(Reuters) – Tesla (TSLA.O) CEO Elon Musk said on Monday he would be uncomfortable growing the automaker to be a leader in artificial intelligence and robotics without having at least 25% voting control of the company, nearly double his current stake. Continue reading “Musk wants 25% voting control at Tesla before fulfilling AI goal”

Source : PTI | The Bihar Road Construction Department (RCD) has directed officials to carry out ‘safety inspection audit’ of all road over bridges (ROBs) on highways in the state and construct crash barriers on a priority basis to check incidents of vehicles passing through bridges falling on railway tracks. The Engineer-in-Chief of the Road Construction Department, Sohail Akhtar in a letter to all chief engineers of the department has directed them to carry out ‘safety inspection audit’ of all ROBs and ensure the construction of adequate crash barriers on their approach roads at the earliest to check incidents of vehicles falling on railway tracks in the state.

The engineer-in-chief in the letter dated January 11 also directed them to ensure that crash barriers/fencing on approach roads of the ROBs should be constructed as per the ‘Standard Specifications and Code of Practice for Road Bridges’ of the Indian Roads Congress (IRC)-2015 and guidelines for traffic safety barriers. Continue reading “Bihar Road Construction dept directs official to carry out ‘safety inspection audit’ of all ROBs”

Source : PTI | European auto major Volkswagen Group’s car sales in India grew around 8 % year-on-year to 145,713 units in 2023, the company said on Monday. Of this, domestic sales stood at 101,465 units, while 44,248 units were exported, it said in a statement.

The company had sold 134,667 cars in the January-December period of 2022, and increased 8 % to 145,713 units in 2023.

Skoda Auto Volkswagen India has five luxury car brands — Skoda, Volkswagen, Audi, Porsche, and Lamborghini — under it.

Continue reading “Volkswagen Group’s auto sales in India rise to 1,45,713 units in 2023”

Source : PTI | New Delhi: State-owned NHAI on Monday said FASTags with valid balance but with incomplete KYC will get deactivated by banks post January 31, 2024. To enhance efficiency of electronic toll collection system and provide seamless movement at toll plazas, NHAI has taken ‘One Vehicle, One FASTag’ initiative that aims to discourage use of single FASTag for multiple vehicles or linking multiple FASTags to a particular vehicle, an official statement said.

NHAI is also encouraging FASTag users to complete ‘Know Your Customer’ (KYC) process of their latest FASTag by updating KYC as per RBI guidelines,it added. Continue reading “FASTags with incomplete KYC to be deactivated post Jan 31”

(Reuters) – International Battery Metals (IBAT.CD) on Thursday said it leased its portable direct lithium extraction (DLE) plant to a customer that aims to begin producing the metal needed for electric vehicle batteries inside the United States within six months.

The move would make IBAT the first company to commercially produce lithium with a DLE technology, a major step forward amid ongoing efforts to revolutionize the way the ultralight metal is processed for the clean energy transition. Lithium is typically produced using large, water-intensive evaporation ponds or open-pit mines. Continue reading “International Battery Metals leases lithium filtration plant for US production”

(Reuters) – Lucid Group (LCID.O) is recalling more than 2,000 units of its Air luxury electric sedan for potential faults in early versions of a part that could pose a safety risk due to obstructed driver vision.

The recalled units, which include Lucid Air sedans from model years 2022 and 2023, may have faulty high voltage coolant heaters (HVCH), which are responsible for supplying warm air to heat the cabin and defrosting. Continue reading “EV maker Lucid recalls over 2,000 luxury sedans due to faulty component”

BERLIN/STOCKHOLM, (Reuters) – Automakers Tesla (TSLA.O) and Geely-owned Volvo Car (VOLCARb.ST) said they were suspending some production in Europe due to a shortage of components, the first clear sign that attacks on shipping in the Red Sea are hitting manufacturers in the region.

The United States and Britain launched a series of strikes on Yemen on Thursday, aimed at the Iran-backed Houthi militia whose attacks on international shipping have disrupted one of the world’s most important shipping routes. Continue reading “Tesla, Volvo Car pause output as Red Sea shipping crisis deepens”

Source : PTI | New Delhi: The Delhi government’s transport department has once again floated a tender for deploying electric scooters in the Dwarka sub-city to strengthen last-mile connectivity in the area, officials said. The government plans to deploy thousands of electric scooters at around 90 locations in Dwarka, they added.

“Bids floated for high speed and low speed scooters for first and last mile connectivity with bus stops and metro stations in Dwarka sub city,” Delhi Transport Commissioner Ashish Kundra said in a post on ‘X’ on Thursday. Continue reading “Delhi govt again floats tender for electric scooters in Dwarka sub-city”

Source : PTI | Registration of government vehicles completing 15 years would be cancelled and these vehicles would be scrapped, Himachal Pradesh Deputy Chief Minister Mukesh Agnihotri, who also holds the transport portfolio, said on Saturday. Addressing the reporters here on Saturday, Agnihotri said that six scrapping centres would be established in the state and expression of interest has been invited for setting up these centres under the scrapping policy. These vehicles would be replaced with electric vehicles.

Terming it as a “year of reforms” in the transport department, the deputy chief minister said the fitness certificates of private vehicles would be issued through automatic testing stations. Earlier, it was done manually. Continue reading “Registration of 15-year-old govt vehicles to be cancelled: Himachal Deputy CM”

Source : PTI | New Delhi: Delhi Metro Rail Corporation (DMRC) carried more than 67 lakh people on January 1, 2024, the highest ridership registered by the mass transit system on a New Year day in the last six years. According to DMRC data released on Saturday, a total of 67.47 lakh commuters availed the services of metro on January 1.

The data showed that 49.16 lakh people used metro on January 1 last year, 23.66 lakh in 2022, 55.26 lakh in 2020 and 50.16 lakh in 2019. Among the six years, the lowest ridership of 18.07 lakh was recorded on January 1, 2021, the first New Year celebration post COVID-19 lockdown. Continue reading “Delhi: At over 67 lakh, DMRC records highest ridership on New Year day in 6 years”

Source : PTI | New Delhi: State-owned Oil and Natural Gas Corporation (ONGC) has made two significant back-to-back natural gas discoveries in a Mahanadi basin deepwater block in the Bay of Bengal as its calculated game plan of venturing into high-risk deep water exploration starts yielding results. The firm made the discoveries in the block MN-DWHP-2018/1, which it had won in the third round of auction under the open acreage licensing policy in 2019, two sources with direct knowledge of the development said.

Significantly, the discoveries have been made in an area, which previously was classified as a ‘no-go’ area because of national security interests. Continue reading “ONGC makes back-to-back gas discoveries in Mahanadi basin block”

Source : PTI | Automobile shipments from India declined 21 % last year as many overseas markets continued to face monetary and geopolitical crises, as per the latest SIAM data. Overall exports stood at 42,85,809 units last year compared to 52,04,966 units in 2022.

Passenger vehicle shipments rose 5 % to 6,77,956 units last year from 6,44,842 units in 2022. Continue reading “Automobile exports from India dip 21% in 2023: SIAM”

Source : PTI | New Delhi: The government has floated tenders for procuring electric buses under the PM-eBus Sewa scheme, Union Housing and Urban Affairs Ministry Hardeep Singh Puri said on Friday. Under the scheme, 10,000 electric buses will be provided to 169 cities under the public-private partnership (PPP) model.

Addressing a press conference, Puri said his ministry officials were in touch with bus manufacturers. Continue reading “Tenders floated for procuring electric buses under central scheme: Minister”

Source : PTI | Over 1.40 lakh overage vehicles were scrapped in the financial year 2022-23 as against 4,923 deregistered vehicles in the 2021-22 fiscal, according to the Statistical Handbook-2023. The handbook containing data on socio-economic parameters of the national capital was released by the the Delhi government’s Economic and Statistics department.

The Delhi government’s Electric Vehicle Policy aimed at raising the share of electric vehicles in Delhi to 25% by 2024 was notified in August 2020. Continue reading “Over 1.40 lakh overage vehicles scrapped in financial year 2022-23”

Source : PTI | Auto-maker Hyundai Motor India and the Indian Institute of Technology, Madras here is set establish a Hydrogen Valley Innovation Hub at an outlay of INR 180 crore, which would promote hydrogen-based clean energy solutions in various applications and sectors.

A memorandum of understanding between Hyundai Motor India, IIT-Madras, and the state government’s investment promotion agency Guidance Tamil Nadu was signed during the Global Investors Meet held recently. “The Hydrogen Valley Innovation Hub project, with a total project cost of INR 180 crore, will be established with an investment of INR 100 crore by Hyundai Motor India Ltd, towards its capital expenditure requirements,” a press release from IIT-Madras said on Friday. Continue reading “Hyundai, IIT-M to set up Hydrogen Valley Innovation Hub to promote green solutions”

PARIS, (Reuters) – Stellantis (STLAM.MI) announced on Friday that it is investing in French sodium-ion battery startup Tiamat to diversify its portfolio and mass-produce electric vehicles while reducing exposure to scarce resources.

The exact amount of the investment, which is part of an initial fundraising of 150 million euros from Tiamat, was not disclosed.

The funds will be used in part for the construction of a battery factory in northern France, Tiamat Chief Executive Herve Beuffe told journalists. Continue reading “Stellantis to invest in French sodium-ion battery maker for EV output”

BERLIN, (Reuters) – Luxury carmaker Porsche (P911_p.DE) increased its deliveries by 3% in 2023, with 320,221 vehicles delivered worldwide, as growth in Europe and North America offset a challenging market in China, the company said on Friday.

Deliveries increased by 12% year-on-year in Europe, excluding the home market Germany, which saw a 10% increase, Porsche said. In North America, the company saw a 9% rise. Continue reading “Porsche increases 2023 deliveries despite China slump”

BERLIN, (Reuters) – Volkswagen’s (VOWG_p.DE) increase in sales last year was driven by its mass-market cars and premium brand Audi, whose sales outstripped pre-pandemic deliveries at 1.9 million vehicles, according to data released on Friday.

The German carmaker reported on Tuesday a 12% rise in deliveries last year to 9.24 million vehicles, marking a post-pandemic recovery as supply chain bottlenecks eased. Continue reading “Volkswagen sales growth driven by mass-market brands, Audi”

SHANGHAI/BRUSSELS, (Reuters) – European Commission investigators are to inspect Chinese automakers in the coming weeks as part of a probe into whether to impose punitive tariffs to protect European electric vehicle (EV) makers, three people involved in the process said.

The inspectors will visit BYD (002594.SZ), Geely (0175.HK) and SAIC (600104.SS), two sources said, with one of them saying the investigators will not visit non-Chinese brands produced in China, such as Tesla (TSLA.O), Renault (RENA.PA) and BMW (BMWG.DE). Continue reading “Exclusive: EU investigators to inspect China’s BYD, Geely and SAIC in EV probe – source”

Monthly Performance: December 2023

Production: The total production of Passenger Vehicles1 , Three Wheelers, Two Wheelers and Quadricycle in the month of December 2023 was 18,96,696 units
Domestic Sales:

• Passenger Vehicles2 sales were 2,86,390 units in December 2023.
• Three-wheeler sales were 50,537 units in December 2023.
• Two-wheeler sales were 12,11,966 units in December 2023. Continue reading “Auto Industry Sales Performance of December 2023, October – December 2023, April-December 2023 and January – December 2023”

Source : PTI | Maruti Suzuki India plans to start exporting Electric Vehicles (EVs) from India this year after launching them in the country, a senior company official said on Thursday. The company also expects to export lithium-ion battery cells and modules worth around INR 750 crore this fiscal. “This year itself we will start exports of EVs to countries like Europe and Japan,” Maruti Suzuki India Executive Director Rahul Bharti said at the Vibrant Gujarat Global Summit here.

On the export of battery cells and modules, Bharti said, “We are exporting it to advanced countries like in Europe. We will be touching almost INR 750 crore of lithium-ion advanced chemistry cells, battery packs and module exports this financial year.”

Continue reading “Maruti Suzuki plans to start exports of EVs this year”

Source : PTI | A continuation for five years of demand incentive under the FAME scheme will help increase penetration of electric vehicles to 25% from the current 5% in India, Kinetic Green Founder and CEO Sulajja Motwani said on Thursday. Motwani, who is also the FICCI National EV Committee Chair, said while India has made a good start towards electric mobility, the next five years will be crucial to establish electric as the preferred technology for mobility amongst consumers.

Speaking at Vibrant Gujarat Global Summit in Gandhinagar, she said the FICCI committee had submitted a comprehensive recommendation, including continuation of the FAME scheme, to the government for acceleration of electric mobility. Continue reading “Need FAME scheme extension for another 5 years: Kinetic Green CEO”

Source : PTI | The Tata Group’s investment for the fab manufacturing in Gujarat will be “very big” and a Cabinet note seeking approvals for the project will be moved “very soon”, Union Minister for Electronics and Information Technology Ashwini Vaishnaw said on Thursday. Speaking at the biennial Vibrant Gujarat Global Summit here, Vaishnaw said the Tatas’ proposed investment is important because it will be serving a wider spectrum of opportunities, right from fab to OSAT (Outsourced Semiconductor Assembly and Test).

Vaishnaw said the fab proposed in Dhooera will be a semiconductor chips manufacturing factory, which will be a “very big investment”. Continue reading “Tatas’ investment in Gujarat fab will be big, project to move for Cabinet approval soon: Vaishnaw”

Source : PTI | Rationalisation of the duty structure is critical for the fast adoption of new technologies, including electric vehicles, BMW Group India President Vikram Pawah said on Thursday. He stressed on a level-playing field in terms of taxation for the existing as well as for new players who seek to foray into the country.

“Our ask from the government has always been that if you want faster adoption of new technologies, and then localisation, there needs to be some rationalisation of the duty structure,” Pawah told reporters. Continue reading “Rationalisation of duty structure important for fast adoption of new technologies: BMW India Head”

Source : PTI | JSW Group on Thursday said it has partnered with Finland-based firm Coolbrook to implement a low carbon emission technology at its Vijayanagar plant in Karnataka. In a statement, JSW Group said the partnership follows Coolbrook’s successful completion of the first phase of large-scale pilot tests for RotoDynamic Technology at the Brightlands Chemelot Campus in the Netherlands in 2023.

“This strategic partnership will focus on implementing Coolbrook’s RotoDynamic Heater (RDH) Technology at JSW’s manufacturing sites at Vijayanagar Works in Karnataka with the primary goal of achieving low CO2 emissions in steel and cement production,” it said.

Continue reading “JSW Group ties up with Finland-based Coolbrook for low carbon emission tech”

(Reuters) – Even as U.S. inflation has eased in the last year, an unusual culprit has emerged in recent months as a surprise force in preventing consumer prices from falling even further: auto insurance.

Consumer prices in December overall rose 3.4% from a year earlier, the Labor Department said on Thursday in the release of the monthly Consumer Price Index, more than the 3.2% economists polled by Reuters had expected and up from 3.1% in November. Continue reading “‘Remarkable’ surge in auto insurance costs fans US inflation”

(Reuters) – Tesla (TSLA.O) has told production workers in the United States that they will get a pay hike, Bloomberg News reported on Thursday.

Many automakers including Volkswagen (VOWG_p.DE) and Toyota (7203.T) have raised wages for their non-unionized U.S. workers as the United Auto Workers (UAW) union looked to organize them after signing new labor deals with the Detroit Three. Continue reading “Tesla to raise pay for US factory workers – Bloomberg News”

GANDHINAGAR, India, (Reuters) – Japan’s Toyota Motor (7203.T) will in a couple of years globally launch vehicles with solid-state batteries that charge faster and last longer, an executive said on Thursday at an investment summit in India.

Solid-state batteries promise to dramatically improve the driving range of electric vehicles (EVs), a key element of a strategic pivot Toyota unveiled in June to make up ground lost to Tesla and Chinese rivals, such as BYD, in the EV race. Continue reading “Toyota to roll out solid-state battery EVs globally in a couple of years”

(Reuters) – Rental firm Hertz Global Holdings (HTZ.O) is selling about 20,000 electric vehicles, including Teslas, from its U.S. fleet about two years after a deal with the automaker to offer its vehicles for rent, in another sign that EV demand has cooled.

Hertz will instead opt for gas-powered vehicles, it said on Thursday, citing higher expenses related to collision and damage for EVs even though it had aimed to convert 25% of its fleet to electric by 2024 end. Continue reading “Rental giant Hertz dumps EVs, including Teslas, for gas cars”

BERLIN,(Reuters) – Tesla (TSLA.O) will suspend most car production at its factory near Berlin from Jan. 29 to Feb. 11, the company said on Thursday, citing a lack of components due to shifts in transport routes because of attacks on vessels in the Red Sea.

The partial production stop is evidence that the crisis in the Red Sea, unleashed by Iranian-backed Houthi militants attacking vessels in solidarity with Palestinian Islamist group Hamas fighting Israel in Gaza, has hit Europe’s largest economy. Continue reading “Exclusive: Tesla Berlin to stop most output for two weeks due to Red Sea disruption”

“WAF AutoNews” is World’s No.1 in World Auto News &  Auto Think Tank !!
Click Here to See for yourself.

INDIA

‘We Engineer Our Products To Possess The Lowest Environmental Impact’ -MG Motor India mobilityoutlook

EV sales jumps 49% to 15.29 lakh units in 2023: FADA WAF

Modi meets top CEOs, discusses made-in-India vehicles to green hydrogen WAF Continue reading “WAF Auto News | The Auto World This Week (12th January 2024)”

Source

Trailblazing Performance. BMW Group India Celebrates Highest-ever Annual Sales in 2023.

 Highest-ever Car Sales (BMW + MINI) of 14,172 units with +18% growth.

 Highest-ever Bike Sales (BMW Motorrad) of 8,768 units with +20% growth.

 Highest-ever Quarter 4 Sales for BMW, MINI and BMW Motorrad.

 Number 1 in luxury electric vehicle market for the second year with the most diverse product range. Continue reading “Trailblazing Performance. BMW Group India Celebrates Highest-ever Annual Sales in 2023”

Source : PTI | Steel Strips Wheels Ltd (SSWL) will invest INR 138 crore in AMW Autocomponent Ltd as part of an insolvency resolution plan. The company’s board has decided on the plan after the Ahmedabad Bench of the National Company Law Tribunal gave its nod for its resolution plan for AMW Autocomponent, a regulatory filing said on Tuesday.

“SSWL shall infuse INR 138.15 crore into AMW Autocomponent Limited(AACL) through a mix of equity and debt as per the resolution plan approved by NCLT Ahmedabad,” it said. Continue reading “Steel Strips Wheels to invest INR 138 cr in AMW Autocomponent”

Source : PTI | ONGC Videsh Ltd, the overseas investment arm of state-owned Oil and Natural Gas Corporation, has incorporated a wholly-owned subsidiary OVL Overseas IFSC Ltd in GIFT City, Gujarat. “This GIFT city entity will function as the global treasury centre to cater to the treasury activities of OVL and its 25 subsidiaries (including step-down subsidiaries) spread across 15 countries.

“Given the business-friendly regulatory environment in GIFT City, OOIL (OVL Overseas IFSC Ltd) expects to efficiently consolidate funds available with the group in various countries and raise additional funds needed to achieve the ambitious target of producing 40 million tonnes of oil and oil equivalent (MMToe) by 2040 from overseas assets,” the company said in a statement.

Continue reading “ONGC Videsh incorporates subsidiary in GIFT City”

BEIJING, Jan 10 (Reuters) – Volkswagen Group (VOWG_p.DE) and Toyota Motor (7203.T) saw their share of the world’s largest auto market shrink last year, industry data showed on Wednesday, as legacy international automakers ceded ground to Chinese rivals.

VW’s two joint ventures in China with FAW and SAIC took a combined 14.2% share in sales terms in 2023, down from 14.8% in 2022, according to data from the China Passenger Car Association (CPCA). Sales of SAIC VW and FAW VW include brands of VW, Audi and Jetta. Continue reading “VW, Toyota saw China market share shrink in 2023: industry association”

PARIS, Jan 10 (Reuters) – Renault (RENA.PA) is banking on new models and a price cut for its Megane model to help in its battle against U.S. rival Tesla Inc (TSLA.O) on its home turf, a senior official for the French carmaker told Reuters on Wednesday.

“The Renault brand’s main focus in 2024 is to go back on the offensive in the electric segment, since we’re currently second,” said Ivan Segal, Renault brand’s sales director for France. Continue reading “Renault banks on new models, Megane price cut to fight off Tesla in France”