"My understanding is that the rules are weighted in favour of big cars, even though smaller cars emit fewer emissions per passenger, use less material, and consume less fuel," Bhargava said in an interview with Business Standard.
Tata Motors on Friday said it will cut passenger vehicle prices ranging between Rs 65,000 and Rs 1.45 lakh effective September 22 to pass on the full benefit of GST reduction to customers. The Mumbai-based auto major said that its small car Tiago will see a price drop of Rs 75,000, Tigor Rs 80,000, and Altroz Rs 1.10 lakh.
The small sports utility vehicle (SUV) segment - comprising models less than 4 metres in length - could witness the "maximum" growth among all categories in the coming months following the recent goods and services tax (GST) rate rationalisation, Tarun Garg, chief operating officer of Hyundai Motor India (HMIL), said.
'It will take some more time because the affordability of these cars have changed drastically.'
Auto majors Maruti Suzuki, Tata Motors and Mahindra & Mahindra reported robust sales in September as reduced price tags owing to GST rationalisation led to record demand in the Navaratri period. The month also saw Tata Motors and Mahindra & Mahindra settling at number two and three positions, respectively in vehicle wholesales ahead of Hyundai Motor India.
India needs to come together to deal with the 50 per cent punitive US tariffs on Indian products and stand up to any kind of bullying, Maruti Suzuki India chairman R C Bhargava said on Thursday. "It is our duty as Indians to do our very best to promote and maintain our dignity and respect and not give in to any kind of bullying in this matter... the nation has to stand united," Bhargava said at the company's 44th Annaul General Meeting in New Delhi.
New lower GST rates kicked in from Monday, resulting in a slashing of prices of as many as 375 items ranging from toothpaste and shampoo to cars and television sets, a move seen as an attempt to boost consumption to cushion an economy facing tariff headwinds. Tax rates of 5, 12, 18, and 28 per cent have been clubbed into two rates of 5 per cent and 18 per cent, resulting in a reduced price of 99 per cent of daily use items.
Two-wheeler sales volume is expected to grow 5-6 per cent this fiscal, while that of passenger vehicles to see a 2-3 per cent rise, following the GST rates rationalisation on automobiles, according to Crisil Ratings. The GST Council's decision to move to a two-rate structure of 5 per cent and 18 per cent, effective September 22, 2025, is a timely move that will revive demand for automobiles, Crisil Ratings said in a statement.
Electric vehicle (EV) manufacturers breathed a sigh of relief after the GST Council on Wednesday night retained the concessional 5 per cent rate on EVs, though they now face competition from small petrol and diesel cars, which will attract a lower 18 per cent levy.
To ensure a glitch-free rollout of the next-generation GST with reduced rates and lesser slabs, Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman chaired three separate meetings to assess GSTN's preparedness and the time it would take to implement technological changes required in the software systems.
GST Reform 2.0, which trims tax slabs from four to two, signals a push for demand-led growth, and together with recent income tax cuts, sets the stage for sustained economic growth, experts said. The Goods and Services Tax (GST) Council on September 3 approved an overhaul of the indirect tax regime by taxing essentials at 5 per cent and other goods at 18 per cent. A new 40 per cent tax will be applicable on luxury and sin items.
'Ek baar aap GST dekh lo!' - Prime Minister Narendra Modi's gentle nudge to Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman in December last year sparked the beginning of a mammoth exercise to overhaul the tangled goods and services tax regime. And the final outcome is a significantly simplified system with lower tax rates and easier compliance for businesses.
Car purchases in India are largely limited to the top 12 per cent of households with an annual income exceeding Rs 12 lakh, while even small cars have become unaffordable for the remaining 88 per cent, said R C Bhargava, chairman of Maruti Suzuki India Limited (MSIL), on Friday. "How can you get high car sales growth if 88 per cent of the country are below the levels of income where they cannot afford these cars costing Rs 10 lakhs and above?
The proposed reforms in goods and services tax (GST) announced by the government last week, coupled with the eighth pay commission dole-out, is likely to push consumption-driven stocks - such as air conditioners (ACs), select automobiles, fast-moving consumer goods (FMCG), retail, and counters of quick-service restaurants (QSRs) - into higher orbit over the next few months, believe analysts.
Some of the key names include: Maruti, M&M, Ashok Leyland, Britannia, Ultratech, JK Cement, Havells, Voltas, Amber, Metro, Trent, LemonTree, Indian Hotels, Niva Bupa, HDFC Life, IGL, Acme Solar, Suzlon, Swiggy, Delhivery, ICICI Bank, HDFC Bank, Bajaj Finance, Shriram Finance," according to a report by Motilal Oswal Financial Services.
Siam argues that a 2040 ban could destabilise ongoing and future investments and threaten millions of jobs in the automotive value chain.
For UK automakers, market access to India will be limited by quantity caps and phased tariff cuts, especially on petrol, diesel and electric vehicles.
That means a manufacturer looking at a market like India needs to decide whether small, cheap cars or small, expensive cars or both will work better for them, says Pavan Lall.
Maruti Suzuki India (MSIL) does not anticipate growth in the small car segment because people continue to find these vehicles unaffordable, chairman R C Bhargava said on Wednesday. He said the market had clearly shifted towards the sport utility vehicle (SUV) segment and the company will go in the same direction. The domestic sales of utility vehicles jumped in India by 34.54 per cent to about 2 million units in FY23.
India and the UK on Thursday inked a landmark free trade agreement (FTA) that will cut tariffs on British whisky, cars and an array of items, besides boosting bilateral trade by around $34 billion annually.
Maruti Suzuki and Hyundai Motor India on Monday reported a dip in passenger vehicle dispatches to dealers in the domestic market last month as the companies tried to adjust vehicle inventory amid slowing demand. Maruti Suzuki India said it "calibrated supplies" to the dealers, aligning with the industry's retail sales projections amid India-Pakistan conflict and a dip in sales of entry-level cars.
The January-March quarter (Q4) results for 2024-25 (FY25) from the country's largest passenger vehicle (PV) maker, Maruti Suzuki India (MSIL), were a mixed bag, with revenues broadly in line but operating profit missing Street expectations. Given cost pressures, margins at the operating level were the lowest in the past seven quarters.
However, the company has not provided a timeline for the launch of the small electric car.
Sluggish urban demand, a high base effect, and weak sales of hatchbacks and sedans weigh down passenger vehicle sales in FY25.
The company has capacity to manufacture 310,000 units annually.
Car market leader Maruti Suzuki India on Thursday said it will hike prices by up to Rs 32,500 across various models from February 1 to partially offset the rise in input costs. Due to rising input costs and operational expenses, the company plans to increase car prices, starting February 1, 2025, Maruti Suzuki India said in a regulatory filing.
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Alto, the Maruti brand synonymous with small cars, introduced the new generation K10 on Thursday, aiming to consolidate its position further amid shrinking demand for hatchbacks. With prices starting at Rs 399,000 and going up to Rs 533,500 (for manual transmission), the new model claims fuel efficiency of 24.90 km per litre. The Japanese car maker, which has been selling 100 Altos every hour for the last 22 years, had discontinued the model in February 2020.
Hyundai Motor India, the country's second largest car maker, on Friday said its plan for launching a small car in the Indian auto-market is "well on course".
"The small car will be our new model and it will be rolled out by early 2010," Ford India Executive Director Nigel E Wark told reporters in Kolkata. He said the company is yet to decide on the target segment of the small car, but added that it would not compete with small cars like Nano from Tata Motors' stable.
The yet-to-be-named car, which will be priced in the Hyundai i-10 price bracket, had crossed the feasibility study stage and was in the final stages of design. "Cars below Rs 5 lakh constitute nearly 80 per cent of the total Indian market. India is predominantly a small car market and we have a clear strategy to grow in the Indian market," Thomas Kuehl, member, board of directors (sales and marketing), Skoda India.
Small cars account for 80 per cent of the domestic market and exports are growing at a fast pace.
Nissan Motor Company may have missed the boom in small cars in India. But the third-biggest Japanese car maker is confident of shoring up volumes, as it works on several small car projects simultaneously.
Ford is expected to start production in two years, said Arvind Mathew, president and managing director, Ford India. The details of the small car, however, are yet to be finalised.
A compact car or small family car is a classification of cars which are larger than a supermini, but smaller than or equal to a mid-size car.
According to experts, even if an additional 5 per cent of people opt to buy new vehicles, it may bring a huge boost to the sector.
India's role as an important player in the future of Ford Motor Company's international strategy was underscored on Wednesday when the company's President and CEO Alan Mulally unveiled an all-new small car targetting the Indian car market: the Ford Figo.
"We are designing a small car which will be launched a few years down the line," Jnaneswar Sen Vice President (marketing) Honda Siel Cars India, the Indian subsidiary of the Japanese company said. The car would be placed in the B, B+ segment, Sen said.
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