Nitin Kumar

Haryāna, New Delhi

Special Correspondent at Financial Express

Write on #EV #HeavyIndustries #Mining & #Politics Business Standard @bsindia | IIMC Alumnus @iimc_india | Executive Member @IIMCAA

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Articles

FTA opens India’s doors to British luxury cars

1 week ago | financialexpress.com | Nitin Kumar |Swaraj Baggonkar

The conclusion of the bilateral India-UK free trade agreement (FTA) is poised to become a game-changer for India’s premium automobile segment. As part of the agreement, import duties on a fixed quota of fully built vehicles from the UK will drop dramatically from over 100% to just 10%, setting the stage for an aggressive expansion by British luxury car brands in India.
Auto retail sales up 3% in April, CVs lag

1 week ago | financialexpress.com | Nitin Kumar

Overall automobile retail sales rose by 3% year-on-year in April, reaching 2.28 million units, up from 2.22 million units in the same month last year, according to the Federation of Automobile Dealers Associations (FADA). Every vehicle segment saw a rise in sales during the month barring commercial vehicles, which registered a slight decline.
FADA urges OEMs to stop forcing dealers to provide loaner cars

1 week ago | financialexpress.com | Nitin Kumar

The Federation of Automobile Dealers Associations (FADA) has issued a strong advisory to all original equipment manufacturers (OEMs), urging them not to compel dealers to provide loaner vehicles to customers during servicing or repairs. Instead, it recommended that OEMs should collaborate with licensed rental service providers, such as Zoomcar, MyChoize, Revv, Drivezy, and Savaari Car Rentals, to offer courtesy vehicles.
US tariff relief boosts outlook for Sona Comstar

1 week ago | financialexpress.com | Nitin Kumar

The United States’ decision to offer a 3.75% tariff relief on imported auto parts used in domestically assembled vehicles is expected to benefit Indian auto component maker Sona BLW Precision Forgings (Sona Comstar), according to its MD and Group CEO, Vivek Vikram Singh. Speaking to FE, Singh said that all of Sona Comstar’s US customers, including manufacturers like Ford and GM, qualify for the relief as they meet the requirement of at least 75% domestic value addition.
Auto sales fall 7.5% y-o-y in April, EV sales up 30%

2 weeks ago | financialexpress.com | Nitin Kumar

Auto sales have got off to a slow start in FY26 with total vehicle registrations falling 7.5% y-o-y to 2.06 million units. Sequentially, the fall is a smaller 4% from 2.15 million units in March, VAHAN data shows. Sales of passenger car sales declined by approximately 10% in April to 318,681 units from 349,000 units in March. The electric vehicle (EV) segment appears to be the worst hit. EV registrations dropped sharply to 150,000 units in April, a fall of 37% over March sales.
Maruti profit slides 4.3%, dents FY26 growth outlook

2 weeks ago | financialexpress.com | Nitin Kumar

The country’s largest passenger car manufacturer, Maruti Suzuki India, missed analyst estimates for the January-March quarter earnings on all fronts on Friday and struck a cautious note on the outlook for FY26, signalling continued pressure in the domestic passenger vehicle market. At a post-earnings conference, Maruti Suzuki chairman RC Bhargava said that demand in FY26 is likely to remain subdued due to persistent affordability constraints among consumers.
EV policy will be tweaked based on BTA outcome

2 weeks ago | financialexpress.com | Nitin Kumar

The government will tweak its new electric vehicle (EV) policy based on the outcome of ongoing bilateral trade agreement (BTA) and free trade agreement (FTA) negotiations. If these talks lead to tariffs being reduced and brought close to the 15% level currently offered under the policy, then accordingly lower duty would be offered as part of a revised policy, officials said.
Tesla weighs India entry amid duty concerns

3 weeks ago | financialexpress.com | Nitin Kumar

Tesla seems to be still calibrating its India strategy, with high import duties remaining the single largest roadblock to its entry. While the electric vehicle (EV) giant has recently signed a lease for a showroom in Mumbai and reportedly imported Model Y cars to India from Germany at a shipment value of $46,000, for testing, its leadership maintains that the timing must align with more favourable trade conditions.
As BluSmart runs out of charge, Tata Motors & Citroën get a shock

3 weeks ago | financialexpress.com | Nitin Kumar

Tata Motors and French automaker Citroën are bracing for a significant fallout after BluSmart —India’s largest all-electric fleet operator — abruptly suspended operations. The closure of BluSmart’s business puts at risk more than 9,000 vehicles that were yet to be delivered to the company as part of an 18,000-vehicle pact with manufacturers. The biggest order, of over 90% of those vehicles, had been placed with Tata Motors and Citroën.
BluSmart blues: Drivers left stranded amid sudden shutdown

3 weeks ago | financialexpress.com | Nitin Kumar

Over 10,000 driver-partners of BluSmart have been stranded without a livelihood after the company abruptly halted operations. There has been no official communication from the management. What began as a routine message on Wednesday — instructing drivers to return to their respective hubs — has turned into complete silence, leaving the drivers in shock, confusion, and despair. The shutdown came without a formal notice.