUV of this calibre, raves Rajesh Karkera/Rediff after a test drive.
'...since the pandemic, driven by the worlds of influencers and Bollywood.'
After four failed reform drives, a new plan aims to rescue India's debt-laden power discoms through privatisation, accountability and long-term financial fixes.
The crash has dealt a blow to the conglomerate's efforts to turn around Air India, especially following its merger with Vistara in 2024.
Among Sensex firms, Mahindra & Mahindra was the biggest gainer, gaining 1.7 per cent after the October sales data. Tata Motors Passenger Vehicles (TMPV) rose by 1.69 per cent. Eternal, State Bank of India, Bharti Airtel and Kotak Mahindra Bank were also among the major gainers.
Tata Sons' dividend from Tata group companies for last financial year is expected to show a decline of 3.5 per cent to Rs 36,514 crore from Rs 37,832 crore a year earlier. This should be the first year-on-year decline in Tata Sons' dividend in the last nine years. The holding company had last reported a decline in FY16, when its proceeds had gone down 42.5 per cent to Rs 6,898 crore from Rs 11,993 crore a year earlier.
Tata Steel's UK operations, which have largely been a struggle since the acquisition, are expected to turn earnings before interest, tax, depreciation, and amortisation (Ebitda)-positive this financial year (2025-26/FY26) and possibly profitable by the next. Responding to shareholder queries at Tata Steel's annual general meeting, Tata group chairman N Chandrasekaran said, "We expect the UK to perform much better this year compared to last year - it will definitely be Ebitda-positive."
In absolute terms, both types of cars must cut emissions by about 28-29 g/km. But in percentage terms, the lighter 900-kg car must reduce emissions by 27 per cent, while the 1,500-kg car needs a 22 per cent cut. And the target becomes progressively stringent for both -- but, once again, the tightening is sharper for the 900-kg car than for the 1500-kg car.
Among the Sensex firms, Bharat Electronics Ltd, Mahindra & Mahindra, Adani Ports, HCL Technologies, Eternal, Infosys, Bharti Airtel, Sun Pharmaceuticals, Larsen & Toubro, Hindustan Unilever and UltraTech Cement were the gainers. Bajaj Finance, Tata Motors Passenger Vehicles, Kotak Mahindra Bank, PowerGrid and Tata Steel were among the laggards.
The country's largest IT services company TCS on Thursday announced a tie-up with private equity major TPG for its upcoming data centre business, in which both the partners aim to invest Rs 18,000 crore. TPG will invest $1 billion or around Rs 8,870 crore in the AI data centre business christened as 'Hypervault', and hold a stake between 27.5-49 per cent in the venture.
'If the targets become unscientific and unjust, Then, just to meet CAFE-III regulation, a small car -- which produces a very low absolute carbon dioxide -- will have to be discontinued.'
Top carmakers led by Maruti Suzuki, Mahindra & Mahindra, Tata Motors Passenger Vehicles and Kia India on Saturday reported record sales in the domestic market riding on festive demand boosted by GST rate cut. Other manufacturers such as Skoda Auto India and Toyota Kirloskar Motor also posted impressive growth in sales in October.
Recent years have been turbulent for the insurance industry due to direct and indirect tax reforms, regulatory overhaul and other external pressures. The events cumulatively slowed growth rate to single digits from the high teens seen earlier.
'Instead of one or two families controlling 10% to 15% of GDP, it has to be broad based. Then, the resilience of the economy also will be higher.' 'Then, if something happens to one business, it will not hurt the economy badly.'
With several $500 million-plus deals in the pipeline -- including ICICI Prudential AMC, Lenskart, PhonePe, Groww, PhysicsWallah, Meesho, Pine Labs, and Zepto -- investment bankers look poised for another year of hefty bonuses in 2025.
DGCA provided temporary relief to IndiGo, which is partially owned by Rahul Bhatia, by rolling back the night duty definition to 12 am-5 am from 12 am-6 am earlier, and allowing its pilots to do six night-landings from two earlier, besides other relaxations.
Indigo airlines cancelled 13 flights from Hyderabad airport, causing chaos and frustration among passengers. The cancellations were attributed to technology and operational issues.
Largecap equities are less volatile than mid- and smallcap stocks, making them suitable for risk-averse investors.
Tech Mahindra, Trent, Reliance Industries, HCL Tech, Hindustan Unilever, and ITC were also among the laggards. However, Bajaj Finance, Tata Steel, Mahindra & Mahindra, and Bajaj Finserv were among the gainers.
The XEV 9S is poised to disrupt the market, specifically with its entry-level variant called the 'Pack One Above', which offers a level of equipment rarely seen in base models, writes Rajesh Karkera/Rediff.com.
'Companies will need to revisit compensation structures, contracts, staffing models, and human resources system.'
'The steel industry has a multiplier effect on direct and indirect employment, national security on the supply chain, technology access etc.'
Inflation data, quarterly earnings and global trends will be the major driving factors for stock markets this week, analysts said. Moreover, the trading activity of foreign investors would also influence the equity market trends.
As many as 26 top e-commerce companies, including Zepto, BigBasket and Zomato, have given an undertaking that their platforms are free from misleading claims and unfair trade practices which constitute 'dark patterns', the government said on Thursday.
© 2026 Rediff.com - Advertise with us - Disclaimer - Privacy Policy - Sitemap - Feedback - About us - Terms of use - Grievances