Page 3 - Automakers

Mahindra & Mahindra's Q3 result: Profits up 60%, miss expectatios

The 'Scorpio' SUV-maker's standalone profit after tax rose 60.6 per cent to Rs 2,454 cr ($295 million) in the three months to Dec. 31, missing analysts' estimate of Rs 2,512 cr, per LSEG data

Force Motors plans to invest around Rs 2,000 cr in 3-4 years: MD Firodia

Automaker Force Motors plans to invest around Rs 2,000 crore in the next three to four years on various activities including sustainability drive and electric vehicle development, according to the company's Managing Director Prasan Firodia. The company, which sells a range of commercial and utility vehicles, is looking to bring electric versions of its vans' ranges step by step going forward. "At a company level we are looking at about Rs 2,000 crore investment over the next three to four years," Firodia told PTI in an interview. He was responding to a query on the company's overall investment plans. "The investment will be across conventional engines, EVs, upgrading further engineering facilities, creating a more sustainable environment. It is across the board and across the value chain," Firodia added. The company, which showcased its Traveller Electric, Urbania Diesel, and Traveller CNG at the Bharat Mobility Global Expo, has embarked on an electrification drive, although it wi

Ford reduces production of F-150 Lightning pickup truck as EV demand slows

The announcement is the latest sign of softening demand for EV trucks. General Motors in October postponed the opening of a $4 billion electric truck plant in Michigan for a year

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

Automakers gear for moderate sales after 2023, ready for more EV launches

After posting record-breaking volumes in 2023, Indian automobile industry is driving into the new year aware of a lurking moderation in sales growth but ready to embrace green technologies, led by electric vehicles. Passenger vehicle sales are expected to cross 40 lakh units this year and prices are set to rise from January. Veteran industry leader and Maruti Suzuki India Chairman RC Bhargava said the sales are expected to moderate a bit next year compared to 2023. He noted that the revival of the small car segment is necessary for the faster growth of the industry. The share of entry-level cars in the passenger vehicle sales which stood at around 14 per cent in 2018-19 has reduced to around 4 per cent in the April-October period this year. "As far as Maruti Suzuki is concerned, I believe that we will have higher growth than the industry," Bhargava told PTI. While being positive on the growth of Electric Vehicle (EV) sales next year, he noted that the focus should be towards all

Nissan expands research ties in China as part of bid to regain market share

Nissan Motor Co. is expanding its research ties with a leading Chinese university as it and other foreign car companies try to claw back market share in the important Chinese market. The Japanese automaker announced Sunday that it would launch joint research next year with Tsinghua University on reaching Generation Z defined for this project as those born between 1995 and 2009 and on the social responsibility of automakers in battery recycling, charging stations and other electric vehicle-related issues. The major auto companies were caught flat-footed by a boom in electric vehicles in China that has given rise to new Chinese competitors that have gobbled up market share at home and are now moving into Southeast Asia, Europe and other overseas markets. Nissan's sales in China plunged 34% in the six months from April to September compared with a year earlier. Market conditions in China have become extremely tough, Masashi Matsuyama, the head of Nissan's Chinese investment company,

Divergent trends in consumer spending: Auto shines, FMCG stumbles on demand

The share of the automobile sector, including makers of auto ancillaries, in corporate net sales rose to a 10-quarter high of 10.05 per cent during July-September 2023

Hyundai to install new plant in S Korea, to produce 200,000 EVs a year

Hyundai will invest 2 trillion won ($1.5 billion) building the plant, which will cover 548,000 square meters of land at a former motor racing circuit

Nissan, Honda get some relief as weak yen amplifies uptick in sales

It raised its full-year forecast by nearly 13% to 620 billion yen due to a favourable impact of a weak yen and improvements in global retail sales, excluding China

Toyota Kirloskar Motor reports 66% jump in sales in October to 21,879 units

Earlier this year, media reports stated that Japanese auto major Toyota is looking to set up a third manufacturing plant in India

M&M reports highest-ever SUV, commercial vehicle monthly sales in October

In the utility vehicle segment, Mahindra recorded the highest sales for the fourth consecutive month

1,200-km range, 10-min charge: Toyota near solid-state battery breakthrough

If successful, Toyota said that solid-state batteries will double the range of EVs up to 1,200 km, and the charging time will be 10 minutes or less

Rush hour: Why automakers are pouring Rs 1.75 trn into their factories

One reason for the rush to increase capacity is that automakers do not want to miss the bus on electric vehicles

Ashok Leyland launches the new ecomet Star 1915 truck with 18.49T GVW

The latest truck by the company is suited for long-distance applications, designed for fuel efficiency and faster turnaround time

Strikes against automakers spread to nearly 38 locations in 20 states

The president of the United Auto Workers said on Friday the union will expand its strike against major automakers by walking out of 38 General Motors and Stellantis plants in 20 states. Ford was spared additional strikes because the company has met some of the union's demands during negotiations over the past week, said UAW President Shawn Fain. The union is pointing to the companies' huge recent profits as it seeks wage increases of 36 per cent over four years. The companies have offered a little over half that amount. The UAW has other demands, including a 32-hour work week for 40 hours of pay and a restoration of traditional pension plans for newer workers. The companies say they can't afford to meet the union's demands because they need to invest profits in a costly transition from gas-powered cars to electric vehicles. The UAW's contract with the automakers expired at midnight on September 14, and workers walked out of a Ford assembly plant near Detroit, a GM factory in ...

What's at stake as 13,000 workers go on strike at major US auto makers

About 13,000 auto workers have walked off the job at three targeted factories after their union leaders couldn't reach a deal with Detroit's automakers. The United Auto Workers union is seeking big raises and better benefits from General Motors, Ford and Stellantis. They want to get back concessions that the workers made years ago, when the companies were in financial trouble. A small percentage of the union's 146,000 members walked off the job at a GM assembly plant in Wentzville, Missouri; a Ford factory in Wayne, Michigan, near Detroit; and a Stellantis Jeep plant in Toledo, Ohio, at 11.59 pm Eastern time on Thursday. Shawn Fain, the combative president of the UAW, says the targeted strikes will give the union leverage in contract talks and keep the auto companies guessing about its next move. It could also make the union's USD 825 million strike fund last much longer. Both sides began exchanging wage and benefit proposals last week. Though some incremental progress appears to

United Auto Workers union go on historic strike on 'Big Three' firms

The walkouts at the Detroit Three will halt production of the Ford Bronco, Jeep Wrangler and Chevrolet Colorado pickup truck, along with other popular models

Demand, strong SUV off-take propel domestic PV sales to record high in Aug

Domestic passenger vehicle sales hit a record in August led by highest-ever monthly dispatches from Maruti Suzuki on the back of festive demand and the continued strong offtake of SUVs. Hyundai Motor India, Mahindra & Mahindra and Toyota Kirloskar Motor also reported strong dispatches to dealers last month. Tata Motors, however, saw a dip in domestic passenger vehicle sales in August. "The month of August was a very good month for the industry. Passenger vehicle sales in August stood at 3,60,897 units. This is the highest ever monthly sales in any month in any year in the industry," Maruti Suzuki India (MSI) Senior Executive Officer (Marketing & Sales) Shashank Srivastava said. The previous highest for the industry was 3,55,400 units reported in September 2022, he added. The industry wholesales last month grew by 9.7 per cent to 3,60,897 units as compared with 3,26,980 units in August 2022, Srivastava said. In the April-August period, the industry sales crossed the 17 lakh ...

Indian automakers post rise in August sales ahead of festive season

In the passenger vehicles (PV) category, sales for Maruti Suzuki and Mahindra and Mahindra grew 16.4% and 25%, respectively, for the month compared to a year earlier

As Indian mkt matures, global automakers aim to make India an export hub

Global automakers are looking to turn India into an export hub, as people are shifting from local demand to pricier vehicles and that may spur more 'India-first' models