-
Mar 7, 2024 | 
economictimes.indiatimes.com | Shobha Mathur
As one escaped North India’s bone-chilling January cold and hurriedly entered the warmth of Hyundai’s Auto Expo 2023 pavilion at India Expo Mart, Greater Noida, the bustle in one particular corner was unmissable. Car enthusiasts were jostling around to take selfies with what from a distance appeared unique. This is not a normal car – one says with soliloquy. A closer examination, and there she was – Ioniq 5, Hyundai’s first high-performance
-
Feb 28, 2024 | 
economictimes.indiatimes.com | Shobha Mathur
“How is it going?” Ask this, and any car company CEO or marketing head replies nowadays with a big grin. A quick enquiry into what’s prompting this cheerfulness, and you have a three-letter answer – SUV. For, the utility vehicle segment grew 24.79% in FY24 till January over the same period last year, commanding a 59.03% share in the total passenger vehicle market, according to industry body SIAM. Over the years, the definition of an SUV in India
-
Feb 20, 2024 | 
economictimes.indiatimes.com | Shobha Mathur
“Never turn back.” This was the brand promise Maruti Suzuki made to its customers when it launched Jimny in India in the summer of 2023. Eight months later, the whispers around Jimny’s fate are becoming louder – has the globally successful 4x4 off-roader failed miserably in India? Will it be forced to turn back? The numbers clearly show that Jimny has tanked in India. After a much-hyped launch in June 2023, its wholesale numbers in January 2024
-
Feb 13, 2024 | 
economictimes.indiatimes.com | Shobha Mathur |Rajiv Ghosh
Will they, won’t they? Why shouldn’t they? These days, the aisles of the auto industry are abuzz with one discussion — whether Hyundai will go public in India. Even as various media reports in India and Seoul pointed towards an India IPO for the South Korean automaker around festive season this year, the company only added to the suspense by not brushing aside the reports as false. “As a global company, we constantly review various measures,
-
Jan 30, 2024 | 
economictimes.indiatimes.com | Shobha Mathur
‘Live to ride, ride to live’. It’s not a company tagline, it’s a way of life — if you ask an avid Harley-Davidson lover. Ever since William Harley and the Davidson brothers — Arthur, Walter, and William — made their first motorcycle in 1903 out of a small shed in the US, thousands of loyalists across the globe joined this chorus. But in India, the world’s largest two-wheeler market after China, a survival question was thrown at the company not
-
Jan 16, 2024 | 
economictimes.indiatimes.com | Shobha Mathur
Masakazu Yoshimura, managing director, Toyota Kirloskar MotorSynopsisThis is the sixth management reshuffle taking place at Toyota’s India operations since December 2012. It coincides with the Indian market’s growing strategic importance in the Japanese carmaker’s global plans. Also, Toyota’s fresh investments in India and its partnership with Suzuki played their part. But are frequent shake-ups good for an organisation? Twenty-seven years is a long time for any business to get a foothold.
-
Jan 2, 2024 | 
economictimes.indiatimes.com | Shobha Mathur
Image credit: company website. SynopsisThe move will bring a new set of customers to the Royal Enfield fold and further strengthen the brand. The consumer will benefit as premium bikes will be available at a much lower price. The used two-wheeler market can become better organised if big players like Royal Enfield enter the market. If you want to call it the democratisation of the Royal Enfield brand, feel free.
-
Dec 26, 2023 | 
economictimes.indiatimes.com | Shobha Mathur |Mugdha Variyar |Priyanka Salve
SynopsisIn Primeshots today: FAME II may be extended; InCred turns unicorn; and Godrej Properties strikes gold. EV sops This just in. The government is considering extension of the FAME II scheme to FY25. Hidden in plain sight. Since the government introduced the Production Linked Incentive (PLI) scheme — initially for three sectors which was scaled up to 14 sectors this year — large organised EV players have received considerable sops for local manufacturing.
-
Dec 20, 2023 | 
economictimes.indiatimes.com | Shobha Mathur |Salman SH |Vikas Dandekar
SynopsisIn Primeshots today: Ford’s review; RBI lifts ban on aggregators; Bharat Biotech’s universal vaccine bid. Ford’s rethink In the news. Ford will not sell the Chennai plant to JSW group. Inside the news. Leveraging the Sajjan Jindal-owned JSW group as a contract manufacturer or giving JSW the licence to make Ford’s electric vehicles did not make any sense for the American automaker. Avik Chattopadhyay, co-founder, Expereal India, believes Ford has finally exited the Indian market for good.
-
Dec 17, 2023 | 
economictimes.indiatimes.com | Shobha Mathur
Ace Honda staffer handing over car keys to customers after they buy a car on November 12, 2020 in New Delhi, India. SynopsisCar dealerships of most car brands are offering large discounts of INR50,000 and more to lure customers. This also helps dealers clear old stock fast. For sure, dealers let go of their margins slightly. The year gone by has been very good for both automakers and car dealers. Will December let them have their fitting last hurrah?
