Page 3 - Automobile Industry

CV segment biggest beneficiary of GST cut in auto sector: Ashok Leyland

The commercial vehicles segment will be the biggest beneficiary of the GST rate reduction in the auto sector as it will unleash replacement demand, which is long overdue, Ashok Leyland MD & CEO Shenu Agarwal said on Thursday. With the GST rate cut touching every consumer and business in the country, it will result in a boost in consumption thereby increasing freight traffic and ultimately demand for commercial vehicles (CVs), he said here on the sidelines of the annual convention of Society of Indian Automobile Manufacturers (SIAM). "CV will be actually the biggest beneficiary among the automotive sector," Agarwal said when asked about the impact of recent GST rate reduction on the auto sector. He said while rate rationalisation will lead to price cuts and customers who have withheld purchases will come back to the market, one big aspect is of the replacement of ageing fleets. "We have been discussing this issue of aging of fleets in the country.. the average age of the fleet is ..

Qcom firms go on an EV drive, but cost, charging infra remain roadblocks

Major delivery platforms commit to adopting EVs for last-mile deliveries, but upfront costs of EV two-wheelers and lack of reliable charging infrastructure remain barriers

Suzuki says production of flex fuel vehicles in India to commence in FY26

Maruti Suzuki India will commence production of flex fuel vehicles this fiscal, according to its parent Suzuki Motor Corporation. In a technology strategy announcement, Suzuki Motor Corporation said the development is underway to launch flex fuel vehicles (FFV) within this fiscal year. Suzuki said one of its unique initiatives toward realising a carbon-neutral society in India is through the biogas business, according to a regulatory filing by Maruti Suzuki India. This project aims to convert the manure from India's 300 million cattle into biogas, 'a carbon-neutral fuel' and organic fertiliser, the automaker said. The biogas will be used directly in CNG vehicles, which already account for one out of every three vehicles sold by Maruti Suzuki, it added. Suzuki, together with India's dairy cooperatives, is constructing biogas production plants, which will begin operations sequentially from 2025, it said. Purchasing cow dung will not only help improve the incomes of rural communitie

MP first state to frame EV policy, says CM on eve of World EV Day

Madhya Pradesh is the first state in the country to formulate an electric vehicle policy and it is ready to represent the future of electric vehicle transportation, Chief Minister Mohan Yadav said on Monday. It is the priority of the state to achieve the country's electric vehicle manufacturing targets as part of the global mandate to fight climate change under the leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, he added. On the eve of World EV Day, he asked people to reduce carbon emissions through the use of clean energy. World EV Day is an annual global event celebrated on September 9 to raise awareness and promote the adoption of electric vehicles. "The state is getting ready to represent the future of electric vehicle transportation. Madhya Pradesh is the first state in the country to formulate an electric vehicle policy. Achieving the country's electric vehicle manufacturing targets under the global mandate to fight climate change and the leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi

Automobile dealers seek govt intervention in compensation cess recovery

Automotive dealer's body FADA has written to Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman seeking help regarding the levy and treatment of cess balances. In a letter to the minister, the Federation of Automobile Dealers Associations (FADA) noted that while GST 2.0 subsumes the earlier compensation cess regime for automobiles, the dealers today hold significant, validly-availed cess balances in their electronic credit ledgers. Once no further cess liability arises, these balances cannot be utilised against CGST/SGST/IGST under the current law, FADA President C S Vigneshwar said. Without a transitional pathway, credits risk lapsing, creating an unintended, permanent loss and a sharp working-capital shock for compliant MSME dealerships, he added. With the 56th GST Council decision, the levy of compensation cess on motor vehicles has been subsumed into GST rates, and hence no fresh cess liability will arise on outward supplies, he said. Vigneshwar sought that the balance lying in the compensat

Hyundai to cut prices by up to ₹2.4 lakh; Tata Motors by ₹4.65 lakh on CVs

Hyundai Motor India on Sunday said it has reduced prices of its entire model range by up to Rs 2.4 lakh to pass on the GST rate cut benefit to customers. The company said the price cut ranging between Rs 60,640 on Verna to Rs 2.4 lakh on premium SUV Tucson will be applicable from September 22. "This reform is not only a boost to the automotive industry but also a strong step towards empowering millions of customers by making personal mobility more affordable and accessible," Unsoo Kim, Managing Director, Hyundai Motor India, stated. In a separate statement, Tata Motors said it will pass on the full benefit of the GST reduction on its entire commercial vehicle range to customers, effective September 22, 2025, when the revised rates come into effect. The Mumbai-based auto major said prices of CV range would come down in the range of Rs 30,000 to Rs 4.65 lakh. The company has already announced a price cut in its passenger vehicle portfolio.

New GST rates revive auto companies' hope for a festive sales spurt

Small petrol and diesel cars now attract only 18 per cent GST compared to 29-31 per cent earlier

Auto stocks rally on GST 2.0; Emkay sees M&M, Maruti as top beneficiaries

Auto stocks surged after the GST Council slashed tax rates across the automobile sector. Analysts at Emkay Global pick M&M, Maruti Suzuki, Hero MotoCorp as top auto stocks to buy

Small cars remain base, but SUVs can't be ignored: Maruti MD Takeuchi

Suzuki is transferring more export production from Japan to India, as the role of the latter continues to increase in the company's global strategy

Two-rate GST structure approved; new rates to kick-in from Sept 22: FM

GST on buses, trucks, and ambulances has been reduced to 18% from 28%. Uniform rate of 18% on all auto parts has been decided

HC directs Delhi govt to disburse subsidies promised to EV buyers

The Delhi High Court on Wednesday ordered the Delhi government to take immediate steps to disburse the subsidies promised to customers for buying electric vehicles and said procedural hurdles cannot be used as a pretext to delay payments. A bench of Chief Justice Devendra Kumar Upadhayaya and Justice Tushar Rao Gedela noted the government cannot hide behind the fact that the Delhi Electric Vehicles Policy of 2020 does not prescribe any timeline to disburse the amount. "The government is taking shield of the fact that the Delhi Electric Vehicles Policy does not provide any fixed timeline for disbursal of subsidy. Such a ground, in our opinion, is not available for the government," it said. The bench noted that the government had funds but it was delaying disbursal owing to procedural issues. It directed the transport department of the Delhi government to expeditiously set up a dedicated bank account for the disbursal of the subsidy amount and ensure subsidies were released to eligib

Cyber attack disrupts retail, production activities of Jaguar Land Rover

The disruption adds to JLR's woes after a report in July said it had delayed the launch of its electric Range Rover and Jaguar models for more testing and for demand to pick up

Ceat completes acquisition of Camso, to invest $171 mn in Sri Lanka

The investment is aimed at expanding manufacturing capacity for off-highway tyres (OHT) and tracks at the Midigama and Kotugoda facilities

Hyundai Motor India sales decrease 4.23% to 60,501 units in August

Hyundai Motor India Ltd on Monday reported a 4.23 per cent decline in total sales at 60,501 units in August, as compared to the same month last year. The company had sold 63,175 units in the same month last year. August sales included 44,001 units in the domestic market and 16,500 units exports, Hyundai Motor India Ltd (HMIL) said in a statement. In the same month last year domestic sales were at 49,525 units and exports stood at 13,650 units. HMIL Whole-time Director and Chief Operating Officer Tarun Garg said the company's goal is to establish India as a strategic manufacturing base for emerging economies and to become Hyundai's largest export hub outside South Korea. "This ambition is gaining strong traction month-on-month. Our exports grew by an impressive 21 per cent year-on-year in August 2025," he said.

Maruti Suzuki sales decline marginally to 180,683 units in August

Maruti Suzuki India on Monday reported a marginal dip in total sales to 1,80,683 units in August. The auto major sold a total of 1,81,782 units in the same month of the last year. Its total domestic passenger vehicle dispatches to dealers declined 8 per cent to 1,31,278 units from 1,43,075 units in the year-ago month, Maruti Suzuki India (MSI) said in a statement. The sale of mini segment cars, comprising Alto and S-Presso, declined to 6,853 units against 10,648 units in August 2024. Sales of compact cars, including Baleno, Dzire, Ignis and Swift, increased to 59,597 units from 58,051 units a year ago. Utility vehicles, consisting of Grand Vitara, Brezza, Ertiga and XL6, clocked sales of 54,043 units last month compared to 62,684 units in the year-ago period, a decline of 14 per cent. Sales of van Eeco were 10,785 units last month against 10,985 units in the year-ago month, while those of light commercial vehicle Super Carry stood at 2,772 units against 2,495 units a year earlier

Issue of restricted rare earth magnets' supply sorted for now: Ather Energy

The CEO plans to double this share in the April-June quarter of the previous year. "Twenty per cent market share is something I think is possible for our business in the near term," Mehta said

Maharashtra, UP lead auto sales across segments in Q1 FY26, shows SIAM data

Maharashtra and UP lead India's Q1FY26 automobile sales across passenger, two-wheeler, three-wheeler and CV segments, as per SIAM data

With 3,564 e-buses, Delhi leads green mobility; Maharashtra, K'taka follow

The Odisha government on Friday said that the state ranks fifth in the country in green mobility, and the authorities have set an ambitious target to enhance its electric bus fleet to over 1,000 in the coming years. According to data, 14,329 e-buses are currently in operation across India, of which Delhi has the highest number of vehicles at 3,564, followed by Maharashtra (3,296), Karnataka (2,236), and Uttar Pradesh (850), according to an official statement. Odisha, with 450 such vehicles, is in the fifth position among all states in the adoption of electric buses. Odisha has outpaced the neighbouring states in this field West Bengal (391), Andhra Pradesh (238), Chhattisgarh (215) and Jharkhand (46), it claimed. The central government, under various schemes, provides financial assistance to states to roll out e-buses. Odisha's Capital Region Urban Transport (CRUT) has been proactive in leveraging this support, while also preparing for an ambitious expansion of services to Sambal

40% pollution cut under NCAP may extend life expectancy by 2 yrs: Study

Residents of 130 cities covered under the National Clean Air Programme (NCAP) could see their life expectancy increase by two years compared to 2017 if India achieves its revised target of a 40 per cent reduction in particulate pollution by 2026, a new report said on Thursday. Launched in 2019, NCAP aimed to cut 2017 particulate pollution levels in 130 highly polluted cities by 20-30 per cent by 2024. In 2022, the government revised the target to a 40 per cent reduction by 2026. In practice, only PM10 concentration is being considered for performance assessment. The Energy Policy Institute at the University of Chicago (EPIC) said in its 2025 report that residents in these 130 cities would gain two years in life expectancy as compared to 2017 if the target is met. Government data shows 103 of the 130 cities recorded an improvement in PM10 levels in 2024-25 compared to 2017-18. Sixty-four of them reduced these levels by more than 20 per cent, while 25 achieved cuts of over 40 per ...

India's lubricant majors bet on EVs, digital infra to fuel future growth

Castrol, Gulf Oil and others are expanding into EV fluids and thermal management for data centres while maintaining focus on ICE lubricants as long-term demand shifts reshape the industry