Page 34 - Automobile Manufacturer

China's BYD proposes $1 bn India plan to build EVs, batteries: Reports

The longer-term plan is to build a full line-up of BYD-brand electric cars in India from hatchbacks to luxury models, one of the three people said

Kia India crosses 1mn production mark; to start bookings for new Seltos

Kia India on Thursday said it has crossed the 10 lakh production milestone since making its debut in the market in 2019. The company rolled out the new Seltos from its Anantapur-based plant to mark the occasion. Kia also announced that pre-bookings of the model would commence in the country on July 14. "This is a big moment for us, our employees, and our partners who have lived and supported our journey and helped us in making Kia an integral part of Indian consumer's lives today," Kia India Managing Director and CEO Tae-Jin Park said in a statement. The new Seltos marks the beginning of an exhilarating chapter in the country as the automaker continues to drive towards automotive excellence in the Indian market, he added. Kia made its entry into the Indian market with the launch of Seltos in August 2019.

MG ZS EV ADAS updates: Lane keep assist, adaptive cruise control, and more

The car also comes with Traffic Jam Assist (TJA) to facilitate a smoother driving experience

Passenger vehicle sales up 2% YoY in June, 3W sales almost double: Siam

Two-wheeler sales registered a slight jump of 1.68% as the sales touched 1,330,826 in June 2023, compared to 1,308,764 in June 2022

Hyundai drives in micro SUV Exter with price starting at Rs 5.99 lakh

Hyundai Motor India on Monday forayed into the entry-level SUV segment in the country with the launch of all-new model Exter, with introductory prices ranging between Rs 5.99 lakh and Rs 9.31 lakh (ex-showroom). The model, which competes directly with Tata Motors Punch, comes powered by a 1.2-litre petrol engine mated with both manual and automatic variants. The five-speed manual trims, which deliver fuel efficiency of 19.4 km per litre are priced between Rs 5.99 lakh and Rs 9.31 lakh. The five-speed automatic variant is tagged at Rs 7.96 lakh with a claimed fuel efficiency of 19.2 km per litre. The CNG trim is priced at Rs 8.23 lakh with an efficiency of 27.1 km per kg. Speaking at the launch, Hyundai Motor India MD and CEO Unsoo Kim said with the launch of Exter, the automaker has now become a full-range SUV manufacturer in the country. He noted that the company has invested Rs 950 crore on the development of the model. Outlining Hyundai's commitment to the Indian market, Kim

Mechanics need to be empowered to strengthen automobile industry: Rahul

The mechanics in India need to be empowered in order to strengthen the country's automobile industry, Congress leader Rahul Gandhi said on Sunday as he shared a video of his recent interaction with motorcycle mechanics at Delhi's Karol Bagh. Calling it the "next pit stop" of the "Bharat Jodo Yatra", Gandhi shared on social media glimpses of his candid conversations with the mechanics at Karol Bagh on June 27, in which he is seen learning the nuances of servicing a bike and answering their queries. In the video, Gandhi is heard saying that he has a KTM390 motorcycle, which is just parked unused as his security people do not allow him to go for a ride on it. Gandhi also answered queries from the mechanics, with one of them asking when would he get married, to which the former Congress chief replied, "Let us see." At the bikers' market, Gandhi interacted and serviced a motorcycle with Umed Shah, Vicky Sen and Manoj Paswan. "To strengthen the automobile industry of India, there is a

US agency seeks updated responses, data from Tesla in Autopilot probe

NHTSA has said evidence had raised questions about the effectiveness of Tesla's alert strategy, which seeks to compel driver attention

Toyota Kirloskar Motor hikes vehicle prices by 1% due to rise in input cost

Toyota Kirloskar Motor (TKM) on Thursday said it has hiked the prices of its models by around 1 per cent in order to offset the impact of an increase in input cost. The company, which sells models like Innova Crysta and Fortuner, has realigned the prices of its models with effect from July 5, 2023, TKM said in a statement. The increase was necessitated to partially offset the rising input cost, it added. "As a customer-centric company, we remain committed to cater to the ever-evolving needs of the market and all efforts have been made to ensure that the impact of the cost increase passing on to our customers is minimal," it noted.

Looking to double turnover to Rs 1.68 trn by 2030-31: Maruti Suzuki CEO

Maruti Suzuki India is looking to double its turnover to around Rs 1.68 lakh crore by 2030-31 from FY22 level in line with parent Suzuki Motor Corporation's global growth strategy, company Managing Director and CEO Hisashi Takeuchi said on Wednesday. The company expects India to "play a very big role" in Suzuki Motor Corporation's goal to achieve a global turnover of Rs 4.32 lakh crore in FY30-31, which would be exactly double the turnover of Rs 2.16 lakh crore achieved in FY21-22, he said. "Yes, of course" because we would like to make our volume double the size, Takeuchi said when asked if Maruti Suzuki India was also looking to double its turnover like its parent Suzuki. He said, "We will invest for production facility, we will invest for human resources so that we will be able to handle such a big volume by 2030. So that is our plan." Maruti Suzuki India had clocked net sales of Rs 83,798 crore in 2021-22. Takeuchi was speaking at the sidelines of the company's launch of premiu

Maruti Suzuki launches multi purpose vehicle Invicto, starts at Rs 24 lakh

Maruti Suzuki India (MSI) on Wednesday launched the new Invicto at introductory prices ranging from Rs 24.8-Rs 28.4 lakh as it looks to gain foothold in the premium three-row multi purpose vehicle segment. The company has launched Invicto in three variants and expects the model to further strengthen its presence in the overall MPV segment where it commands around 50 per cent market share already. The country's largest carmaker will source the strong hybrid model from Toyota Kirloskar Motor (TKM) as part of a global collaboration between Toyota and Suzuki. TKM already sells Innova HyCross in the domestic market and the same would be supplied to MSI with certain changes in design and other elements. Speaking at the launch event, MSI MD and CEO Hisashi Takeuchi said the model has been carefully crafted to match the modern taste of NEXA customers, who want a premium three-row vehicle with dynamism of an SUV. He noted that Grand Vitara, Fronx and Jimny have substantially enhanced the .

Govt's battery swapping policy for EVs faces resistance from industry

Finance Minister Niramala Sitharaman first talked about the battery-swapping plan in her budget speech in February 2022

Maruti Suzuki production declines 5% YoY in June 2023, SUV production up

Maruti's sedan Ciaz also registered a 77 per cent jump in production numbers from 1,519 units in June 2022 to 2,694 units in June 2023

Harley Davidson X440 launch today: Price, specifications, what to expect

The make-in-India focus and effective use of local materials is expected to bring costs down for the Harley, enabling it to offer X440 at a competitive price

PVs make up just 16% of the Indian auto sector in volume, but 58% in value

India saw passenger vehicle sales worth $63 billion in the financial year 2022-23

Audi India posts 97% jump in sales at 3,474 units in first half of 2023

German luxury car manufacturer Audi on Monday reported a 97 per cent jump in retail sales in India at 3,474 units in the first half of 2023, as compared to the same period last year. The company had sold 1,765 units in the January to June period in 2022, Audi India said in a statement. "Our performance in the first half of the year, despite supply challenges and rising input costs has laid the foundation for a successful second half of the year," Audi India Head Balbir Singh Dhillon said. He further said, "our volume models Audi Q3, Audi Q3 Sportback, Audi Q5, Audi A4 and Audi A6 are seeing strong demand. Our top-of-the-line cars Audi Q7, Audi Q8, Audi A8 L, Audi S5 Sportback, Audi RS5 Sportback, Audi RS Q8 and Audi RS e-tron GT are also growing in healthy numbers." The company said its pre-owned car business 'Audi Approved: plus' grew by 53 per cent in the first six months of 2023 and will continue to expand it further in the country. "Currently operating with 23 Audi Approved: p

M&M overall sales up 15% in June, SUV sales rise 22%; exports down by 10%

Three-wheeler sales were also up by 59% and reached 6,377 units in June 2023 from 4,008 units in June 2022

Tata Motors to hike prices of PVs from July 17 to offset input costs

Tata Motors on Monday said it will hike prices of its passenger vehicles with effect from July 17. The company will increase prices of its passenger vehicles (including EVs) by an average of 0.6 per cent across models and variants, Tata Motors said in a statement. The price increase is to offset the residual impact of past input costs, it added. The auto major noted that it will offer price protection to bookings made up to July 16, 2023 and deliveries up to July 31, 2023. Tata Motors sells a range of passenger vehicles including Punch, Nexon and Harrier.

Ashok Leyland June total sales up 5% at 15,221 units, CV sales jump 10%

Commercial vehicles maker Ashok Leyland on Monday reported a 5 per cent rise in total vehicle sales in June at 15,221 units. In the year-ago period, total vehicle sales of the company stood at 14,531 units. Total domestic sales were higher by 7 per cent at 14,363 units as against 13,469 units a year ago, the company said in a statement. Domestic medium and heavy commercial vehicle sales were at 9,274 units as compared to 8,399 units in June last year, a growth of 10 per cent, it added. Sales of light commercial vehicles in the domestic market marginally increased to 5,089 units from 5,070 units in June 2022, the company said.

Honda Cars' domestic wholesales declines by 35% to 5,080 units in June

Honda Cars India on Saturday said its domestic wholesales declined by 35 per cent to 5,080 units in June. The automaker sold 7,834 units in the domestic market in June 2022. Exports declined to 2,112 units last month from 2,502 units in June last year. "Our sales in June are in line with our projections and met our planned targets," Honda Cars India Director (Marketing and Sales) Yuichi Murata said in a statement. The company will soon commence the pre-launch booking for Elevate, and it will be launched during the festive season, he added.

Maruti Suzuki reports 2% rise in retail sales at 159,418 units in June

The country's largest carmaker Maruti Suzuki India (MSI) on Saturday reported 2 per cent increase in total wholesales at 1,59,418 units in June. The company had dispatched 1,55,857 units to dealers in June 2022, MSI said in a statement. Last month, the company's domestic passenger vehicle sales rose 8 per cent to 1,33,027 units as against 1,22,685 units in the year-ago period, it added. Sales of mini cars, comprising Alto and S-Presso, fell marginally to 14,054 units as compared with 14,442 units in the same month last year. Similarly, sales in the compact segment, including models such as Swift, Celerio, Ignis, Baleno and Dzire, slumped 17 per cent to 64,471 units as against 77,746 cars in June 2022. Sales of mid-sized sedan Ciaz increased to 1,744 units as compared with 1,507 units in June last year. Utility vehicle sales, including Brezza, Grand Vitara and Ertiga, surged over two-fold to 43,404 units as compared with 18,860 vehicles in the year-ago month, MSI said. Exports dec