India’s falling car sales: it’s the diesel
Without wanting to roll out all the driving puns, India’s auto industry is, well… stalling.
Until now, Indian car sales had been able to withstand slowdown in the wider economy. No longer. Continue reading »
India: Volvo to invest $700m to expand lorry manufacturing
Volvo plans to invest nearly $700m in its Indian operations, in a sign the Swedish company plans to compete in the country’s growing commercial vehicle market. Continue reading »
Indian autos: in for another rough year
India’s auto sector can look forward to another rough year – that was the message from the top trade body, which forecast on Wednesday that auto sales would grow between 1 and 3 per cent in the fiscal year ending in March. Continue reading »
India’s two-wheelers: no easy ride
Sales of two-wheelers have been a rare bright spot for India’s auto sector, even as the rest of the industry fell off a cliff over the past year. But not any more, it seems. In August, two-wheeler sales fell for the first time in 42 months, by 5 per cent, to 1.07m units.
Hero MotoCorp and Bajaj Auto, the country’s biggest two-wheeler manufacturers, saw sales fall 12 and 14 per cent, respectively. Both companies’ shares were down on Thursday in a rising market. Continue reading »
GM’s new Chinese-designed, Indian-made car
American automaker General Motors’ latest offering to the Indian market is not – beyond its logo – very American at all. And that may be exactly what the company needs.
This week, GM began production of its Sail compact sedan and hatchback, the company’s first-ever Chinese-designed car, at a plant 100km from Mumbai. The car was designed by SAIC, the Chinese company that is a 50:50 partner in GM’s India’s operations, and marks a big shift in GM’s approach to marketing cars for the Asian market. Continue reading »
India’s electric vehicle push needs power
Anyone who has driven through the smog-choked streets of New Delhi, or the bumper-to-bumper honking cacophony that passes for driving in much of Mumbai and Bangalore from anywhere between 9am to 9pm knows that India could use both cleaner and quieter cars.
On Wednesday, the government seemed to acknowledge that fact, approving a $4.1bn plan that aims to put 6m green vehicles on India’s streets by 2020. There’s just one problem: power. Continue reading »
[video] India’s rich take to luxury cars
Pot holes, erratic drivers – why would anyone spend the best part of $1m on a car in India? Mumbai bureau chief James Crabtree takes a test ride of an Aston Martin, the latest luxury car entrant to the Indian market, to find out.
India car sales: better, but can it last?
Indian car sales seem to be picking up after a lackluster 2011, according to February sales data from the country’s biggest car makers.
But while some of the numbers are impressive – with individual company sales rising 80 per cent or more from a year earlier – analysts cautioned that a few more months were needed before the improvement could be called a comeback. Continue reading »
Delhi auto show: a chance to cheer up
After a dismal 2011 which saw the Indian auto industry slump to a standstill for the fiscal year ending in March 2012 (after growth rates of nearly 30 per cent during the previous two years), the launch of the Delhi Auto Expo on Wednesday was a source of optimism. Whether it is misplaced is another matter.
Gone was the talk of high interest rates and labour unrest and the downward spiral of a once-vibrant industry. Instead, industry insiders could focus on the lights, cameras, and concept cars that defied all logic. And more importantly, a chance to show off brand new shiny models that might save the industry, after November sales figures showed the first growth in five months. Continue reading »
India’s electric two-wheeler takeover
Electric vehicles might have yet to catch on in India but that hasn’t stopped one Indian company from seeing the money-spinning potential of electric motorcycles and scooters.
Hero Eco – owned by the same parent company as India’s largest two-wheeler maker, Hero Motocorp – is hoping to boost its presence in the electric two-wheeler industry with the acquisition of Ultra Motors – a UK-based manufacturer. Continue reading »
India’s green car dreams
Clean and green are not exactly terms normally associated with India or China, with their teeming cities and epic smog. But both countries are attempting to do something about pollution, with each launching ambitious plans to dominate the global alternative vehicle market.
The Indian push for hybrids and electric vehicles, which came in the government’s annual budget announcement earlier this year, aims to provide “clean and green public transportation for the masses”. But analysts doubt whether electric vehicles will catch on. Continue reading »
Indian auto sales: down, down, down
Indian automakers were hit by the biggest contraction in car sales in more than a decade in October, according to figures released on Wednesday.
That’s a major change of fortune for the country that was the world’s second-fastest-growing car market last year, behind China – where sales for October declined 4.2 per cent compared to last year. Continue reading »
India: 2 wheels good, 4 wheels bad?
India’s love of the car is not necessarily unconditional. Shares of the country’s largest motorcycle manufacturer, Hero MotoCorp, opened up 4.31 per cent Wednesday after the company announced record results for the quarter ending in September.
The exceptional performance could be attributed to India’s high interest rates and petrol prices, which have caused potential car buyers to move to the less-expensive, more fuel-efficient two-wheeler alternative. Continue reading »
Tata’s Magic spell – can it last?
On the semi-urban roads of India, a low-cost vehicle designed to offer affordable travel, safety and relative comfort to the masses has quickly become a common sight – and it’s not the $2000 Tata Nano that hit so many headlines on its launch.
The ubiquitous Tata Group has struggled to make a hit out of the Nano. But it has been more successful with its Magic people carrier, designed to carry a driver and four, six or seven passengers and priced at Rs190,000 ($4,200) – leaving competitors scrabbling to catch up. Continue reading »
India marks another record-breaking month of car sales for June
Indian carmakers today laughed in the face of data which showed that economic growth in Asia was slowing down. Car sales in June shot through the roof, boosted by high domestic demand and new model launches.
Tata Motors performed the best among India’s car majors, with sales up 63 per cent in June from the previous year. It sold close to 28,000 units on rising demand for the Nano while sales of the company’s Indigo range doubled, overtaking Hyundai Motors, as the second largest player in the domestic market. Continue reading »
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