Page 26 - Automobile Industry

Hyundai to target performance-oriented niche segment with N Line range

Hyundai Motor India is seeking to address a niche, yet growing segment of buyers who are performance-oriented through its N Line range of products, according to company COO Tarun Garg. The company, which currently offers the N Line range on its two models -- i20 hatchback and compact SUV Venue -- that has styling and performance upgrades compared to the normal offering, on Monday also introduced its mid-sized SUV Creta priced between Rs 16.82 lakh and Rs 20.29 lakh (ex-showroom Delhi). "In 2021, we sold 3,196 (units of ) N Line. In 2022, we sold 7,560 N Line and in 2023, we sold 9,718 N Line...overall 22,000 N Line....the numbers are increasing. At the same time, frankly, I don't think volume is an objective in N Line. We understand it's a niche market," Garg said in an interaction. On the objective behind introducing more products under N Line, he said, "We believe even if there's a niche, I think it's our responsibility to give the set of customers who are looking to have a very .

Popular Vehicles and Services IPO: Date, price band, GMP, financials & more

Popular Vehicles and Services IPO: Popular Vehicles & Services IPO is a book built issue of Rs 601.55 crore. The price band is set at Rs 280 to Rs 295 per share

Tesla's German gigafactory to restart next week, says works council head

German police said they believed a letter from a far-left organisation called the Volcano Group claiming responsibility for the fire was authentic

Passenger vehicles industry estimated to grow up to 9% this fiscal: ICRA

The domestic passenger vehicle (PV) market is estimated to grow by six to nine per cent in the current financial year over the preceding fiscal, according to ratings firm ICRA. In absolute terms, the PV industry will clock a sales figure of 4.2 million units in the current fiscal. The report said that dealer inventories remain high despite strong retail sales, and the pace of growth is expected to taper off in the coming financial year. ICRA said that during the recently concluded festive season, retail sales grew six per cent year-on-year. The inventory levels in the industry remain high at 50 to 55 days at the end of January 2024. The utility vehicle (UV) segment continued to expand led by a shift in customer preferences coupled with a slew of product launches. The demand for the entry car segment remained muted, the report said. The availability of alternative fuels like CNG and electricity is steadily on the rise aided by the introduction of new models. The capital expendi

Govt denies reports of extension of EV subsidy scheme FAME-II beyond Mar 31

The government on Thursday said it has not extended the flagship scheme to promote electric mobility FAME-II beyond March 31, according to officials. The Ministry of Heavy Industries denied media reports claiming that the Centre has granted a temporary four-month extension to the scheme till July 31, with an outlay of Rs 500 crore for the period. Subsidies under the second phase of the FAME Scheme will be eligible for e-vehicles sold till March 31, 2024, or till the time funds are available, the Heavy Industries ministry stated last month. It also shared that the outlay of the Faster Adoption and Manufacturing of Electric Vehicles in India (FAME-II) programme has been enhanced from Rs 10,000 crore to Rs 11,500 crore. The ministry had said in the statement that the second phase of its flagship scheme to promote adoption of EVs in India -- FAME II -- was "fund- and term-limited". As per the revised outlay, electric two-wheelers, electric three-wheelers, and electric four-wheelers ar

Tata Motors to hike commercial vehicle prices by up to 2% from April 1

Tata Motors, India's top automaker by revenue, had last hiked prices for its CV range by up to 3% in January

Sumitomo Wiring divests 4.4% stake in Samvardhana Motherson for Rs 3,633 cr

Japan's Sumitomo Wiring Systems on Wednesday divested a 4.4 per cent stake in Samvardhana Motherson International Ltd for Rs 3,633 crore through open market transactions. Sumitomo Wiring Systems (SWS) is one of the promoter entities in Samvardhana Motherson International Ltd (SAMIL). According to the bulk deal data available with the National Stock Exchange (NSE), Sumitomo Wiring Systems sold a total of 30 crore shares, amounting to a 4.43 per cent stake in SAMIL. The shares were offloaded within the price range of Rs 121.03-121.25 apiece, taking the combined deal value to Rs 3,633.20 crore. After the stake sale, the shareholding of SWS has declined to 9.72 per cent from 14.15 per cent in the company. The combined shareholding of the promoters and promoter group entities has declined to 60.35 per cent stake in Samvardhana Motherson International from 64.78 per cent. As of December 2023, SWS and its wholly-owned subsidiary HK Wiring Systems Ltd (HKWS) jointly held a 14.32 per cent

Exide Industries further invests Rs 40 cr in advanced chemistry battery arm

Battery maker Exide Industries Ltd on Wednesday said it has further invested nearly Rs 40 crore in its wholly-owned arm advanced chemistry battery cells manufacturer Exide Energy Solutions Ltd. The investment of Rs 39,99,99,975 has been made by way of subscription in the equity share capital of Exide Energy Solutions Ltd (EESL), on rights basis, Exide Industries said in a regulatory filing. "With this investment, the total investment made by the company in EESL stands at Rs 1,965 crore. There is no change in the shareholding percentage of the company in EESL pursuant to such an acquisition," it added. EESL is in the process of setting up a plant for manufacturing and selling lithium-ion battery cells, modules and pack business. The further capital infusion is to fund the greenfield project and meet various funding requirements of EESL, the company said. EESL is into manufacturing battery cells of advanced chemistry and form factor, including but not limited to cylindrical, pouch,

With growing economy, Siemens has high hopes from Indian biz, says exec

Rebellius, head of Siemens' Smart Infrastructure business, said India was a priority for future investments as it upgrades its electric grid and invests in renewable energy

General Motors, Magna, Wipro team up for automotive software marketplace

The joint venture, SDVerse, will link the buyers and sellers through a digital platform, where the software's features and attributes can be listed

Tata Sons listing: Tata Group stocks rally on hopes of value unlock

Automobile Corporation of Goa (ACG) gained the most at 14 per cent followed by Tata Chemicals and Tata Investment Corporation (TIC) at around 5 per cent each

Banyantree backed Popular Vehicles and Services to launch IPO on March 12

Popular Vehicles and Services Ltd, which is engaged in automotive dealerships, is set to launch its Initial Public Offering (IPO) on March 12. The initial share sale will conclude on March 14 and the bidding for anchor investors will open for a day on March 11, according to the Red Herring Prospectus (RHP). The IPO comprises a fresh issuance of equity shares worth Rs 250 crore and an Offer For Sale (OFS) of 1.19 crore equity shares by Banyantree Growth Capital II, LLC. At present, promoters hold a 69.45 per cent stake in Popular Vehicles and Services and Banyan Tree owns over 30 per cent stake in the company. Proceeds of the fresh issue will be used for payment of debt and general corporate purposes. The Kerala-based company is a leading diversified automotive dealership in the country with a presence across the automotive retail value chain, including the sale of new passenger and commercial vehicles, services and repairs, spare parts distribution, sale of pre-owned passenger ...

BYD plans to cover 90% of India's EV market in 2024, to target major towns

Chinese electric vehicle maker BYD plans to cover 90 per cent of the EV market in India by the end of the year as it strengthens leadership position in EVs priced above Rs 30 lakh category, a senior company official said on Tuesday. BYD India, which launched its electric sedan SEAL priced between Rs 41 lakh and Rs 53 lakh, is working to achieve homologation certification from ARAI for its electric SUV Atto 3 which will lift the restriction on import volume of 2,500 units. Homologation is the process of certifying vehicles for roadworthiness under rules specified by the government for all vehicles made or imported into the country. "Our target is that we cover 90 per cent of the EV market in India. That is what we are planning to do by this year, which means we will be present in major towns, and tier I cities. "Wherever we see the electric vehicle penetration is high, wherever the electric vehicle sales are, where it is growing," BYD India, Senior Vice President of Electric Passeng

Expect India to be third largest market among 118 nations: Mercedes-Benz

The company also plans to tap smaller cities as it looks to establish sales outlets in 10 new locations ranging from Jammu to Kottayam to scale operations, Sardien stated

Maruti Suzuki's total sales rise 15% to 197,471 units in February

Maruti Suzuki India on Friday said it has reported a 15 per cent year-on-year increase in total wholesales at 1,97,471 units in February. The company had dispatched a total of 1,72,321 units in the same month last year, Maruti Suzuki India Ltd (MSIL) said in a statement. The total domestic passenger vehicle sales grew 9 per cent at 1,60,271 units as against 147,467 units in the month a year ago, it added. Sales of mini segment cars, comprising Alto and S-Presso, declined to 14,782 units as against 21,875 units in February 2023. Sales of compact cars, including Baleno, Celerio, Dzire, Ignis, Swift, Tour S, and WagonR, also declined by 10 per cent to 71,627 units as compared to 79,898 units in the year-ago month. Utility vehicles, including Brezza, Ertiga, Grand Vitara, and XL6, recorded sales of 61,234 units last month, growing 82 per cent over 33,550 units in the month a year ago, the company said. MSIL said its exports last month stood at 28,927 units as compared to 17,207 units

Behind Apple's doomed car project: False starts and wrong turns

Throughout its existence, the car effort was scrapped and rebooted several times, shedding hundreds of workers along the way

Tata Group firm Agratas to build UK's biggest EV battery plant in Somerset

Agratas, Tata Group's global battery business, on Wednesday confirmed that it will build Britain's biggest electric vehicle battery manufacturing facility in Somerset, south-west England. The so-called gigafactory, announced last year, will be built on the Gravity Smart Campus near Bridgwater in Somerset with a community-first approach, involving locals to learn more about and be a part of the project. The company said the 40 GWh factory is set to contribute almost half of the projected battery manufacturing capacity required for the UK automotive sector by the early 2030s. "Our multi-billion-pound investment will bring state-of-the-art technology to Somerset, helping to supercharge Britain's transition to electric mobility whilst creating thousands of jobs in the process, said Tom Flack, CEO of Agratas. "We care deeply about the communities we operate in, so it's imperative to us that we work with, and listen to, our new neighbours as we build our factory in Somerset. That's why .

Hybrids, gas powered vehicles fuel legacy automakers' shares past EV rivals

Electric vehicle demand has slowed of late, suggesting the transition away from traditional internal combustion engine vehicles will take longer than expected

Domestic commercial vehicle industry to see 4-7% dip in volumes: ICRA

Domestic Commercial Vehicle (CV) volumes are expected to dip 4-7 per cent year-on-year next fiscal with high base effect kicking in, rating agency Icra said on Tuesday. The volumes are expected to remain muted through the January-March quarter on account of a perceived pause in the infrastructural activities as the model code of conduct kicks in ahead of the general elections. "Icra estimates the domestic CV industry volumes to register 2-5 per cent year-on-year growth in volumes in FY24. Subsequently, the industry's sharp upcycle is expected to plateau in FY25, with a decline of 4-7 per cent in volumes," the rating agency stated. Icra Ratings Vice President & Co-Group Head Kinjal Shah said he expects the long-term demand for CVs to remain intact. The continued focus on infrastructure capex, emphasis on private participation in infrastructure, construction, defence and manufacturing activities would remain a long-term positive for the CV industry, he said. "However, in the near .

TVS Motor buys Killwatt shares worth Rs 35 cr to hike stake to 49%

TVS Motor Company on Monday said its Singapore-based arm has increased stake in the Germany-based electric mobility products and components start-up Killwatt GmbH to 49 per cent with the acquisition of an additional 8,000 equity shares for 4 million euros (over Rs 35 crore). TVS Motor (Singapore) Pte Ltd has agreed to acquire a further 8,000 equity shares in Killwatt GmbH following which its shareholding will increase from 39.28 per cent to 49 per cent by way of newly issued shares of the latter, TVS Motor Co said in a regulatory filing. The total consideration for the acquisition of 8,000 equity shares in Killwatt GmbH is 4 million euros, whereby 2 million euros will be paid on or before March 4, and the remaining 2 million euros will be paid at a later date, subject to the completion of a specific pre-agreed milestone by Killwatt GmbH, it added. Killwatt is a privately held firm engaged in businesses comprising development, design, manufacture, sale and distribution of products an