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China’s search engine giant Baidu Inc said on Monday it will set up a company to partner with car maker Zhejiang Geely Holding Group to make smart electric vehicles (EV), the latest move by a tech company in the fast-evolving sector. Baidu, which has been developing autonomous driving technology and Internet connectivity infrastructure, said the new EV company will count on Baidu’s intelligent driving capabilities and Geely’s car manufacturing expertise. Geely will also be a strategic investor in the new company, which will be an independent subsidiary of Baidu, Baidu said in the statement. Reuters reported Baidu’s plan to form a smart EV company with the help of Geely last week. Sources told Reuters Baidu would hold a majority stake and absolute voting power in the new firm and that Geely would have a minority stake. Geely said in a separate statement on Monday the collaboration will be based on Geely’s EV-focused platform, Sustainable Experience Architecture (SEA). Baidu’s move comes

Tata Motors shares raced ahead more than 4 per cent on the BSE after the auto major reported a recovery in Jaguar Land Rover sales in the December quarter. The shares touched an intra-day high of ₹ 229.50, up 4.2 per cent on the BSE on the back of the news development. At 9:30 am, the shares of Tata Motors were trading off their intra-day highs at ₹ 225.70, up 2.5 per cent, on the BSE. Jaguar Land Rover’s retail sales for the quarter ended December 31, 2020 stood at 128,469 vehicles, 13.1 per cent higher than 113,569 vehicles sold in the preceding quarter, Tata Motors said in a regulatory filing to the stock exchanges. The sales were, however, down 9.0 per cent compared to the same period last year.

MG Motor India had received 80,000 cumulative bookings for the Hector SUVs, Gloster and ZS EV in 2020. According to a report from ETAuto, the British marquee is now ramping up the capacity for its SUVs to meet the rising demand. The Chinese carmaker managed to achieve these numbers despite the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic situation and disrupted supply chain. The Gloster flagship SUV has recorded around 3,500 bookings in less than three months since its launch in the Indian market. The report also mentioned that the carmaker manufactured around 30,000 to 31,000 vehicles in 2020 at its Halol plant. However, the facility is capable of producing 80,000 units annually. Last year, MG Motor sold 28,162 units compared to 15,930 units in 2019 recording a growth of 77 per cent. The growth was majorly driven by the Hector SUV contributing over 92 per cent growth at 25,935 units. Notably, the Hector was the only SUV in the segment to record 63 per cent growth when the overall space saw a d

Mercedes-Benz is accelerating its journey towards CO2 neutrality. Significant progress was made in 2020, with a steep increase in electrified vehicle deliveries. More than 1,60,000 plug-in hybrids and all-electric vehicles were sold by Mercedes-Benz Cars worldwide which is a growth of more than 200 per cent, including about 87,000 units in the fourth quarter of 2020. The electrified car’s share increased from 2 per cent in 2019 to 7.4 per cent last year. Sales of plug-in hybrids almost quadrupled to more than 1,15,000 units. Approximately 20,000 EQC were handed over to customers worldwide.

Tata Motors recently announced that it will be resurrecting the legendary ‘Safari’ nameplate for its upcoming 7-seater flagship SUV. The Indian carmaker will be initiating pre-launch bookings for the SUV very soon. Ahead of its debut, the company has officially teased the all-new Tata Safari on its social media account, confirming that it will be arriving in the domestic this month itself. The teaser image reveals the new front grille on the SUV is slightly different from the 5-seater Harrier , while the projector headlights remain the same.

The used car market has better prospects after the pandemic hit our economy for a simple reason, it has products to offer at more affordable rates. The same also goes for luxury car market and it’s probably the best time for luxury carmakers to focus on their used car business. Audi India that’s been on a roll since last year with multiple product launches is now gearing up to rack up its used car Approved Plus business as well by improving its reach in our country as well as by upping its inventory level. The Audi Approved: Plus business will not only help existing customers to sell their Audis and go for a new one, but will also bring in new customers in the business who may end up buying new Audis at some point of time. Speaking to carandbike, Balbir Singh Dhillon, Head – Audi India said, “Audi Approved: Plus is also one of our focus areas that we have and from many perspectives. One is from dealer perspective and the most important one is for our customers. If you own an Audi, yo

Off late, there has been quite a bit of chatter around Apple’s self-driving car project. Now, perhaps the most credible piece of information is coming out of Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman, who is considered to be one of the foremost Apple watchers on the planet. According to a story filed by Gurman, Apple is indeed pursuing a full-fledged self-driving car, and not just a self-driving car platform and it could be 5 years away which is slightly longer than what Reuters reported a couple of weeks ago as it indicated a 2024 launch for the Apple Car. Gurman states that Apple has launched numerous ex-Tesla employees for the product which is dubbed project titan internally. The self-driving car project is led by Apple’s senior vice president of AI strategy and machine learning John Giannandrea. “The Cupertino, California-based technology giant has a small team of hardware engineers developing drive systems, vehicle interior and external car body designs with the goal of eventually shipping a vehicl

Indian Railways has extended the time limit beyond six months and up to nine months from the date of the journey for cancellation of passenger reservation system (PRS) counter tickets and for claiming refund of fare across reservation counters. According to a statement released by the Railway Ministry, the time limit is extended for the tickets between the journey period – March 21, 2020 to July 31, 2020. The relaxation has been given for the submission of PRS counter tickets up to six months from the date of the journey. This relaxation is applicable only for the regular timetabled trains cancelled by Indian Railways. In case of those train tickets cancelled through 139 or through the official e-ticketing IRCTC website, the time limit for surrendering of such tickets for the above-mentioned journey period, across reservation counter, is upto nine months from the date of journey. After the lapse of six months from the date of the journey, many railway passengers may have deposited the

Honda Motor Co is offering voluntary retirement to a group of employees at its motorcycles and scooters unit in India amid slowing demand in the country following the Covid-19 pandemic, according to a company letter. Honda Motorcycles and Scooters India (HMSI), the country’s second-largest manufacturer of two-wheelers, made the offer to “maintain its existence” in a competitive market, it said in a letter to its employees’ union dated January 5. While automakers globally have been battered by the pandemic, companies in India have been hit by slowing demand since 2019. “The Indian auto industry is going through an exceptionally challenging phase considering the prolonged demand slowdown and economic fallout from the coronavirus crisis,” HMSI said in the letter, which was reviewed by Reuters. “In these uncertain times, we are aligning our production strategy for improved overall operational efficiency with the objective of long term business sustainability,” it said. HMSI did not immedia

Fiat Chrysler Automobiles NV (FCA) said on Tuesday it will invest $250 million to grow its presence in India with the launch of four new sport-utility vehicles (SUVs) under its Jeep brand over the next two years. The investment will be made to locally manufacture a mid-size, three-row SUV, assemble the Jeep Wrangler and Jeep Cherokee vehicles in the country and launch a new version of its Jeep Compass SUV, FCA said in a statement. FCA currently has less than a 1 per cent share of India’s passenger vehicle market. Adding new vehicles to its portfolio is expected to help the automaker increase local sourcing of components, achieve better economies of scale, reduce costs and boost sales. Fiat Chrysler Automobiles N.V., often abbreviated as FCA, is an Italian-American multinational corporation and is the world’s eighth largest auto maker. The group was established in October 2014 by merging Fiat and Chrysler into a new holding company. “Our new investment of $250 million will give us a com

The country’s first regional rapid rail coming up in the national capital region (NCR), being implemented on the Delhi-Ghaziabad-Meerut route will have a modern and indigenous track, according to the National Capital Region Transport Corporation (NCRTC). The 82 km long Delhi-Meerut rapid rail corridor, which aims to reduce the travel time between Delhi and Meerut to just 55 minutes, will consist of a unique and indigenous ballastless track, suitable for supporting a high design speed of 180 km per hour. RRTS has a design speed of 180 km per hour and an operational speed of 160 km per hour. According to NCRTC, so far, a ballastless track that is capable of supporting such high operational speed is not available across the country. The rapid rail’s ballastless tracks will reduce the life-cycle cost as it will support high-performance and will require low maintenance. This production and execution of indigenous track is also in line with Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s Atmanirbhar Bharat p

If you own a business that requires the use of vehicles, or if you drive for one, you may be familiar with driver monitoring systems. There are several ways to monitor drivers and their locations, and some great technology is involved from GPS to AI. Here are some basic facts about the systems, what they do and how they can boost your business. Dash Cameras Dashcams are cameras mounted within the vehicle that continuously record the road, and can also record your driver. There are many options available, and they are incredibly useful, especially in business and commercial vehicles, for the drivers, the business owners and for everyone on the road. By using fleet camera systems you can keep an eye on your drivers, their driving and the roads. Footage is continuously recorded and stored, so that you look back at it if and when you need to. Some dashcams can detect distracted driving, can coach drivers and incentivize good driving, all of which can help improve road safety. Some dashcam

Tesla Inc shares were set to open at a record high on Monday after the electric-car maker reported better-than-expected vehicle deliveries in 2020, extending a meteoric rally that has seen the stock surge more than 700 per cent.It delivered 499,550 vehicles last year, above Wall Street estimates of 481,261 vehicles, according to Refinitiv data, but 450 units short of Chief Executive Officer Elon Musk’s target. “We are raising our forecasts to reflect higher 4Q deliveries and reports of strong demand for the Model Y in China, which is also suggestive of higher future deliveries,” J.P. Morgan analysts said in a client note.

Bajaj Auto on Monday reported an 11 per cent increase in total sales at 3,72,532 units in December 2020. The firm had sold a total of 3,36,055 units in December 2019, the two-wheeler and three-wheeler maker said in a statement. Domestic sales were down 9 per cent at 1,39,606 units as compared to 1,53,163 units in the year-ago month, it added. Total motorcycle sales were at 3,38,584 units last month as against 284,802 units in December 2019, up 19 per cent, it added. Exports jumped 27 per cent to 2,32,926 units as compared to 1,82,892 units in the same month a year ago, Bajaj Auto said

Famous car designer and the Chairman and CEO of Fisker Inc., Henrik Fisker, recently confirmed that its next product could be a lifestyle EV truck. He is known for some of the iconic cars such as BMW Z8, Aston Martin DB9, Aston Martin V8 Vantage, and Fisker Karma. Fisker confirmed this development through his official LinkedIn profile, teasing the rear quarter shot of the EV truck, which seems to be aggressively designed. The EV maker aims to create the lightest and most efficient pickup truck in the world. However, the image is just a teaser, but the final product will be way more radical. Last month, the designer took to Twitter confirming that he has started designing his new vehicle, which will be radical. The company will also be launching its first all-electric luxury SUV globally next year.

Tata Motors reported a 21 per cent increase in total vehicle sales in the domestic market to 53,430 units in December 2020. Tata Motors sold as many as 44,254 units in the domestic market in the same month of 2019, the company said in a regulatory filing. The domestic passenger vehicle sales stood at 23,545 units last month as against 12,785 units in the same month 2019, up 84 per cent. The total commercial vehicle sales in the domestic market were at 29,885 units last month as compared to 31,469 in December 2019, down 5 per cent. The total car sales rose 84 per cent in December 2020 to 23,545, as compared to 12,785 in December 2019. “The passenger vehicle industry continued to grow robustly in Q3 FY21, owing to pent up demand, strong festive season and shift towards personal mobility,” said Shailesh Chandra, Tata Motors President, Passenger Vehicles Business Unit. The retail sales were 18 per cent higher than wholesale for the month and the pipeline inventory remains thin, according t

Indian Railways freight loading in December 2020 registered an 8.56 per cent growth as compared to figures recorded in the same month of 2019. According to a statement released by the Railway Ministry, Indian Railways freight loading was 118.13 million tonnes last month, which is 8.54 per cent higher as compared to 108.84 million tonnes loaded in 2019 for the same month. Indian Railways authorities earned Rs 11788.11 crores from the freight loading which is also ₹ 757.74 crores, almost 6.87 per cent higher as compared to earnings in the same month of 2019, which was reported at ₹ 11030.37 crore. With these figures, Indian Railways freight loading for the month of December 2020 breached the loading figures and earnings registered during the same month in 2019. The total freight loading of 118.13 million tonnes registered last month, included 50.67 million tonnes of coal, 6.13 million tonnes of foodgrains, 15.31 million tonnes of iron ore, 4.3 million tonnes of mineral oil, 5.23 million

Maruti Suzuki India (MSI), the country’s largest carmaker, reported a 17.8 per cent rise in domestic sales to 1,46,480 units in December as against 1,24,375 units in the corresponding month last year, the company said in a statement. The auto major’s total sales grew by 20.2 per cent to 1,60,226 units in December 2020, compared to 1,33,296 units in the same month last year. Sales of mini cars, comprising Alto and S-Presso, increased by 4.4 per cent to 24,927 units as compared to 23,883 in the same month last year. The sale of compact segment vehicles, including models Swift, Celerio, Ignis, Baleno and Dzire, rose 18.2 per cent to 77,641 units as against 65,673 cars in December last year. Utility vehicle sales, including Vitara Brezza, S-Cross and Ertiga, rose 8 per cent to 25,701 units compared to 23,808 in the year-ago month. However, the sales of mid-sized sedan Ciaz fell by 28.9 per cent to 1,270 units from 1,786 vehicles in December 2019. Total exports in December saw an increase o

Tata Motors on Friday reported a 21 per cent increase in total vehicle sales in the domestic market to 53,430 units in December. The company had sold 44,254 units in the domestic market in the same month last year, Tata Motors said in a regulatory filing. Domestic passenger vehicle (PV) sales stood at 23,545 units last month as against 12,785 units in December 2019, up 84 per cent, it added. “The PV industry continued to grow robustly in Q3 FY21, owing to pent up demand, strong festive season and shift towards personal mobility,” Tata Motors President, Passenger Vehicles Business Unit, Shailesh Chandra said. The company’s PV business has been witnessing the strong response to its ‘New Forever’ range, which is being supported by a continuous ramp-up of supplies, he added. Stating that retail sales were 18 per cent higher than wholesale for the month and pipeline inventory remains thin, Chandra said, “We are continuing to debottleneck the supply chain and ramp up our output to meet the i

Ford Motor Co said on Thursday it was calling off its automotive joint venture with India’s Mahindra and Mahindra Ltd due to the challenges caused by the COVID-19 pandemic. The companies said in separate statements that the decision was driven by changes in the global economy over the last 15 months, causing both to reassess their capital allocation priorities. “The global economy and business environment are not the same as October last year,” Ford spokesman T.R. Reid said. The deadline to finalize a joint venture between the companies was Dec. 31, and both made the decision to end the agreement rather than close a deal or extend the timetable to do so, Reid said. In October 2019, Ford and Mahindra said they would form a joint venture in India in a move to cut costs for developing and producing vehicles for emerging markets. The companies said at the time they expected to launch three new utility vehicles, starting with a midsize SUV, and also jointly develop electric vehicles for eme