Sluggish demand in the domestic market and soaring fuel prices may be forcing many car makers to cut production, but Chennai-based South Korean car major Hyundai Motor India (HMI) is bucking that trend....

Economic Times

Consumers have begun opting for diesel versions of popular car models in the wake of rising fuel costs, forcing carmakers to step up production of the diesel variants in recent months. The Indian car market, which grew 8% last year, comprises largely petrol-driven cars, which also bring in higher business margins.
...

Economic Times

Rising fuel prices and inflation clearly impacted auto sales in June. For the first time in the current fiscal, car sales registered a single digit growth of 6% against the 17.5% growth in April and 14.3% in May. Motorcycle sales dropped marginally to 8% in June compared to an average 9% in April and May.
...

Economic Times

The country's oldest car manufacturer, Hindustan Motors Ltd, hopes to sell around 12,500 Ambassador cars this fiscal, a senior company official said here on Friday.
...

Economic Times

Utility vehicle and tractor major Mahindra & Mahindra (M&M) has scaled down its ownership interest in subsidiary companies like Schoneweiss, Falkenroth and Jeco Jellinghaus by 6-7% in the last one year. It has also brought these subsidiaries, earlier held by various Mauritius-based companies, under one subsidiary — Mahindra Forgings. The changes are part of a restructuring move initiated by the company to consolidate its forging business and also enhance stakeholder value.

...

Economic Times

French auto major Renault on Friday said it was aiming to export about Rs 1,350 crore in finished components to its manufacturing operations around the world, by 2009 from the company's newly opened international logistic network facility in Pune.
...

Economic Times

The automobile sector will continue to face challenging times, feel most brokerages, as the pressures of last financial year (FY08) have only intensified. According to analysts tracking automobile stocks, higher oil prices and interest rates remain key threats to volume growth while the sharp rise in input prices would pose a challenge for margins.
...

Economic Times

Domestic passenger car sales rose by 6.1 per cent in June 2008 to 99,738 units, against 94,002 units in the same month last year.
...

Economic Times

Bajaj Auto Ltd on Thursday posted a net profit of Rs 175 crore ($41 million) in its fiscal first quarter, beating estimates, as it rode sales of higher-margin motorbikes....

Economic Times

Maruti redux. It’s not size that the $3.7-billion carmaker is revisiting, but weight. Maruti 800 was the first bantam-weight fighter to cruise Indian roads. Maruti Suzuki is now taking a leaf out of the past to gear up for what it claims as perhaps the lightest vehicles on Indian roads....

Economic Times