Automobile News

The government is working to permit ethanol blending beyond the current 20% level, said PM Narendra Modi's advisor Tarun Kapoor. He said the availability of E100, or petrol blended with 100% ethanol, will have to be expanded across India to complement the introduction of flex-fuel vehicles. "It's important...we try to have whatever is available in the country," he added.

A video showed Chinese electric vehicle maker BYD's latest Flash Charging technology charging an EV from 20% to 97% in just 12 minutes at temperatures as low as -30°C. The company’s second-generation Blade Battery is designed to maintain charging performance in extreme cold. The video showed a car covered in frost, ice and long icicles inside a laboratory thermal chamber.

Tata Group-owned Jaguar Land Rover (JLR), Britain's biggest carmaker, confirmed plans to cut around 4,000 jobs globally. JLR CEO PB Balaji said, "The automotive industry faces significant challenges...amidst intense competition and ongoing geopolitical uncertainty." "As part of this transformation, we will reduce our global workforce by around 4,000 roles over the next two years," he said.

Maruti Suzuki India on Monday announced a car price hike of up to ₹20,000, marking its third increase since May. While the previous two hikes covered the company's entire portfolio, the latest one will apply only to select models. The automaker cited rising input costs and inflationary pressures for the latest increase.

Tesla has deployed dozens of gold-colored, steering-wheel-free Cybercabs on public roads in Austin, Texas. These purpose-built autonomous vehicles lack traditional pedals or controls, preventing passenger intervention during emergencies. Tesla has operated an Austin robotaxi service with safety drivers since June 2025; the Cybercab marks a new phase in its autonomous driving program.

Tata Group-owned Jaguar Land Rover (JLR), Britain's biggest carmaker, is planning to fire 4,000 employees amid soaring production costs, plunging sales and a fallout from Donald Trump's tariffs, The Times reported. The layoffs will be spread over two years and are expected to be announced on Monday. JLR said it has opened a voluntary redundancy programme, allowing employees to leave.

Volkswagen struck the historic 1,00,000 job-cut deal through pressure, compromise and the threat of prolonged legal battles, Reuters reported. Management threatened to call an Extraordinary General Meeting to bypass Supervisory Board and push through job cuts. In return, CEO Oliver Blume agreed to postpone plans to separate the passenger car and component divisions into distinct legal entities.

Volkswagen Group's India unit plans to cut about 12% of its workforce by 2027, Bloomberg reported, amid the automaker's wider plan to eliminate around 1,00,000 jobs globally. The overhaul is intended to save tens of millions of dollars at its India operations by the time Volkswagen begins launching its next generation of vehicles, including new electric model, the report added.

India's electric two-wheeler market has crossed a major milestone, with more than 13.6 lakh electric scooters and motorcycles sold in the first eight months of 2026. According to Vahan-based industry data, sales between January and August reached 13,61,170 units, marking a 60 per cent increase over the 8,51,787 units recorded during the same period last year.

Union Commerce Minister Piyush Goyal warned global automakers against selling lower-quality vehicles in India than those offered overseas. He questioned the practice, saying, “That trend is not going to be accepted.” Goyal also cited instances where vehicles designed for India were reportedly not exported because their designs were considered inferior to those of models sold globally.