Ratan was extremely ethical in his dealings, which he brought to bear on the business house which he helmed, remembers Sailesh Kottary.
Bhavish Aggarwal, the founder of ride-hailing firm Ola who disrupted the electric scooters market in the country, is planning to launch an electric sports car in 2024. The plan will put it in competition with Indian players, such as the Tata group and Mahindra & Mahindra, and global giants like Tesla and Hyundai. Aggarwal, recently, took a group of reporters to the firm's design studio at the Ola campus in Bengaluru where his teams are working on several EVs, including scooters, motorcycles, sedans, and SUVs - and even robotaxis.
'Wherever the government has provided incentives for the purchase of two-wheelers, three-wheelers, cars, buses, and trucks, it gets a push for most of these alternate fuels. '
GM India has last week announced plans for launching four new models in the Indian markets in 2010. "The new mini-car will be in the market by January next year and we will produce more than 40,000 units in the first year. Of this, we will export 20 per cent overseas, including to the European and the Asia-Pacific markets," GM India president and managing director Karl Slym told reporters on the sidelines of the SIAM annual convention in New Delhi.
Carmakers, both domestic and foreign are gearing up with their 'to do' list.
German automotive giant Volkswagen (VW) has said it will focus on the premium sedan/sport utility vehicle (SUV) segment and avoid the mass hatchback segment. "Customers don't expect anything less than a premium product from VW. "Customers expect a certain level of quality and driving dynamics. We have to stay true to that DNA. "The day we go mass, customers will reject us," says Ashish Gupta, brand director, VW India.
Rajesh Karkera/Rediff.com takes the latest offering from the Mahindra stable for a spin.
A single application and a plethora of services for passenger cars - that is what myTVS, a brand that operates under Ki Mobility Solutions and is part of the TVS family, is set to bring to customers, in a bid to disrupt the concept of "super apps" in India. Starting July 15, myTVS will launch its connected car platform or super app called myTVS Life360 for aftermarket passenger cars. Through it, customers will be able to avail themselves of a range of services like maintenance, diagnostics, roadside assistance, accessories, payments, insurance, and so on.
Automobile (auto) retail sales in India grew by an impressive 14 per cent in July compared to the same period last year, driven by a surge in the rural economy, good product availability, and product launches. While passenger vehicles (PVs) saw a 10 per cent increase during this period, inventory levels have surged to a historic high of 67-72 days in PVs, equating to Rs 73,000 crore worth of stock, according to the Federation of Automobile Dealers Associations (Fada). This poses a risk to dealer sustainability. Inventory levels in July 2023 were only 50-55 days, equating to a stock worth Rs 49,833 crore. In June 2024, inventory was between 62 and 67 days, with a stock value of Rs 60,000 crore.
The company said that while the first quarter numbers were at the pre-pandemic levels, it saw a growth of 34 per cent in sales compared to the April to June period of 2020.
Nano remains a cautionary tale of misplaced ambitions and a drag on profit.
As Modi's government embarks on its third term, apart from ensuring these schemes boost India's green mobility, addressing bottlenecks like battery swapping and meeting PLI deadlines are likely to be the government's major tasks.
Passenger vehicle wholesales in India witnessed a marginal growth in May on account of high base effect and muted demand due to general elections. The overall passenger vehicle dispatches from companies to dealers stood at 350,257 lakh units last month as compared to 335,436 in the same month a year ago, registering a growth of 4 per cent.
Volkswagen Passenger Cars is targeting a volume sales growth of about 15 per cent in the country in 2024, even as it expects the Indian passenger vehicle (PV) industry to grow by 5-7 per cent in the current year, its India brand director, Ashish Gupta, said on Thursday. This means the company is expecting to grow 2-3 times faster than the Indian PV industry in 2024. But globally, the German automaker is expecting just 3 per cent rise in sales this year, down from 12 per cent last year.
American tech billionaire Elon Musk on Saturday said his proposed visit to India has been postponed due to "very heavy Tesla obligations". The electric carmaker Tesla CEO -- who was expected to be in India on April 21 and 22 and scheduled to meet Prime Minister Narendra Modi -- wrote on X that he is looking forward to coming to India later this year.
Its track record has been patchy, but the carmaker wants to launch at least one model every year.
Product development and launches are expected to lift the buying mood.
Renault says that one of the reasons why its sales look muted when compared to its peers is its limited reach.
The Ferrari-powered car will not do any demonstration laps in the Indian city however with the first test run scheduled for Spain's Barcelona circuit on Feb. 25.
If you are a fan of Audi cars, then this will surely be good news for you!
The electric vehicle evolution in India's passenger vehicle market has remained frozen in time and may see limited adoption over the next decade, experts say.
At least 16 people were killed, and 75 injured after the billboard collapsed in an unexpected dust storm in Mumbai on Monday.
The entire range of Hyundai's diesel cars - from compact ones to SUV models, including the soon-to-be-launched Aura - will be eco-friendly.
Chiranjeevi has a special guest... Tabu turns into a bride... Amy holidays in Budapest...
Fancy your chops are a designer? Skoda Auto India has a challenge for you. Rajesh Karkera/Rediff.com brings us the lowdown.
German luxury carmaker Audi on Thursday launched a new version of its flagship SUV Q7 in India with prices starting at Rs 79.99 lakh (ex-showroom) as it seeks to further accelerate growth in the country. The locally assembled vehicle is powered by a 3-litre petrol engine with a 48V mild-hybrid system generating 340 hp. It can accelerate from 0-100 km/hr in 5.9 seconds. The new Q7 will be available in two variants -- Q7 Premium Plus and Q7 Technology -- priced at Rs 79.99 lakh and Rs 88.33 lakh (ex-showroom), respectively.
'Even during the lockdown, we have received many online enquiries and subsequent bookings.'
Homegrown auto major Tata Motors on Monday said it will launch its mini SUV Punch in the ongoing festive season. Punch is based on the H2X concept, which Tata Motors had showcased at the Auto Expo 2020. It will be positioned below the company's compact SUV Nexon and is expected to hit the market around Diwali this year.
Champions Ferrari will be the first Formula One team to reveal their 2009 car with an unveiling scheduled for their Maranello factory on Jan. 12, the Italian team said on Monday.
With an existing consumer base of 400 million across airports, electricity and gas distribution businesses, the Adani group is revving up its retail play. It is planning to use the 2.4 billion consumer interactions a year with group companies to push various products and services. The group has already launched the 'Adani One' super app that will eventually sell products across the spectrum, top executives said.
Ex-Formula 1 team owner and Dutch supercar maker Spyker has firmed up plans to set foot in India.
Diesel cars though deliver a high mileage but are heavy on the pocket.
Japanese auto major Honda Cars on Thursday unveiled its new offering for the Indian market -- City e:HEV sedan, marking its foray into the mainstream strong hybrid electric vehicle segment in the country. The company, which is present in India through a wholly-owned subsidiary, has commenced the bookings of the model and plans to introduce it in the market next month. As per the company, the model, an extension of its City model range, would feature self-charging two-motor strong hybrid system connected to a 1.5 litre petrol engine, entailing a peak power of 126 PS and fuel efficiency of 26.5 km per litre.
The 20-year-old arrested accused, Muhammad Shahzeb Khan, allegedly planned a terrorist attack in New York City around October 7 "with the intent of slaughtering in the name of ISIS, as many Jewish people as possible," attorney general Merrick B Garland said, as per the statement.
Audi India launched the second generation 2016 Audi R8 at the show.
Maruti Suzuki India on Tuesday said it has increased prices of its entire model range with immediate effect. An estimated weighted average of increase across models is 0.45 per cent, the auto major said in a regulatory filing.
Shares of auto component major, Samvardhana Motherson International, has gained 11.5 per cent on the bourses after the company approved the qualified institutions placement (QIP) issue and announced the calculation methodology for its compulsorily convertible debentures, or CCDs, into equity shares. Analysts cite strong investor response to the issue that has kept the sentiment positive for the stock. Brokerages, however, have a mixed view on the outlook for the auto parts supplier.
"Nano is like an open canvas for us. We have the option of positioning it on the lines of the (Volkswagen) Beetle or the (BMW) Mini."
The company raised $145 million (about Rs 1,000 crore) recently from investors. The portal, which has 15 million unique customers and 32 million visits per month, is already a market leader. Sohini Das reports from Ahmedabad.
At a time when consumers increasingly embrace green mobility solutions, it is not electric cars but hybrids that are taking the lead, as automotive sales data indicate. Since January, 64,097 electric cars have been sold compared to 266,465 hybrids, according to data from the ministry of road transport and highways' Vahan dashboard. Hybrid car sales have surged from 4.42 per cent of the 4.1 million cars sold in calendar year 2022 to 7.2 per cent this year.
