Page 2 - Automobile

Kia India sales zoom past 120,000 in 2024 first half; records 6% growth

Kia India on Monday said its total wholesales increased 10 per cent year-on-year to 21,300 units in June. The automaker had dispatched 19,391 units to dealers in June 2023. Kia India also reported 1,26,137 unit sales in the first half of the year, marking a 6 per cent growth over the year-ago period. "We have observed a healthy month-on-month sales growth in H1 2024, averaging over 21,000 units per month. Our superior product offerings have consistently attracted customers to our showrooms throughout the year, maintaining a strong sales position," Kia India Senior VP and Head Sales & Marketing Hardeep Singh Brar said in a statement. The automaker is committed to sustain this positive trend for the remainder of the year through network expansion, he added.

Why the rise of China's EV makers holds lessons for other countries

The policies employed by China's leaders are now being emulated by Western governments, which are trying to make their own EV makers more competitive

Auto industry grew 19% in value in FY24 as SUVs become popular: Report

Despite high volume of registrations, average price of vehicles in India is cheaper compared to advanced economies

Eye on the green future, auto companies line up over Rs 2 trillion

Last week Tata Motors, the country's market leader in electric vehicles (EVs), said it was planning to spend Rs 16,000-18,000 crore as capital expenditure on its EV arm till FY30

Minda Corp partners with Taiwan firm to locally produce sunroof for PVs

Auto components maker Minda Corporation on Friday said it has inked a pact to form a joint venture with Taiwan-based HSIN Chong Machinery Works Co to locally produce sunroofs for passenger vehicles. The 50:50 partnership aims to localise the production of sunroof and closure technology products. "This collaboration underscores our commitment to Atmanirbhar Bharat, as we strive to deliver comprehensive system solutions encompassing product design, development, and manufacturing for passenger vehicles," Minda Corporation Chairman & Group CEO Ashok Minda said in a statement. HSIN Chong Machinery Works Chairman Roger Hsi said the company is looking forward to collaborate with Spark Minda to expand its footprint in India's growing vehicle market to develop and manufacture innovative integrated automotive sunroof and closure systems for next-generation vehicles. The company is confident that this partnership will effectively channelise the complementary strengths of both organisations ..

Car dealers may be staring at inventory stockpile exceeding 400,000 units

Automobile manufacturers said a record inventory of 400,000 vehicles valued at Rs 44,000 crore can be expected by the end of May due to less demand

MotoGP India round very much on, all obligations will be met: Promoters

Promoters of the MotopGP round in India on Tuesday insisted the September race will go on as per schedule and dismissed the report claiming that Kazakhstan will replace India on the 2024 calendar. Leading motorsport website 'Autosport' has reported that Kazakhstan is to set replace India as local promoters Fairstreets Sports have not paid their partial dues to MotoGP right holders Dorna. However, Fairstreets Sports CEO Pushkar Nath Srivastava, said the round, scheduled from September 20-22, remains part of the calendar and all contractual obligations will be met next month. The inaugural MotoGP race in India was held in Greater Noida last year after Faristreet Sports and Dorna signed a seven-year agreement. The calendar published on the MotoGP website still has India listed on it. "The race is very much on. These are just rumours floating around. All of the contractual obligations will be met in June," Srivastava told PTI. Uttar Pradesh is an important stakeholder of the race and

Harley-Davidson motorcycles launched in India, prices begin at 13.39 lakh

Harley Davidson and Hero MotoCorp announced prices of the upcoming motorcycles in India. The motorcycle price begins at Rs 13.39 lakh (ex-showroom)

Automobile exports from India dip 5.5% in FY24 due to monetary crisis

Automobile exports from India declined 5.5 per cent in FY24 due to the monetary crisis in various overseas markets, according to the latest data shared by industry body SIAM. Overall exports stood at 45,00,492 units in the last fiscal compared to 47,61,299 units in FY23. Commenting on the drop in overseas shipments last fiscal, SIAM President Vinod Aggarwal said the situation remains volatile in various overseas markets. "Some of the countries, where we are very strong with commercial vehicle and two-wheeler exports, have been facing foreign exchange-related issues," he noted. The last fiscal saw a sizeable drop in commercial vehicle, two-wheeler and three-wheeler shipments, although passenger vehicles grew marginally. However, in the January-March quarter this year, we have seen good recovery, especially for two-wheelers, indicating better potential for the rest of the year, he said. "We are very hopeful that going forward, the situation will improve," Aggarwal added. In the ..

BYD hands back top EV seller title to Tesla after Q1 sales decline

Tesla's decline comes amid softer overall demand and a slowdown in the Chinese market where local rivals led by BYD upped the ante in a price war for buyers

'Wait for 7 months'; Buyers line up as Xiaomi launches new SU7 sedan EV

Boasting a range between 700-900 km on a single charge and undercutting popular EVs like Tesla and BYD in price has resulted in long queues of buyers for MI's SU7

Companies expected to dole out 10% average salary hike this year: Survey

Companies in India are expected to dole out an average of 10 per cent salary increase this year, with automobile, manufacturing and engineering sectors anticipated to witness the highest hikes, says a survey. In 2023, the average salary hike was 9.5 per cent, according to consultancy firm Mercer's Total Remuneration Survey (TRS) released on Tuesday. "This trend showcases India's strong economic performance and its growing appeal as a hub for innovation and talent. Employees in the automobile, manufacturing & engineering and life sciences in India are projected to see the highest salary increment increases, highlighting the competitive nature of these sectors," it said. The survey, conducted between May and August 2023, gathered data from 1,474 companies, covering more than 6,000 job roles and representing more than 21 lakh employees. It focused on salary trends across various industries, with individual performance, organisation performance and position in salary range being the ..

BYD to launch Seal EV Sedan in India on March 5, check full update here

Tesla's rival, BYD, is launching its third model Seal EV Sedan in India on March 5, 2024. The Seal EV dimensions are 4,800 mm in length, 1,875 mm in width and 1,460 mm in height

Ola Electric cuts its scooter prices by up to Rs 25,000. Details here

Ola Electric's chairman and managing director Bhavish Aggarwal, in a recent tweet, announced a significant price reduction on their range of e-scooters

Top 5 SUVs sold in January 2024, Tata Punch tops chart; check the full list

Top 5 SUVs sold in January 2024: Tata Punch sold the highest number of SUVs in India in January 2024. The company sold around 17,978 units last month

Citroen to add more safety features, plans to come with six airbags

French carmaker Citroen is all set to come with six airbags to meet the safety standards of its product in India. The carmaker will start updating the safety features from July 2024

India should not cut customs duty on auto sector in any pact: GTRI

India should not cut import duties for the automobile sector under free trade agreements (FTAs) with countries like the UK as it will adversely impact the sector and may result in closure of companies here, economic think tank GTRI said in a report on Wednesday. The Global Trade Research Initiative (GTRI) said India has not given tariff or duty reductions for cars in its free trade agreements with ASEAN (Association of Southeast Asian Nations), Japan, and Korea. "Do not cut auto (including electric vehicles) tariffs through FTAs. This will adversely impact auto majors who have invested billions of dollars in India and force them to wind up," it said. It added that there is no reason to offer these concessions to the UK either, as the UK mostly assembles cars with parts imported from the EU (European Union), and China. It said if India offers duty concessions to the UK, it might face pressure to do the same for other free trade agreement partners like Japan and Korea. "This could l

Result preview: Auto Inc may ride on strong revenue growth in Dec qtr

Prabhudas Lilladher expects the companies under its coverage to report an aggregate revenue growth of 20 percent YoY (including Jaguar-Land Rover) and 16 percent (excluding JLR)

Delhi govt to extend its electric vehicle policy for another three months

The Delhi government has decided to extend its Electric Vehicle (EV) policy, set to expire on Sunday, for another three months, officials said. The policy, notified in August 2020, aimed at raising the share of electric vehicles in Delhi to 25 per cent by 2024. It will now be extended till March 31, 2024, and the cabinet will accord its approval, an official said. The Delhi Electric Vehicles Policy, 2020, expired on August 8 this year and since then it has received repeated extensions. According to officials, work on the new Electric Vehicle Policy is underway but it has not been decided when it will come into effect. Delhi Transport Minister Kailash Gahlot had earlier told PTI that the Electric Vehicles Policy 2.0 would look at incentivising the retrofitting of vehicles considering its high cost. For converting a normal Gypsy, it takes almost Rs 5 lakh to Rs 6 lakh, which is on the higher side, he had said.

2024's defining clash: AI vs regulators

The next year will see this extraordinary and impactful field alter the fabric of our lives - but it may not see any comprehensive regulatory approach taken by expert regulators