Page 14 - Automobile Industry

Cars set to get expensive from January as OEMs announce increase in price

Prices of various car models -- ranging from entry-level hatchbacks to high-end luxury offerings -- are set to rise as automakers have announced price hikes with effect from January. Carmakers cite an increase in input costs and operational expenses as the main reason to implement price increases from the next month. Industry experts, however, note that the exercise is also undertaken by automakers every year in December to shore up sales volume in the last month of the year, as customers postpone buyouts to later months to get the new year manufactured units. "We have seen a few cycles of price increase in India. It happens at the beginning of the calendar year and financial year, but few OEMs pick the timing based on their planned launches as well," Deloitte India Partner Rajat Mahajan said. While there could be multiple factors for the price increase, the key one is due to a decline in profitability of a few large auto OEMs in the second quarter, he added. "Due to the festive .

India's Exicom expects EV charger business to bring 50% revenue by 2030-end

(Reuters) - India's Exicom Tele-Systems, a supplier for car makers such as Mahindra & Mahindra and MG Motor, expects its electric vehicle charger business to bring in half of its annual revenue by 2030, its chief executive told Reuters.

Honda to launch three new models in India in 2026-27: CEO Tsumura

The electric car market is set to become increasingly competitive in 2025, with several carmakers, including Mahindra & Mahindra, Maruti Suzuki, Hyundai, and Kia, planning to launch their EVs

Electric vehicle sales down 12% in November after festival-driven rush

In the e2W category, which accounts for more than 60 per cent of total EV sales, volumes fell 15 per cent to 118,944 units in November, compared to 139,787 units in the previous month

Ola Electric fires up plans for 4,000 store locations by end-December

Marks 4x increase with 3,200 new outlets joining 800 existing stores

After festival inventory buildup, two-wheeler dispatches fall in November

Exports grow in strong double digits

Skoda Auto looks to drive change with Kylaq's 8K monthly sales target

Targeting to treble Skoda's India sales riding on this vehicle

Nissan CFO Stephen Ma to step down as carmaker faces raft of challenges

Ma joined Nissan in 1996 in North America and worked in financial roles in China and Japan before being promoted to CFO in December of 2019

JSW MG to unveil first luxury car Cyberster in January at Rs 65-70 lakh

JSW MG has identified its dealer partners in 12 cities to establish MG Select showrooms, a premium showroom line separate from mass-market dealerships

Skoda targets sales surge in 2024 with new compact SUV Kylaq launch

Czech automaker Skoda is eyeing considerable increase in sales next year riding on the back of its latest offering Kylaq, which marks its entry into the high-selling compact SUV segment. The company is eyeing gains in smaller cities and towns with the new model which is tagged between Rs 7.89 lakh and Rs 14.4 lakh (ex-showroom). "It's a beginning of a new era for Skoda, because with this car, we are becoming a true volume player in India," Skoda Auto India Brand Director Petr Janeba told PTI in an interaction. He noted that Kylaq will further its goal of entering new markets, bringing new customers into the Skoda family and strengthening brand presence in India. When asked about sales aspirations with a new model joining the portfolio, Janeba said the company expects to close 2024 with a total volume of around 40,000 units. "Next year we are looking at 2.5-3 times growth in the volumes aided by Kylaq," he stated. The company has commenced bookings of the model with deliveries exp

Maruti Suzuki sales rise 10% in Nov; Hyundai down 7%, TaMo up marginally

Maruti Suzuki India on Sunday reported a 10 per cent year-on-year increase in its total sales at 1,81,531 units in November. The automaker had dispatched 1,64,439 units to its dealers last November last year. Total domestic passenger vehicle wholesales were at 1,41,312 units as compared with 1,34,158 units in the year-ago month, a growth of 5 per cent, it added. Sales of mini segment cars, comprising Alto and S-Presso, stood at 9,750 units as against 9,959 units in November 2023. Sales of compact cars, including Baleno, Celerio, Dzire, Ignis, Swift, Tour S and WagonR, declined to 61,373 units as compared to 64,679 units in the year-ago month. Utility vehicles, consisting of Brezza, Ertiga, Grand Vitara and XL6, clocked sales of 59,003 units last month as compared to 49,016 units earlier. Sales of van Eeco were at 10,589 units last month as against 10,226 units in November 2023, while that of light commercial vehicle Super Carry stood at 2,926 units as against 2,509 units earlier.

Kia India aims to double CKD exports by 2030; eyes West Asia, Africa

Kia India on Monday said it is eyeing markets in the Middle East and Africa as it aims to double the export of completely knocked down (CKD) units by 2030. To date, the automaker has exported one lakh units of CKD vehicles since it began shipments in June 2020 from its manufacturing facility at Anantapur in Andhra Pradesh. Kia India is one of the key export hubs for the South Korea-based Kia corporation, accounting for 50 per cent of the its CKD exports worldwide. In a statement, Kia India Chief Sales Officer Joonsu Cho said the automaker is grateful for the government's export-friendly policies, which have played a crucial role in strengthening country's position within the global automotive value chain. "Looking ahead, we aim to expand our CKD footprint to the Middle East and Africa, to double our export volume by 2030," he noted. The company is looking to export over 38,000 CKD units across Uzbekistan, Ecuador, and Vietnam markets this year, the automaker said. Cumulatively, t

Bosch plans to slash 5,550 jobs in latest blow to German auto sector

Bosch, the world's biggest car parts supplier, said it is planning to cut 3,500 jobs by end-2027 in its cross-domain computer solutions division

Why hybrids may fail to take off in India's evolving automobile market

A new report says EVs and CNG vehicles will outpace hybrids by far

A gradual climb for LVs sales in India, projected to grow 3.7% in 2025

According to S&P Global Mobility, growth for 2024 is projected to be even lower at 2.9%

India's tyre industry braces for another year of sluggish growth: CRISIL

This follows a similar trend in the previous year, marking a significant slowdown from the robust 21 per cent compound annual growth rate (CAGR) witnessed between FY21 and FY23

India to shift to 'smartphone era' for cars embracing 5G, AI: Report

India is set to enter a transformative "smartphone era" for cars in 2025, with the introduction of vehicles featuring 5G M2M connectivity and advanced AI technologies, according to the latest findings from Techarc's India Connected Consumer Report 2025. The report said the automotive sector will skip 4G and will enable connectivity using the latest 5G cellular technology. It observed that consumers are interested in spending money on improving the value proposition in terms of features, quality and experience rather than exploring too many smart devices. "22 per cent of the respondents shared about considering optimising their smart devices portfolio. Among the new set of categories, smart/connected cars is generating high interest among consumers. 55 per cent of the respondents said that they have come across news or information about smart/connected cars in recent times," it said. Starting in 2025, passenger cars in India will be equipped with 5G M2M connectivity, on-device GenAI

Growth in rural mkt balancing decline in small car sales: Maruti Suzuki

A revival in the rural market has helped in arresting the decline in sales of entry-level small cars, which saw a 10 per cent growth in retail sales in October, top company officials of Maruti Suzuki India said on Monday. The company, which launched all-new version of its compact sedan Dzire priced between Rs 6.79 lakh and Rs 10.14 lakh (ex-showroom Delhi), is bullish on enhancing its share in the sedans category despite the fast growth of SUVs and asserted that it would continue to cater to all segments to preserve its high market share in the domestic market. While the SUV segment has been growing, other segments are also important to the company to maintain high market share, Maruti Suzuki India (MSI) MD and CEO Hisashi Takeuchi told reporters here. "The compact sedan segment is very reliable. So from a business point of view, it is very good and secondly in order to retain decent market share, we have to have a presence in each of the customer segments," Takeuchi noted. MSI ...

Maruti Suzuki launches all-new version of Dzire to strengthen product range

Maruti Suzuki India on Monday introduced the all-new version of its compact sedan Dzire and said the automaker would continue to cater to all customer segments in order to preserve its high market share in the domestic market. The automaker introduced the new Dzire priced between Rs 6.79 lakh and Rs 10.14 lakh (ex-showroom Delhi). While the SUV segment has been growing, other segments are also important to the company in order to maintain high market share, Maruti Suzuki India (MSI) MD and CEO Hisashi Takeuchi told reporters here. He said Dzire has been a global success for the automaker with around 30 lakh units sold so far across markets. Takeuchi noted that the company has invested around Rs 1,000 crore on the development of the model. MSI Senior Executive Officer (Marketing and Sales) Partho Banerjee said the company's endeavour is to serve all customer segments. MSI currently has over 40 per cent market share (wholesales) in the overall domestic passenger vehicle segment. I

Auto Expo 2025 to be held under Bharat Mobility from Jan 17-22 at 3 places

India's flagship motor show Auto Expo will be held under the umbrella of Bharat Mobility, the government's initiative bringing all mobility-related trade shows under one platform, from January 17 next year here. The six-day Bharat Mobility Global Expo 2025 will be held between January 17 and 22 next year at Bharatmandapam; Yashobhoomi (India International Convention and Expo Center) Dwarka, and India Expo Center & Mart, Greater Noida, simultaneously. Bharat Mobility Global Expo is an annual event and it appears that now on Auto Expo is likely to be held every year. Auto Expo is a biennial event. Commerce and Industry Minister Piyush Goyal told reporters that this will be the second largest expo in the world in this segment and the industry should take it to the top position. Munich in Germany hosts the the world's largest auto show. Goyal urged the industry to involve sectors which are not yet represented such as chemicals, testing agencies, regional transport officers and ...