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Contracting for the third straight month, India’s exports slipped marginally by 0.8 per cent to $ 26.89 billion in December 2020, due to decline in sectors like petroleum, leather, and marine products, as per the government data. The trade deficit in December widened to $15.71 billion, as imports grew by 7.6 per cent to $ 42.6 billion, according to the preliminary data released by the commerce ministry on Saturday. Exports in December 2019 were $ 27.11 billion, while imports stood at $ 39.5 billion. In November 2020, exports were down by 8.74 per cent. In April-December 2020-21, the country’s merchandise exports contracted by 15.8 per cent to $ 200.55 billion, as compared to $ 238.27 billion in the same period last fiscal. Imports during the nine months of the current fiscal declined by 29.08 per cent to $ 258.29 billion, as against $ 364.18 billion in April-December 2019-20. “India is thus a net importer in December 2020, with a trade deficit of $ 15.71 billion, as compared to a trade

Ford is gearing up 2021 to be the year that it takes on Tesla. And as a part of this, the company is also gearing up to take on Tesla in areas where it has been traditionally weak. Darren Palmer, one of the original members of the Edison team at Ford which helped drive the first all-electric vehicle and who now is the head of all development for Ford and Lincoln’s battery vehicles has thrown shade at the quality control issues. In an interview with the Autoblog, he said electric car owners have to compromise and accept some “flaws”.

The country’s first high-speed bullet train project may get entirely commissioned for operations at once. Recently, Vinod Kumar Yadav, Chairman of Railway Board, while addressing media via video-conferencing said that Indian Railways is making efforts that the entire bullet train project is commissioned end-to-end, at once. He added that railway authorities want to commission the bullet train project together in both Gujarat and Maharashtra and have planned accordingly. Additionally, the Maharashtra government has assured to make more than 80 per cent of land available for the Mumbai-Ahmedabad bullet train project in the next four months. The Railway Board Chairman stated that the authorities are also preparing if they can run the bullet train till Vapi (Gujarat) in the first phase if there is a delay in land acquisition in Maharashtra. Once operational, the 508-km long Mumbai-Ahmedabad high-speed bullet train will operate at speed of 320 km per hour, passing through Gujarat, Maharasht

Patent filings from Honda reveal that pre-chamber ignition system could be used on a production motorcycle for the first time. The patent images show how the system uses a small chamber that allows the spark plug to ignite the air-fuel mixture before it makes its way to the combustion chamber. The pre-chamber is separated from the combustion chamber by a series of small holes, and these are designed to split the flame front into smaller explosive jets. This feature allows the engine to use a leaner mixture that generates less harmful emissions. Honda’s system will help engines meet tightening future emissions regulations. The pre-chamber technology is now standard on most Formula One engines, but this technology has not been used on motorcycles so far. There are two types of systems in use, active and passive pre-chamber ignition systems. The system used by Honda is an active pre-chamber system and uses a spark plug and fuel injector. Another fuel injector is located on the side of the

German luxury carmaker BMW is planning to step up its production of electric vehicles, Chief Executive Oliver Zipse told German daily Augsburger Allgemeine. “We are significantly increasing the number of electric vehicles. Between 2021 and 2023, we will build a quarter of a million more electric cars than originally planned,” Zipse told the newspaper’s Monday edition according to a pre-released version. BMW wants roughly every fifth car it sells to be powered by an electric engine by 2023, Zipse said, compared to about 8 per cent this year. The manager also reiterated his call to speed up the expansion of charging infrastructure.

The Central government has once again extended the validity of all vehicle-related documents in order to avoid crowding and the possible spread of COVID-19. All those driving licences, registration certificates, and permits which were set to expire may now be used till March 31, 2021, according to a directory issued by the Union Ministry of Road Transport and Highways to various State and Union Territory administrations.   “Taking into consideration the need to prevent the spread of Covid-19, it is further advised that the validity of all of the above referred documents may be treated to be valid till 31st March 2021. This covers all documents whose validity has expired since 1st Feb, 2020 or would expire by 31st March 2021,” the directory says. “This will help out citizens in availing transport related services, while maintaining social distancing,” it says.

Tesla’s entry in India has been foreshadowed for more than half a decade. Elon Musk himself said this numerous times, including earlier this year. But now a report by ET AUTO claims that Tesla is preparing to officially enter India as soon as next month, January 2021. It states that Tesla will open pre-bookings for the Model 3 and then start deliveries for the car by June or the end of Q1 2021-2022. “According to sources privy to the matter, the world’s most valued automobile corporation by market cap has sealed plans to resume bookings next month and start delivery by the end of the first quarter of 2021-22,” said the report. In October Musk had tweeted that Tesla will launch in India in 2021. Tesla has also explored opening an R&D centre and a battery manufacturing facility in the country. The company has had plans to enter India since 2016 when it began pre-bookings for the Model 3.

Volkswagen India has officially teased the upcoming Taigun compact SUV, suggesting the launch is around the corner. The carmaker released a teaser video of the Taigun on its official social media account. The SUV has been listed on VW’s official India website for collecting online enquiries. Specifically designed for the Indian market, the SUV was showcased at the 2020 Auto Expo in February. It will be based on the company’s MQB A0 IN platform, which will also be used on VW Group’s upcoming models, such as the production version of Skoda ‘s Vision-IN concept. This all-new product from Volkswagen will be slightly inspired by the T-Cross that is already on sale in the international markets. It will flaunt elements like wider grille with horizontal chrome slats and logo in the centre, horizontally positioned LED headlights with LED DRLs, muscular bonnet, neatly designed bumper, large intakes, fog lamps. The production version is expected to get sporty alloys, wheel arch cladding, roof r

The Indian Railways has suffered losses of around ₹ 2,400 crore due to the ongoing farmers’ protests against the farm laws at various places in Punjab, said Northern Railway General Manager Ashutosh Gangal. “Currently, a section of Railways between Beas and Amritsar has been blocked. We are using an alternate route that passes through Tarn Taran district. But, we are not able to run as many trains as required because this is a long section and having less capacity. Our estimate of the loss is around ₹ 2,400 crore,” Mr Gangal said. “We have cancelled two trains. Three trains have been short terminated and seven have been diverted towards Tarn Taran. Freight trains have also been affected as they are taking time due to diversion caused by the farmers” protest,” he added. “Currently, a section of Railways between Beas and Amritsar has been blocked. We are using an alternate route that passes through Tarn Taran district. But, we are not able to run as many trains as required because this i

State-run oil marketing companies kept the petrol and diesel rates unchanged for 17th straight day on Friday, December 25. In the national capital, the price of petrol remained unchanged at ₹ 83.71 per litre, and diesel also remained the same at ₹ 73.87 per litre — the same level as on Thursday, according to Indian Oil Corporation, the country’s largest fuel retailer. In Mumbai, petrol and diesel rates were ₹ 90.34 per litre and ₹ 80.51 per litre respectively. The fuel prices in Mumbai are the highest among the four metros across the country. The oil marketing companies in India namely, Indian Oil, Bharat Petroleum, and Hindustan Petroleum align the domestic fuel prices with that of global benchmarks by taking into account any changes in the foreign exchange rates. Any alterations in fuel prices are implemented with effect from 6 am every day. The fuel rates vary from state to state due to the value-added tax (VAT). Meanwhile, brent crude futures, the global oil benchmark, fell 0.35 pe

Tata Motors shares rose as much as 5 per cent to hit an intraday high of ₹ 177.90 after the company maintained profitability guidance for its luxury car maker Jaguar Land Rover (JLR). Jaguar Land Rover has not seen any impact so far from issues at UK ports, its parent Tata Motors said on Thursday, even as many countries cut transport ties with Britain due to a fast-spreading new variant of the coronavirus. “Jaguar Land Rover has comprehensive contingency planning and actions in place to respond to ongoing COVID challenges and disruption. This is subject to constant review,” Tata Motors said in a stock exchange filing. The Tokyo-listed Honda Motor had to stop output at its British factory earlier this month because of transport-related delays that caused a shortage of parts. It resumed production about a week later. The COVID-19 pandemic has compounded issues that were already plaguing carmakers ahead of Brexit, with the looming end to the transition period widely expected to cause dela

Automakers in India are bracing for a parts shortage and possible production losses over the next three to four months due to a global shortage of available shipping containers said a trade body in the world’s fifth-biggest auto market. Shipping freight rates have surged since July and companies are now finding it “almost impossible to sustain normal trade operations”, said Rajesh Menon, director general at the Society of Indian Automobile Manufacturers (SIAM). That is a cause for concern just as India’s auto industry has started showing signs of recovery after coronavirus lockdowns eased. SIAM represents major domestic companies such as Maruti Suzuki and Tata Motors as well as global manufacturers including Volkswagen AG and Ford Motor which are major exporters. A global surge in demand for certain goods during the pandemic has upended normal trade flows, stranding empty cargo containers and leading to bottlenecks.

9 years ago when most people in India didn’t know who Elon Musk or Tesla were, there came a startup which wanted to kickstart the electric car trend in India – its name was Pravaig. But in the last 9 years, the company has been barely visible, that is up until now. Pravaig has shared a concept render of its upcoming vehicle called the Extinction MKII which will also have features that are relevant to the Indian audience.  One of the tentpoles of this new vehicle is a massive battery – 155 kWh which will deploy superb performance but more importantly good range for the mileage crazy Indian customer. Pravaig says this car will provide a range of 504 kilometres and will achieve 300 kilometres of charge in 30 minutes. That’s impressive! More so, it will be able to go from 0-100 kmph in just 5.4 seconds with a top speed of 196 kmph.  The most interesting thing about this vehicle is that it isn’t being pitched as something that the average consumer will be able to buy. It has been purpose-bu

Shares of leading two- and three-wheeler maker – Bajaj Auto – rose nearly 1.5 per cent on the BSE a day after it signed a memorandum of understanding with the government of Maharashtra for setting up a manufacturing facility at Chakan near Pune. Bajaj Auto will invest ₹ 650 crore on the proposed manufacturing facility at Chakan, the Pune-based company said in a stock exchange filing. The manufacturing facility will start production from 2023 and will be utilised for making high-end KTM, Husqvarna and Triumph motorcycles as well as for electric vehicles starting with Chetak, Bajaj Auto said. “Under the arrangement, the Government of Maharashtra will facilitate Bajaj Auto in obtaining necessary permissions/ registrations/ approvals/ clearances/ fiscal incentives etc. from the concerned departments of the state, as per the existing policies/rules and regulations of the Government of Maharashtra,” Bajaj Auto said in a statement.

Honda Cars India will be discontinuing its flagship models – the Civic sedan and the CR-V SUV in the country. This annoucement follows the company’s decision to end vehicle production at its Greater Noida plant and move its entire production unit to the Honda Tapukara plant in the Alwar district, Rajasthan. Commenting on the development, a Honda Cars India spokesperson told carandbike, “Due to the stoppage of production in Greater Noida Unit, there will be no production of CR-V and Civic as both these models cannot be made in Tapukara plant which was conceived as an integrated plant with high efficiency to produce small and mid-size cars.”

State-run oil marketing companies kept the petrol and diesel rates unchanged for the fourteenth straight day on Tuesday, December 22. In the national capital, the price of petrol remained unchanged at ₹ 83.71 per litre, and diesel was constant at ₹ 73.87 per litre — the same level as on Monday, according to Indian Oil Corporation, the country’s largest fuel retailer. In Mumbai, petrol and diesel rates were ₹ 90.34 per litre and ₹ 80.51 per litre respectively. The fuel prices in Mumbai are the highest among the four metros in the country. Currently, the three oil marketing companies — Bharat Petroleum, Indian Oil, and Hindustan Petroleum — align the domestic fuel prices with that of global benchmarks by taking into account any alterations in foreign exchange rates. Any revisions in fuel prices are implemented with effect from 6 am every day. The fuel rates vary from state to state due to the value-added tax (VAT). Brent crude futures, the global oil benchmark, fell by 0.21 per cent to $

The Mumbai-based commercial and passenger vehicle maker – Tata Motors will hike prices of commercial vehicles across categories starting January 2021, the Mumbai-based vehicle manufacturer said in a press release post market hours on Monday, i.e. December 21. The price increase has been undertaken by the company owing to steady rise in material and other input costs. Price hike by Tata Motors comes days after country’s leading auto manufacturers like Maruti Suzuki and Mahindra & Mahindra announced price hikes citing rise in input costs. However, the quantum of likely price hikes across categories of commercial vehicles was not indicated by Tata Motors. “The steady rise in material and other input costs, impact of forex and transition to BS6 norms, have cumulatively escalated the cost of manufacturing vehicles. The company had thus far been absorbing the addition in costs but with their steady rise in line with market trend, it has become imperative to pass at least some portion of

22 nd December’20, New Delhi: The Federation of Automobile Dealers Associations (FADA) today said that theParliamentary Standing Committee (PSC) headed by Dr. K Keshava Rao has recommended that the Government of India should come out with Franchise Protection Act for Auto Dealers. This recommendation was part of suggestions made by the Standing Committee in its Report Number 303 titled “ Downturn in Automobile Sector-Its Impact and Measures for Revival”. Commenting on this, FADA President, Mr. Vinkesh Gulati said, “ I am grateful to the Standing Committee and specially the Chairman, Dr. K Keshava Rao, for strongly recommending Franchisee Protection Act for Auto Dealers. India does not have a Franchisee Law at present due to which the OEM – Dealer agreements are highly skewed towards manufacturers. This leads to a tussle in managing dealership operations in various ways, very short terms agreements and non-existence of a clearly defined exit policy. Many developed Countries like Mexic

Tesla Inc and Wall Street made 2020 the year that the US automobile industry decided to go electric. Tesla’s market capitalisation shot above $600 billion, making the once wobbly startup, founded by billionaire Elon Musk, worth more than the five top-selling global vehicle making groups combined. The exclamation point came on Friday when Tesla rose to a record high in frantic trading ahead of the stock’s much anticipated entrance into the benchmark S&P 500 index. For 2021, all indicators point toward the industry accelerating its shift toward electrification, a turning point as historically momentous as the launch of Ford Motor Co’s moving assembly line for the Model T or General Motors’ 2009 bankruptcy. Tesla’s ascent came the same year that activist hedge funds and other investors ratcheted up pressure on corporations to fight climate change. Evidence is growing that more investors have concluded the century-long dominance of internal combustion engines (ICE) is headed toward a c

Japan’s Mitsubishi Motors Corp sees hybrid models in Southeast Asia as a key part of its electrification strategy to stay competitive in the region, Chief Executive Takao Kato told Reuters in an interview. While some Southeast Asian governments are trying to promote full battery electric vehicles (EVs) as a way to cut CO 2 emissions, Kato said conventional gasoline-electric vehicles and plug-in electric hybrids were “probably a more realistic a choice for the region for now”. The Japanese automaker is expected to hold a ceremony in Thailand on Monday to officially start local production of a plug-in hybrid version of the Outlander sport-utility vehicle (SUV). Mitsubishi decided to localise the Outlander’s production in part to take advantage of incentives for hybrid technology. The use of gasoline-electric hybrid technologies to gradually replace pure gasoline-fuelled cars is an emerging trend in countries such as Japan and China.