Page 3 - Automobile Industry

Bengal eyeing investments in carbon black industry with EV-driven growth

West Bengal has immense growth potential in the carbon black industry as the sector is expected to witness increasing demand from the electric vehicle (EV) market and battery manufacturing, an official said on Tuesday. Speaking at the Asia Pacific Carbon Black Conference, state Chief Secretary Manoj Pant highlighted the projected compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 4.8 per cent for the sector over the next decade and invited industrialists to invest in the state's emerging industrial landscape. There is tremendous potential for growth in this industry, particularly as EV demand rises and carbon black becomes integral to both tyres and battery components, Pant said. He reaffirmed the government's commitment to fostering industrial growth and attracting investments while emphasising ongoing efforts to improve infrastructure and streamline policies to create a business-friendly environment. Pant also stressed the importance of sustainability, citing a shift towards green carbon blac

India's automobile exports rise 14% in Apr-Sept, led by PVs, two-wheelers

Automobile exports from India in the first six months of the current fiscal year rose 14 per cent year-on-year, led by gains in shipments of passenger vehicles and two-wheelers. According to Siam data, the overall exports in the April-September period stood at 25,28,248 units, up 14 per cent as compared with 22,11,457 units in the year-ago period. "Key markets like Latin America and Africa, which had slowed down for various reasons, have bounced back. This has been the main reason for exports coming back," Society of Indian Automobile Manufacturers (Siam) President Shailesh Chandra said. He was replying to a query on the reasons for the bouncing back of vehicle exports in the April-September period. Various African nations and other regions faced challenges due to devaluation of currencies. This impacted the vehicle shipments as the nations focussed on import of essential items. Automobile exports declined 5.5 per cent in FY24 due to the monetary crisis in various overseas ...

Jaguar Land Rover retail sales rise 36% to 3,214 units in Apr-Sep

Jaguar Land Rover on Tuesday said its retail sales rose 36 per cent year-on-year to 3,214 units for the first six months of the current fiscal. The strong sales performance in the April-September period was led by robust offtakes in both first and second quarter, the automaker said in a statement. The robust performance was driven by improved supplies and sustained demand for the Range Rover and Defender models, particularly with the local manufacture of the entire Range Rover portfolio, it added. "FY25 has been a high point for us so far. Our strategic decision to locally manufacture the Range Rover and Range Rover Sport has yielded impressive results, with orders surging by 60 per cent," JLR India Managing Director Rajan Amba said. The Defender's remarkable growth in H1 FY25 is a testament to its ever-increasing popularity, he added. "Our Q2 standalone growth of 41 per cent and highest-ever H1 retail numbers reflect this momentum," Amba said. The automaker remains confident abo

Global EV sales rise 30.5% in Sept as China shines, Europe recuperates

Chinese carmakers are seeking to grow their sales in the EU despite import duties of up to 45 per cent and amid cooling global demand for electric cars

Atul Greentech partners with Jio Platforms for electric vehicle solutions

Atul Auto subsidiary Atul Greentech on Monday said it has partnered with Jio Platforms Ltd (Jio) to offer electric vehicle solutions to its customers in domestic and global markets, including South America, the European Union and Eastern Africa. The partnership will focus on all three-wheeler platforms of Atul Greentech including MOBILI for passenger vehicles and ENERGIE for cargo vehicles, Atul Auto said. This collaboration leverages Jio's advanced IoT mobility technology, integrating hardware, software, and connectivity to provide real-time telematics data and high reliability for users, the company said. Integrating the Jio Telematics plus Network Connectivity in the solutions will help offer a range of features to EV owners, including tracking, vehicle health monitoring, safety-security, and navigation-routing, ensuring a seamless usage experience, it added. "Atul Greentech is looking to open new ways to responsibly choose partners to rapidly scale up electric vehicle productio

Indian EV market may grow 'strongly, steadily' till 2030: Hyundai India MD

HMIL's chief operating officer, Tarun Garg, stated that the company's first high-volume EV, the Creta EV, will be launched in the last quarter of the current financial year

Tesla sells $783 million of prime auto lease-backed debt to investors

Tesla's latest deal comes from its active lease platform, and is made up of more than 26,000 leases with borrowers holding a weighted average FICO credit score of 764, according to deal documents

IPO aimed at further localising India operations: Hyundai Motor India COO

The upcoming Rs 27,870 crore initial public offering of the Indian arm of South Korean automaker Hyundai, the first such instance of the company listing its subsidiary in an overseas market, is aimed to further Indianise operations, a senior company official said on Friday. Hyundai Motor India Ltd's initial public offering (IPO), the largest in the country's history, will open for public subscription on October 15 and conclude on October 17. Anchor investors will bid on October 14. "We have been in India now for more than 26 years. We have a very high market share. We are at number two position in India in the passenger vehicle space. We have got so much love and affection from the people of India. So we believe this is the right time to take one step forward and even further Indianise our operations," Hyundai Motor India Ltd (HMIL) COO Tarun Garg told PTI. He further said," The whole aim is to really become the most trusted brand of India." Garg was responding to a query behind

Tesla's 'dream premium' faces moment of truth at Robotaxi reveal event

Whether Musk manages to dazzle by once again pulling a proverbial rabbit out of his hat, or fails to impress, one thing is for sure: Investors are in for some turbulence

Not applying for benefits under India's new EV policy in near term: BYD

Chinese electric vehicle maker BYD is not ready to apply for benefits in the short term under India's new EV policy announced earlier this year that seeks to attract global manufacturers to the country, a senior company official said on Tuesday. The company, which launched its new all-electric multipurpose vehicle eMAX 7 priced between Rs 26.9 lakh and Rs 29.9 lakh, is looking at the homologation route in the short term to meet the demands of its high volume models in India, BYD India Head of Electric Passenger Vehicles Business Rajeev Chauhan told PTI here. "Representatives of our company, who have a good idea about that policy went in, went through that. The final conclusion... is that we have decided that, no, we are not ready to implement this policy in the short term. So, we are not applying," he said when asked if BYD was looking to apply for benefits under the new EV policy in India. Chauhan said having a manufacturing plant gives some advantages, but BYD India is not there .

Passenger vehicle sales drops 19% in September, inventory hits record high

Fada, however, said that the near-term outlook for automobile retail is cautiously optimistic as both Navratri and Diwali fall in the same month, creating strong expectations for a surge in sales

Jaguar Land Rover retail sales down 3% at 103,108 units in second quarter

Tata Motors-owned Jaguar Land Rover on Monday reported a 3 per cent decline in retail sales at 1,03,108 units in the second quarter of the current fiscal as compared to the year-ago period. Retail sales for the first six months of the financial year were at 2,14,288 units, up 3 per cent year-on-year, Tata Motors said in a statement. Production in Q2 FY25 was restricted to 86,000 units, down 7 per cent as compared to 93,000 units in the year-ago period as a result of aluminium supply disruptions reported in Q1 FY25, it added. We expect both production and wholesale volumes to pick up strongly in the second half of the financial year as the aluminium supply situation normalises, the company said.

Exicom acquires US EV charging company Tritium for nearly Rs 310 crore

Home grown EV charging solutions firm Exicom has acquired US-based DC fast charging technology company Tritium for USD 37 million, or about Rs 310 crore, a senior company official said. Exicom managing director Anant Nahata told PTI that the company is setting up a manufacturing unit in Hyderabad where it will use DC (Direct Current) fast charging technology of Tritium to develop solutions for electric vehicles. The Hyderabad facility is expected to be operational by the end of 2025. "This strategic investment highlights Exicom's robust positioning in international markets and our commitment to expanding operational capabilities across diverse geographies. The comprehensive deal encompassing four key regions'?the UK, the Netherlands, the United States, and Australia'?amounts to USD 37 million," Nahata said. Exicom has absorbed the entire workforce of 300 people at Tritium in the company. "With the integration of Tritium's 300 talented individuals, Exicom will leverage synergies an

Carmakers expect festive period to improve sales, overall buyer sentiment

Auto industry players are eyeing robust performance in the ongoing festive period to lift overall consumer sentiment and set the tone for the rest of the year amid slowing demand. The festive season usually commences with Onam and ends with Diwali every year. Kia India National Head of Sales and Marketing Hardeep Singh Brar told PTI that the last 3-4 months were not good for the industry as sales declined compared to the same period last year. "With pent-up demand of the last few months there and government investment starting to flow in, we feel things should start improving from here onwards," he noted. Brar said the booking momentum in September was good, which is a strong indication for October. "And this time, all festivals are in October..we expect about 5-10 per cent sales growth during the period as compared to last year," he added. Brar said that in the January-April period, the passenger vehicle industry witnessed a growth of 7 per cent, but in May-September, there was

Carmakers don't plan price changes to China-made EVs after EU backs tariffs

MG Motor France said tariffs were "excessive" and hamper Europe's green transition

BMW, MINI record 10% sales growth at 10,556 units during Jan-Sep period

German luxury carmaker BMW Group on Friday said its BMW and MINI brands recorded a 10 per cent year-on-year increase in sales, at 10,556 units in India during the January-September period of 2024. The number of cars (BMW and MINI) sold in the nine months of 2023 was 9,580 units. Besides, the group also sold 5,638 units of Motorrad brand of motorcycles, the group announced here on Friday. BMW Group comprises three brands--BMW, Mini and Motorrad. Of the 10,556 units, BMW Group said, it sold 10,056 units of BMW and the remaining 500 units of the MINI brand. "The highest ever car deliveries during January to September this year, reflects the synergy between a successful strategy and an unparalleled customer experience," said Vikram Pawah, President and CEO at BMW Group India. BMW Group India is changing the game with its long wheelbase product portfolio and a strong electric mobility offensive, he added. Key models like the BMW 7 Series Long Wheelbase, BMW 3 Series Long Wheelbase an

British auto industry set to miss 2024 EV sales target, warns trade body

Britain's ZEV mandate, introduced by the former Conservative government, requires at least 22 per cent of an automaker's new car sales to be purely EVs in 2024

Automobiles, auto component companies score low on PLI scheme in FY24

The government has budgeted Rs 25,938 crore for five years as PLI for this sector

Auto industry has to be 'well balanced' on EV investments: Kia India CEO

Indicating that Kia's current focus remains on the electric car market, he mentioned that the company's first mass-market electric car-scheduled to be launched next year-will be a mid-sized SUV

Delhi CM approves incentive scheme to promote scrapping of old vehicles

The Delhi government will provide a 10-20 per cent tax rebate to buyers of new vehicles who opt to scrap their old ones, according to a statement issued on Wednesday. Chief Minister Atishi has approved the incentive scheme to promote scrapping of old vehicles and it will be notified soon, the statement said. "The government will incentivise those who opt for the scrapping of their old vehicles, through rebate in motor-vehicle tax on buying new vehicles within three years," said the Delhi government statement. The tax rebate will be 20 per cent on the purchase of non-commercial CNG and petrol vehicles, 15 per cent on the purchase of commercial CNG and petrol vehicles, and 10 per cent on diesel vehicles, it said. The policy is aimed at removing old and polluting vehicles on the road by promoting the use of less-polluting ones having upgraded emission standards, it said. Under the scheme, one would have to obtain a certificate of deposit on scrapping their old vehicle at a registered