Page 44 - Auto Industry

Why it's so hard to disrupt an auto sector that keeps raising the bar

Disrupting auto manufacturing is hard - and so is disrupting consumer preference

Tata Motors, Mahindra top spenders in auto industry on R&D among peers

Homegrown companies Tata Motors and Mahindra & Mahindra were the biggest spenders on research and development in 2016-17 among 25 automakers in India which together invested Rs 6,344 crore, latest industry data showed. The five biggest spenders on R&D were Tata Motors, M&M, Maruti Suzuki India (MSI), Honda Cars India and Ashok Leyland, according to data sourced from SIAM and CMIE. While the homegrown players have to develop their technology mostly on their own, the likes of MSI and Honda Cars India rely heavily on their Japanese parents for new products. In 2016-17, Tata Motors invested Rs 2,100.1 crore in R&D despite reporting a loss of Rs 2,619.2 crore. Similarly, M&M invested Rs 2,075.8 crore on R&D, which was 40.02 per cent of its gross profit that stood at Rs 5,187.5 crore. Country's largest carmaker MSI's R&D spend stood at Rs 640.4 crore in 2016-17, amounting to 6.44 per cent of the gross profit which stood at Rs 9,941.3 crore during the period under

Auto sector could be lead indicator

Due to the long value chain, it influences other industries too

Four new billionaire promoters for booming auto industry in last 20 months

And a fifth businessman is likely to join the league when Varroc Engineering lists next week

Auto industry's cure for electric car blues: Be more like Tesla

From Ford to Porsche, car makers plan to invest $70 bn to introduce a new generation of more stylish electric vehicles, and batteries

Rising commodity prices put pressure on carmakers' margins

Companies offset 8-10% rise in raw material costs by raising prices by 2-4% and lowering discounts

Cars, two-wheelers help auto industry grow at 6.81%

Riding on high single digit growth in passenger vehicles and two wheelers, the country's auto majors sold a record 21.86 million vehicles in domestic market during FY17. This includes passenger vehicles (cars, utility vehicles and vans), two wheelers (motorcycles, scooters and mopeds), commercial vehicles (light, medium and heavy) and three wheelers. The industry's growth (all segments combined) improved to 6.81 per cent, stronger than the 3.78 per cent reported in FY16. The best growth was posted by passenger vehicles segment, which expanded by 9.23 per cent to sell a record three million vehicles helped by new launches and a strong demand for utility vehicles introduced by Maruti Suzuki (Brezza) and Hyundai (Creta). The March growth for the industry stood at ten per cent when it sold 282,519 vehicles, data released by industry body Siam showed.Siam Deputy Director Sugato Sen said the year witnessed the highest sales of passenger vehicles, utility vehicles, motorcycles and scooters. .

3D string in carmakers' bow

Tata Motors and Ford are eyeing first mover advantage in embracing a futuristic printing technology

Luxury car market ends 2016 with steady volumes

Note ban, diesel ban have little impact; Mercedes posts marginal decline, BMW sales rise 14%

States won't go back on auto tax sops post-GST

Industry reps meet govts, told mechanism would certainly be put in place for benefits promised

Discounts, 100% financing and more: Carmakers push the pedal hard to woo buyers

Offer discounts, 100% financing; hint at price hike next month

First-time car buyers shop for loaded vehicles

Improving purchase power and easy availability of loans facilitate upgrades

Trying to disrupt the auto industry with The Onion's help

Elio Motors' first commercial takes political jabs amid ongoing electoral cycle

Diesel ban hits auto industry revenue by Rs 4k cr

The ban had severely impacted companies such as Toyota and Mercedes and moved buyers away from diesel cars

SC verdict does not clear policy haze for auto industry

The Supreme Court order lifting an eight-month-old ban on sale of big diesel cars in the Capital

Hatchbacks getting souped-up engines

Maruti Suzuki and Tata Motors are launching powerful variants of Baleno and Bolt, respectively; both will produce peak power of more than 100bhp

3-wheeler exports dip 46% after 10 yrs

Regulatory moves by Sri Lanka and Bangladesh, devaluation of Nigerian currency dent the market

Mitsubishi, Toyota recall 824,000 cars across Australia

Recall over a host of safety faults including defective headlights, airbags and possible fuel leaks

Pursue FTAs in Africa, LatAm to push exports: Auto industry

It also seeks FTAs with Philippines, Myanmar, and Vietnam, and presses for tariff cuts on component imports from Saarc nations

Scrapping policy to boost auto industry: Gadkari

Automobile industry's turnover is about Rs 4.5 lakh crore at present