Explore Business Standard
Electric two-wheeler riders in Kolkata honk the most, averaging 131 honks per hour, while their counterparts in Bengaluru panic-brake four times more than those in Mumbai, according to Ather Energy's 2025 year-end riding insights. The electric two-wheeler maker's insights on aggregated data from over five lakh of its electric scooters connected with a wireless network across India found that riders were increasingly relying on connected technology during daily commutes, with city-level riding behaviour revealing how software is shaping real-world mobility. The data showed honking patterns varied sharply across cities. Kolkata recorded the highest honking levels in the country, averaging 131 honks per hour, reflecting dense traffic and aggressive auditory signalling. Bengaluru riders engaged in panic braking nearly four times more often than riders in Mumbai, highlighting higher traffic unpredictability and frequent stop-start conditions in the city, as per the year-end riding insigh
Two-wheeler sales in India are estimated to grow by 6-9 per cent in FY26 as compared to the previous fiscal, riding on the recent GST rate reduction, which is anticipated to support affordability and stimulate demand, besides steady replacement demand, urban recovery and healthy rural incomes driven by a normal monsoon, ratings agency ICRA said on Tuesday. Domestic wholesale volumes grew by 7.2 per cent on a YoY basis in August 2025 to 18 lakh units, as OEMs maintained healthy dispatches ahead of the festive season, ICRA said in a statement. Retail sales, however, grew by a marginal 2.2 per cent YoY, with growth constrained by excess rains and some purchase deferment linked to the GST rate cut; a pick-up is expected during the upcoming festive season, it added. ICRA further said it estimates two-wheeler domestic volumes to grow by 6-9 per cent YoY in FY2026. "This projection is supported by steady replacement demand, an expected urban demand recovery, healthy rural incomes driven