Page 24 - Automobile Manufacturer

Super sports car segment in India to grow by 30% in '24: McLaren Automotive

British luxury carmaker McLaren Automotive on Friday said it is expecting the super sports car segment in India to register 30 per cent growth this year. McLaren is also looking to deliver about 20-odd cars to customers in India after witnessing a blip last year owing to supply chain issues. Earlier the company, which entered the Indian market in November 2022, unveiled its super sports car the 750S, priced at Rs 5.91 crore. Built at the McLaren Composites Technology Centre (MCTC) in Yorkshire, UK and imported as a completely built unit, 750S is the lightest and most powerful series-production from the company, achieving 0-200kms/hour in 7.2 seconds (Spider 7.3 seconds), as per the company. "This segment (the cars, which are priced upwards of Rs 4-5 crore) has also seen a healthy growth last year. I think post-Covid, 2021 was kind of a startup year (from the volume's perspective) and then 2022 was a good year. "While the year 2023 was better and we're thinking 2024 will be still .

MG Motor launches Astor 2024 SUV with AI assistant, starting at Rs 9,98,000

The MG Astor 2024 boasts to be the most advanced SUV, with in-built personal AI assistant

Rationalisation of duty structure crucial for tech adoption: BMW India Head

Rationalisation of the duty structure is critical for the fast adoption of new technologies, including electric vehicles, BMW Group India President Vikram Pawah said on Thursday. He stressed on a level-playing field in terms of taxation for the existing as well as for new players who seek to foray into the country. "Our ask from the government has always been that if you want faster adoption of new technologies, and then localisation, there needs to be some rationalisation of the duty structure," Pawah told reporters here. If the duties were less, it will allow the companies to bring in products and offer it to the customer at the right price, he added. After demand creation, the products could be localised as BMW has been doing since commencing operations in the country, Pawah said. "Every product that we bring in, initially we try to bring in as CBU, and when the demand grows, we immediately localise it," he added. At present, cars imported as Completely Built Units (CBUs) attr

Toyota to roll out solid-state battery EVs globally in a couple of years

Last year, Toyota and oil refiner Idemitsu Kosan said they would tie up to develop and mass produce all-solid-state batteries, which they aim to commercialise in 2027 and 2028

Govt's mission is to be world's top automobile manufacturing hub: Gadkari

The government's mission is to make India the number one automobile manufacturing hub in the world and make the auto sector a Rs 25 lakh crore industry, Union Minister Nitin Gadkari said on Thursday. Addressing a seminar at the Vibrant Gujarat Global Summit here, the minister asked auto manufacturers to invest in clean technologies, especially in electric vehicles, otherwise, they will "miss the bus". Under Prime Minister Narendra Modi's vision of a USD 5 trillion economy and a self-reliant India, Gadkari said, "We are looking at the auto sector to become a Rs 25 lakh crore industry." He further said, "We have to become the number one. Our mission, our target is to make the Indian automobile industry in the world the number one manufacturing hub." Gadkari reminded the audience that when he took charge as minister, India's automobile sector was seventh in the world. "It is a great pride and pleasure for me that under the leadership of PM Modi, we have achieved a very respectable fe

Jaguar Land Rover reports best-ever sales at 3,582 units in Apr-Dec period

Luxury automaker Jaguar Land Rover on Thursday reported record sales at 3,582 units for nine months ended December 31, 2023. The company said its sales rose 93 per cent year-on-year as compared to the April-December period of the last fiscal. Range Rover and Defender continue to lead with a year-on-year (YoY) rise of 250 per cent, contributing to over 75 per cent of the current order book, the automaker said. In the October-December quarter, the company reported a 74 per cent YoY growth, achieving retail sales of 1,226 units, it added. The newly launched Range Rover Velar witnessed a YoY sales growth of 183 per cent in the quarter, JLR said. "Over the past nine months, JLR's progress in India has been characterised by consistent and substantial growth. Each quarter has shown an impressive year-on-year surge of nearly 100 per cent," JLR India Managing Director Rajan Amba said. The burgeoning order bank and continuous order intake signal a robust demand, underscoring promising futu

Tata Motors rides high on Jaguar Land Rover volume, margin expectations

The main trigger for the stock is the volume trajectory for JLR. Its wholesale volumes in the December quarter, excluding China joint venture, grew 27 per cent over year ago quarter to 101,043 units

Trade department backs lower tax on hybrid vehicles in green push

India's combined sales and additional taxes on hybrid vehicles sales are as high as 43%, based on the size of the car, compared with the highest rate of 50% imposed on petrol and diesel cars

Tesla launches restyled Model 3 in North America at unchanged prices

The move will refresh Tesla's aging vehicle line-up in its biggest market and follows a price war last year that helped the company meet its annual deliveries goal at the cost of margins

Japan's Suzuki to invest Rs 35,000 crore for second car plant in Gujarat

Japanese carmaker Suzuki Motor will invest 350 billion rupees ($4.21 billion) for a second car plant in India's Gujarat state, its president said on Wednesday at an investment summit in India

Electric vehicle sales jumps 49% to 1.52 million units in 2023: Fada

Electric vehicle sales in India jumped 49.25 per cent year-on-year to 15,29,947 units in 2023, according to a data released by the Federation of Automobile Dealers' Association (FADA) on Tuesday. The EV industry had recorded a total sales of 10,25,063 units in 2022, as per the data. The two-wheeler sales grew 36.09 per cent to 8,59,376 units in the just-concluded year against 6,31,464 units in 2022, it said. The e-three-wheeler sales volumes surged 65.23 per cent year-on-year to 5,82,793 units from 3,52,710 units sold in 2022. E-commercial vehicles sales rose 114.16 per cent year-on-year to 5,673 units in 2023 compared to 2,649 vehicles in the preceding year. Electric passenger vehicle sales grew 114.71 per cent to 82,105 units last year against 38,240 vehicles in 2022, as per the FADA data.

Mobileye agrees to supply ADAS tech to M&M as it eyes growth in India

Mobileye also forecast a decline in sales of 50% year-on-year in the current first quarter as customers and automakers work through a backlog of ADAS chips and have stopped placing orders

Tata Motors global wholesales up 9% to 338,177 units in December quarter

Tata Motors on Tuesday said its global wholesales, including that of Jaguar Land Rover, rose 9 per cent year-on-year to 3,38,177 units in the December quarter. Global wholesales of Tata Motors' commercial vehicles and Tata Daewoo range in October-December period of FY24 were at 98,679 units, up 1 per cent over third quarter of FY23, the company said in a regulatory filing. The company's global sales of all passenger vehicles, including electrical vehicles, were at 1,38,455 units, up 5 per cent year-on-year. Global wholesales for Jaguar Land Rover were 27 per cent higher at 1,01,043 units. Jaguar wholesales for the quarter stood at 12,149 vehicles, while Land Rover wholesales for the quarter were at 88,894 vehicles.

Renault plans 5 launches in 3 years, eyes double-digit sales growth in 2024

French carmaker Renault is planning to launch five products in the Indian market over the next three years as it looks to tap emerging demand for automobiles in the country, according to a top company executive. The automaker, which saw subdued sales last year owing to various challenges, expects a turnaround in business this year. The company sold around 49,000 units in the domestic market and also shipped close to 28,000 units to various international markets in 2023. "We are definitely eyeing double-digit growth this year... we are refreshing our current product range. Also, there will be marketing actions, so that should help," Renault India Operations Country CEO & Managing Director Venkatram Mamillapalle told PTI. On new product launches, he noted that the company will introduce five products in the next three years. This will be in addition to the investment of 3 billion euros that Renault Brand recently announced for the four key international hubs outside Europe, which ..

Global electric vehicle market growth to slow this year on lower subsidies

The figure follows an estimated growth of 29% in 2023 at 13.7 million units, when government incentives helped the adoption of EVs, Canalys said in its report

Passenger vehicles in fast lane: 2024 begins with 75% surge in inventory

2023 saw 11% growth in automobile retail sales, setting the momentum for the year ahead

Mercedes Benz lines up Rs 200 cr investment, will launch over 12 products

German luxury carmaker Mercedes-Benz will invest Rs 200 crore in India this year on new products, manufacturing operations and digitisation, to strengthen its position after posting record sales of 17,408 units in 2023, a top company official said on Monday. Mercedes-Benz India will have more than 12 launches in 2024, including three electric vehicles, out of which half will be in the top end vehicle segment (TEV) and will be priced Rs 1.5 crore onwards. "This year marks a special year as we celebrate 30 years of Mercedes Benz in India. We are going to invest Rs 200 crore more into our factory in Pune. This takes a total investment of Rs 3,000 crore in India now. So that's a strong statement of intent," Mercedes-Benz India Managing Director & CEO Santosh Iyer told PTI in an interview. These investments will be towards manufacturing operations, new product startups and digitisation of the manufacturing process, he added. In 2023, Iyer said, the company recorded its best-ever year ..

Honda considers $14 billion plan for EV production plant in Canada: Report

Canada's industry minister's office said that reports about Honda looking to make a significant investment in Canada speaks to the quality of the country's workforce and the strength of its industry

Jupiter Wagons bags contract to make double-decker automobile carriers

Mobility solutions provider Jupiter Wagons on Friday said it has secured a "significant" contract from a leading automobile maker for manufacturing four rakes of double-decker automobile carrier worth around Rs 100 crore. These automobile carrier Wagons will be able to carry SUVs on the bottom and top deck and come with a number of advanced technologies like articulated bogies and reduced idling time on account of sick wagon substitution, the company said in a statement. Such wagons are being introduced to the Indian Railways for the first time, considering the maximum moving dimensions, which not only suit the Dedicated Freight Corridor (DFC) but will also comply with a large section of the available national railway network, it added. "We are ready to leverage our expertise and resources to deliver these wagons, ensuring they meet the highest standards of quality and performance," said Vivek Lohia, Managing Director at Jupiter Wagons. Jupiter Wagons provides comprehensive mobilit

How China's top automobile manufacturer BYD beat Tesla at its own game

The company is able to offer a wide range of affordable EVs at low prices, maximizing sales (if not revenue) while expanding its footprint in new markets