Page 32 - Automobile Industry

More than 800k EVs registered between June and December 2023; up 19% YoY

In order to increase the sale of EVs in India, the Centre notified Phase-II of FAME India Scheme for a period of five years, effective April 2019 with a total budgetary support of Rs 10,000 crore

India needs 1,000 scrapping centres, 400 fitness test points: Gadkari

Union Road Transport and Highways Minister Nitin Gadkari on Monday said the country needs 1,000 vehicle scrapping centres and 400 automated fitness test centres. Launching DigiELV', Gadkari said the road ministry has so far approved 85 vehicle scrapping facilities across the country. "We need 1,000 vehicle scrapping centres in the country and at least 400 automated fitness test centres," he said. DigiELV is a trading platform for End of Life Vehicle Certificate of Deposit. Anyone who currently owns a Certificate of Deposit (CD) can sell the CD through the platform. A CD is issued when a user submits a vehicle for scrapping at an RVSF. Noting that the National Vehicle Scrappage Policy is a win-win for all stakeholders, the minister said that India can be a scrapping hub in South Asia. "Circular economy is very important and it is going to create jobs in the country," Gadkari said. Prime Minister Narendra Modi launched the National Vehicle Scrappage Policy in August 2021 and said i

Royal Enfield faces fresh challenge from Harley in India's biker paradise

Like Triumph, US giant Harley-Davidson Inc. is also renewing efforts in India, where Royal Enfield is revered to a similar extent as Harley is in the US

Audi, ChargeZone inaugurate ultra-fast charging station in Mumbai

German luxury car manufacturer Audi on Thursday inaugurated an ultra-fast charging station, conceptualised and developed in collaboration with ChargeZone, in Bandra Kurla Complex (BKC) here. Claiming to be India's first ultra-fast charging station, it has a total capacity of 450 KW, which delivers 360 KW of power to an electric vehicle, Audi India said in a statement. Currently, Audi India has the luxury EV portfolio with six electric cars -- ?Q8 50 e-tron, Q8 55 e-tron, Q8 Sportback 50 e-tron, Q8 Sportback 55 e-tron, e-tron GT and RS e-tron GT -- in India. According to the company, this charger can charge Audi Q8 55 e-tron with a 114 KWH battery from 20 per cent to 80 per cent in just 26 minutes. "The inauguration of India's first, ultra-fast charging station by Audi India is a significant milestone in our ongoing efforts to develop a comprehensive electric vehicle ecosystem for our valued customers," Balbir Singh Dhillon, Head of Audi India, said. The company said its e-tron ...

40 years of Maruti 800: Jairam Ramesh recalls contribution of Indira, Rajiv

Senior Congress leader Jairam Ramesh on Thursday recalled the launch of people's car Maruti 800 40 years ago, and said Indira Gandhi and Rajiv Gandhi played a quiet but hugely effective role in the background. Former environment minister Ramesh also said that while celebrating Maruti-Suzuki and its multiple impacts, let us also pause and worry a bit from the inequality and climate change point of view that more than 50 per cent of car sales are now of SUVs. In a post on X, Ramesh said, "Today 40 years ago, the consumer revolution overtook India and its engineering industry got transformed. The Maruti 800, the people's car was launched and the nation recalls Indira Gandhi and Rajiv Gandhi, who played a quiet but hugely effective role in the background." It is also important to recall O Suzuki and V Krishnamurthy who made the landmark Suzuki-Maruti joint venture possible, he noted. Krishnamurthy had earlier built BHEL and was to later turn around SAIL, Ramesh pointed out. "One of th

Mahindra and Mahindra, others to invest Rs 875 crore in two-wheeler unit

The 'Scorpio' car manufacturer, will invest 5.25 billion and the remaining will come from existing shareholders and new investors, Mahindra said in an exchange filing

Tata Motors reports highest-ever monthly retail sales in November

Tata Motors recorded its highest-ever monthly retail sales in November on the back of robust demand for its sports utility vehicles amid the festive period, according to a top company official. In an interaction with PTI, Tata Motors Passenger Vehicles Managing Director Shailesh Chandra said the automaker retailed around 53,000 units in November, which was 8 per cent higher as compared to October this year and 30 per cent up as compared to sales in November 2022. The company also witnessed strong sales performance in the 47 days long festive period this year with registrations of around 79,374 units, up 18 per cent over the same period of last year. "We had a very strong festive season, which I would attribute mainly to the newly launched facelifted Nexon, Harrier, Safari and the iCNG range. And therefore, our VAHAN registrations, or real sale as we call it, was the highest ever in our history," Chandra said. He noted that the passenger vehicle segment is set to record its best eve

JSW Group, China's SAIC Motor begin negotiations on royalty fees

China's largest auto firm keen to get higher royalty fee; JSW group wants to go with industry benchmark

Elon Musk forces eco-conscious Scandinavians to choose between EVs, unions

A small walk-out at Tesla's seven repair shops in Sweden over unfair working conditions has in the past month spiralled into a storm of labor strikes

China to set up auto research institute in Thailand as EVs gain traction

Thai govt tax incentives and subsidies already drawn Chinese carmakers, including BYD and Great Wall Motor, which committed to investing $1.44 billion in new production facilities in the country

EV retail sales grow 25.5% to 152,606 units in November, says Fada

Electric vehicle total retail sales, including passenger and commercial vehicles, grew 25.5 per cent to 1,52,606 units in November, according to data released by the Federation of Automobile Dealers Association (FADA) on Thursday. The total EV retail sales in November 2022 were recorded at 1,21,596 units, according to FADA. The e-two-wheeler sales were 18.82 per cent higher at 91,243 units during the previous month from 76,791 units in November 2022. The e-three-wheeler volume rose 32.37 per cent to 53,766 vehicles in the reporting month as compared to 40,619 units retailed in the year-ago period, the data showed. Electric passenger vehicles retail sales in November this year stood at 7,064 units, a growth of 77.35 per cent over 3,983 units in the same month of last year. The electric commercial vehicle (e-buses) retail sales were reported at 533 units in the previous month as against 203 units retailed in November 2022, registering a year-on-year growth of 162 per cent, it said.

Strong order book to help Lamborghini see steady growth in India: Official

Super luxury car maker Automobili Lamborghini on Wednesday said a strong order book and product portfolio in India will help it register consistent growth in the domestic market. Automobili Lamborghini, which launched its first plug-in hybrid super sports car Revuelto with V12 engine at a starting price of Rs 8.89 crore (ex-showroom) on Wednesday, said almost all its cars to be delivered in India 2024 onwards will be hybrid. "Lamborghini order bank, or the product portfolio in India, is strong... that will allow us to have a constant growth in the market," Automobili Lamborghini Region Director for Asia Pacific, Francesco Scardaoni told PTI in an interaction. He said India is one of the fastest-growing markets for Lamborghini, and it is witnessing a strong demand from the country. "The new Revuelto sets the stage for an era of super sports car evolution in the hybridisation phase," he said. In response to a query on the company's growth prospects in 2024, "first of course we have

Maruti Suzuki's electric SUV to be manufactured in Gujarat's Hansalpur

Leading car manufacturer Maruti Suzuki on Wednesday announced that its upcoming electric SUV will be manufactured in Gujarat, and a new plant will be added to the company's existing manufacturing facility in Hansalpur, nearly 90 km from here. Suzuki Motor Gujarat Private Ltd (SMG), which runs the car manufacturing plant at Hansalpur, is a wholly-owned subsidiary of Maruti Suzuki and commenced operation in February 2017. "Our first EV, an SUV, will be launched in the next financial year of 2024-25. It will come out from SMG's Gujarat plant. At present, the entire SMG facility at Hansalpur has three plants - plant A, B and C. Now, to manufacture the EV, a new plant, also called a production line, will be added there," Maruti Suzuki Executive Director (Corporate Affairs) Rahul Bharti told reporters. The upcoming EV SUV, to be produced here at the SMG plant, will be exported too, he added. In March 2022, SMG's parent firm Suzuki Motor Corporation signed an MoU with the Gujarat governme

'Increasing demand for SUVs major road safety, environmental challenge'

The automobile industry's relentless push to sell larger and heavier SUVs a major road safety as well as environmental challenge and the government should discourage sale of these big vehicles, a top official of the Global New Car Assessment Programme (Global NCAP) said on Tuesday. Speaking at an event organized by the Institute of Road Traffic Education (IRTE), Global NCAP executive president David Ward said the Indian government has taken maximum steps for increasing road safety in the past few years including development of Bharat NCAP with partnership with GNCAP. "The car industry's relentless push to sell ever larger and heavier SUVs is bad news for road safety, but particularly for those driving smaller, more (fuel) efficient vehicles, and vulnerable road users," he said. According to Ward, the risk of fatal injuries to vulnerable road users increases as the bonnet height of the vehicle hitting them increases. "Increasing growth and demand for SUVs in India and other countrie

PM Modi shouldn't chase Elon Musk for manufacturing Tesla in India

If the Indian government believes this is how to build an EV-manufacturing ecosystem, however, it ought to think again

Honda Cars to increase prices of its entire model range from January

Honda Cars India plans to increase prices of its vehicles from January in order to partially offset the impact of riding input costs, according to a senior company official. The Japanese carmaker sells three models -- Elevate, City and Amaze -- in the Indian market. In an interaction with PTI, Honda Cars India Vice President (Marketing and Sales) Kunal Behl said the company will increase the prices of its models from next month due to pressure on input costs. "The model-wise amount of increase will be finalised by the end of this month. Our new model Elevate which was launched at an introductory price has been well received by the market with very high customer consideration. The introductory price will be valid till December 23 and price will be revised from January 2024," he noted. Maruti Suzuki, Mahindra & Mahindra and Audi India have also announced plans to hike prices of their passenger vehicles in January 2024 citing reasons, including cost pressure driven by overall ...

Toyota Kirloskar Motor sales up by 51% at 17,818 units in November

Toyota Kirloskar Motor on Friday reported 51 per cent growth in sales at 17,818 units in November 2023 as compared to the year-ago month. The company had sold 11,765 units in November 2022, Toyota Kirloskar Motor (TKM) said in a statement. Domestic sales last month were at 16,924 units in the domestic market, while exports stood at 894 units, it added. The company had undertaken a week-long maintenance shutdown from November 11-19, 2023 for upkeep of machinery and equipment to sustain operational efficiencies, maintain quality and safety, the statement said. "We recorded a strong festive season with healthy bookings, and we are extremely thrilled to see the market responding very positively to our entire product range," TKM Vice President of Sales and Strategic Marketing Atul Sood said. TKM said its cumulative sales for calendar year 2023 (January-November) stood at 2,10,497 units, up 40 per cent over the same period in 2022, when the sales were 1,49,995 units.

Strike cuts Ford sales by 100,000 vehicles, cost $1.7 billion in profits

A six-week United Auto Workers strike at Ford cut sales by about 100,000 vehicles and cost the company USD 1.7 billion in lost profits this year, the automaker said Thursday. Additional labour costs from the four-year and eight-month agreement will total USD 8.8 billion by the end of the contract, translating to about USD 900 per vehicle by 2028, Chief Financial Officer John Lawler said in a company release. Ford will work to offset that cost through higher productivity and reducing expenses, Lawler said. The Dearborn, Michigan, automaker re-issued full-year earnings guidance that was withdrawn during the strike, but it trimmed its expectations. The company now expects to earn USD 10 billion to USD 10.5 billion before taxes in 2023. That's down from USD 11 billion to USD 12 billion that it projected last summer. Ford said the strike caused it to lose production of high-profit trucks and SUVs. UAW workers shut down the company's largest and most profitable factory in Louisville, ...

Two-wheeler volumes expected to grow by 4-7% this fiscal year: Report

Two-wheeler retail sales are expected to increase by just 4-7 per cent in volume terms in the domestic market this fiscal year despite logging strong growth in the festive period, according to a report. The festive season this year saw robust growth in two-wheeler retails aided by the upcoming wedding season and some recovery in rural demand, which supported sales growth in the entry-level (110 cc) segment, the report by rating firm Icra stated. The dealer inventory remained at near normal levels, with the OEMs (original equipment manufacturers) wary of a build-up in inventory at the dealerships, it added. "The industry is expected to record a moderate growth in volumes in FY 2024 (4-7 per cent) even as export volumes remain impacted by weak demand," Icra said. Elaborating on the passenger vehicles, Icra stated that the segment is expected to record a moderate growth in volumes in FY2024 (6-9 per cent) and reach an all-time high during the period. Commercial vehicle volume growth

Audi India raises prices of vehicles by 2% from Jan 1 on rising input costs

Audi India registered an 88 per cent growth and has retailed 5,530 units in the first nine months of this year