Top Indian Automobile Industry News & Updates - 20 Dec 2025,Saturday
🏢 Industry
JK Tyre Honours India's finest in automotive excellence at the Indian Car of the Year and Indian Motorcycle of the Year Awards 2026
Source Credit: ANI, The Tribune
BMW Group India bolsters its dealer network in Delhi NCR.
📝 Maruti chair conferred key award by ICSI
📝 Readily Mobility begins public company conversion, explores ₹100 crore IPO
📝 FMCG and auto majors ramp up manufacturing capacity amid demand growth and GST gains
📝 Maruti Suzuki Victoris wins ICOTY 2026, TVS Apache RTX wins IMOTY: All details here
📝 Can Andhra’s rare earth corridor fuel India’s clean-energy dreams?
📝 Registration renewal hopes rekindled for BS-IV vehicle owners
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🚗 ICE Car/SUV
Hybrid cars gain momentum in 2025, cross one-lakh milestone
The contest between electric vehicles (EVs) and strong hybrid cars for government incentives is set to intensify, with sales data for calendar year 2025 pointing to a narrowing gap between the two technologies even as EVs retain a numerical lead.
Renault Duster sibling Nissan Tekton's India debut in Feb 2026. 3 facts to know
Nissan is working on a major product offensive for 2026. The Japanese car manufacturer will start the new calendar year with the launch of the Gravite, a seven-seater MPV, which will share its platform with the Renault Triber. The next in the lineup will be the Nissan Tekton. While unveiling the name of the upcoming MPV, the automaker has announced that it will unveil the Tekton SUV in February 2026.
Maruti, Mahindra will not hike new car prices in January
Maruti Suzuki and Mahindra & Mahindra are expected to hold car prices steady in January, even as cost pressures persist across the passenger vehicle industry, sources tell us. Together, the two automakers account for nearly 54 percent of India’s passenger vehicle market, with Maruti commanding about 41 percent share and Mahindra around 13.7 percent.
📝 Tata Motors rolls out December EMI schemes across PV range
📝 JSW MG Motor India to increase car prices from this date: Details
📝 Skoda Kushaq, Kylaq, Slavia and Kodiaq get benefits of up to ₹6 lakh
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Electric Car/SUV
MG Cyberster to Tesla Model Y: 5 exciting electric car launches of 2025 in India
The electric car fleet in the Indian passenger vehicle market has been growing at a fast pace every year, and the year 2025 was no different. This year, the electric car segment of the Indian passenger vehicle market has witnessed the launch of several spectacular models across different categories and from different brands.
Tata Sierra EV in works, launch imminent. Top 3 expectations
Tata Sierra has made a grand comeback in a modern styling. In fact, the Sierra was one of the biggest car launches in the Indian passenger vehicle market in 2025. This brought back the nostalgia of the original Sierra that was in business in the 90's in the country. Within just 24 hours after the booking window was opened for the SUV, the new generation Tata Sierra has raked in more than 70,000 bookings. Now, the homegrown automaker is working on the Tata Sierra EV. Test mule of the upcoming Tata Sierra EV, which was previously showcased in concept guise, has been spotted on the road.
With MG Motor JV up and running, JSW set to drive in its own car brand by Dec 2026
Mumbai/New Delhi: JSW Group is set to enter India’s passenger vehicle market with an inhouse brand offering, alongside its JSW MG Motor India partnership, targeting a debut in the December quarter of the next fiscal year. For the Sajjan Jindal-led conglomerate—with major interests in steel, energy, infrastructure, cement and automobiles, and a growing focus on green technologies—the move will mark an entry into the world’s third-largest automobile market.
📝 Maruti Suzuki e Vitara first drive review and range test
📝 7 Electric SUVs that debuted in India in 2025
📝 Of All the Cars I Drove in 2025, These 4 Were the Most Fun
📝 BYD marks historic milestone as 15 millionth new energy vehicle rolls out
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🚗 Luxury
MINI Convertible: Top down, spirits up
In a country that loves SUVs and big cars, a tiny hatchback can be an absolute head turner, especially when you open its roof. The MINI Convertible – just launched for Rs 58.5 lakh, ex-showroom – is India’s most affordable open-top car. It’s small, impractical, won’t move your family or furniture, but can move your soul. It’s not even a car, but a high-tech, high-fashion accessory for a select few.
📝 Lamborghini marks 800-car milestone with Esperienza Giro India 2025: Details
📝 BMW Motorrad India to hike prices amid rupee depreciation and rising input costs
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⛟ Commercial Vehicles
📝 Ziel launches EV-first intercity bus platform in South India
📝 Commercial vehicle cos eye heavy duty demand
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🎤 Interviews & Features
Renault Duster 2026: 5 reasons why you should wait for this SUV instead of buying Tata Sierra or Kia Seltos
Renault is returning to the midsize SUV space with an iconic nameplate – the Duster. The Duster was responsible for making midsize SUVs popular in India before the Hyundai Creta, Kia Seltos and Tata Harrier took over. Renault had to retire the Duster, but in 2026, the French automaker is bringing back the Duster to expand its lineup beyond the Kwid and Kiger in India, hoping to dominate the space.
How does the ₹7,280-crore incentive package for rare earth magnets work?
About six months after China first began restricting the export of specific rare earth magnets, rattling manufacturers around the world, India announced a ₹7,280-crore incentive package on 26 November to set up five plants to produce rare earth magnets in the country.
Wind Therapy: Mini Cooper S Convertible
As winter settles over most of India, Mini has picked an ideal moment to reintroduce one of its most recognisable models, the Cooper S Convertible. A convertible is meant to be fun, and this one absolutely is. It’s quick, it corners with that familiar go-kart-like sharpness and it carries the playful character the Mini badge is known for.
📝 e-Vitara drive review: Maruti Suzuki goes electric
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🏍 EV/ICE Two Wheelers
Buyer guide: TVS Apache RTX 300 waiting period explained
TVS Apache RTX 300, the adventure motorcycle was launched at a starting price of ₹1.99 lakh (ex-showroom), in October this year. Just a few weeks back, in late November, deliveries of the motorcycle started across the country. The TVS Apache RTX 300 is an important motorcycle because it brings rally-raid tech to the entry-level adventure touring (ADV) segment in India.
New model or a variant? Everything buyers must know about updated KTM 160 Duke
KTM 160 Duke range in India has been updated with the introduction of a new variant, which is priced at ₹1.79 lakh (ex-showroom). The new variant gets a 5.0-inch colour TFT display adding more zing to the naked streetfighter. This new display is sourced from the KTM 390 Duke, the bigger streetfighter, available in the country. This new variant comes about ₹9,000 costlier than the standard version of the KTM 160 Duke, which gets a LCD display at the instrument cluster.
Domestic two-wheeler wholesales likely to grow 6-9% in FY26: Icra
Welcome Fun: Yamaha’s XSR 155
Some motorcycles arrive fashionably late, while others turn up so late that expectations cool and excitement quietly moves on. The Yamaha XSR 155 felt like the latter. Globally, it had already built a reputation as an enthusiast favourite, and, in India, it was a bike many had waited years for. I wasn’t one of them… well, at least not anymore. By the time it finally arrived, the anticipation had faded, dulled further by the FZ-X.
📝 BMW bikes set to get costlier: Motorrad India confirms price hike from January 1, 2026; Details inside
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⚙ Components
📝 Mindra Group strategic collaboration with China’s tier 1 giant REPT BATTERO: 1 GWh exclusive partnership for India's BESS market
📝 JSW’s Sajjan Jindal calls for push on domestic rare earth exploration
📝 Jaya Hind Industries invests ₹200 crore to expand die-casting plant in Chennai
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🌇 Allied Industries
Ashvini Rare Earth to make India’s first rare earth EV magnets
Ashvini Rare Earth unveiled India’s first facility for producing Neodymium–Praseodymium (Nd-Pr) metal from Nd-Pr oxide in Pune in October this year. Nd-Pr metal is a critical input for manufacturing permanent magnets used across electric vehicles, wind turbines, electronics, and defence applications.
📝 SMK Helmets launches premium helmet range and riding jackets at India Bike Week 2025
📝 HIVE ties up with KPIT Technologies to set up LEV engineering centre in Delhi-NCR
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🌢 Fuels, Lubricants
India achieves 20% ethanol blending with petrol in November 2025
New Delhi: The Ethanol Supply Year 2025-26 (November-October) commenced on a positive note for the Oil Ministry with the blending percentage of the commodity with petrol hitting 20 per cent last month.
Crude import bill down 11% in April-November
India’s crude import bill declined by 11% to $80.9 billion during April-November of FY26, compared with $91.9 billion in the year-ago period thanks to lower prices, according to data from the government’s petroleum planning and analysis cell.
📝 Despite US curbs, Rosneft supplies most Russian oil
📝 Russian crude curbs, lower oil prices to shape earnings outlook for IOC, BPCL, HPCL: Report
📝 MCD Annual Plan: Parking, EV Charging Infra In Focus
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🌍 Emissions/Environment
Transport department denies fuel to 2,800 vehicles
The Transport Department denied fuel to nearly 2,800 vehicles without valid Pollution Under Control (PUC) certificates on the first day of ‘no PUC, no fuel’ enforcement drive in the national capital.
Commuters show higher awareness on BS-VI, PUC rules
A day after the enforcement of BS-VI compliance and mandatory pollution-under-control certificates at Delhi’s border points and petrol pumps, awareness among commuters appeared to have increased on Friday, with many people voluntarily producing documents before refuelling.
📝 Noticeable reduction in vehicular movement on Delhi roads after GRAP-4 imposed: Govt
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💸 Finance & Insurance
How winter pushes every vehicle to its limits
It was barely 7:00 am on a foggy December morning when the car refused to start. No warning lights, just silence. The battery had died, turning the commute into a lesson in winter car care.
Ather Energy to sell auto insurance via corporate agency arm
Ather Energy on Friday said it will enter the auto insurance services space by setting up a wholly owned subsidiary that will operate as a corporate agent. The move is aimed at making the ownership experience more seamless, with the new entity focusing on offering auto insurance policies in partnership with multiple insurers for Ather customers.
Ather Energy gains 5% as board approves entry into insurance business
📝 MUFG seals Rs 39,600 crore Shriram Finance deal, takes 20% stake
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📖 Magazines
Yamaha XSR 155 Performance Tested and Explained
The Yamaha XSR 155 is a neo-retro styled motorcycle which shares its chassis and engine with the popular R15 and MT-15. It goes up against the likes of the Royal Enfield Hunter 350 and the TVS Ronin.
Ducati XDiavel V4 teased ahead of India launch
The XDiavel V4 is the more laid-back sibling of the Diavel V4, not in terms of power, but in its ergonomics. It was unveiled globally earlier this year, and Ducati India has now teased the XDiavel V4 on its official social media channels ahead of its India launch.
Compact SUVs ranked by the biggest boot
The sub-4-metre physical footprint of compact SUVs means there is an inherent limitation as far as boot capacity is concerned, especially in comparison to midsize SUVs. Despite this, several models have a boot capacity that does not significantly hinder their usability quotient. That said, here is our list of the boot space compact SUVs offer, as measured from the boot floor to the parcel tray (with the rear seats in place), arranged from smallest to largest.
Kia Carens Clavis EV real world range tested, explained
The Kia Carens Clavis EV is available with two battery options – 42kWh and 51.4kWh – both using a lithium-ion battery with nickel-manganese-cobalt (NMC) cell chemistry. The former is priced between Rs 17.99 lakh and Rs 20.49 lakh, while the bigger-battery versions range from Rs 21.99 lakh to Rs 24.49 lakh (ex-showroom). We put the latter through our real-world tests to find out how it fares in terms of efficiency.
Audi R8 breaks India quarter mile record
Sean Rogers Pachigalla’s twin-turbo Audi R8 once again broke the India quarter-mile record at the recent Vroom Drag Meet, held at Taneja Aerospace in Hosur, near Bengaluru. He completed the quarter-mile dash in 8.693 seconds, improving on his previous record of 8.849 seconds.
Upcoming Renault launches in India in 2026
Renault currently has the Kwid, Kiger and Triber on sale in India. Among these, the last two received comprehensive updates for the 2025 model year. The French automaker is now expected to launch two new SUVs in 2026. One of these is the Duster, which was discontinued in 2022 and is set to make its India re-entry in an all-new avatar. The second one is a 7-seat SUV based on the new Duster.
JSW MG Motor India to hike prices from January 2026
JSW MG Motor India has announced a 2 percent price hike across all its models. MG says the price increase will be effective from January 1, 2026, and is due to rising input costs and other macroeconomic factors.
Maruti e Vitara review: The Maruti of EVs
It’s very unlike Maruti Suzuki to be behind the curve, but that’s been the case when it comes to electric vehicles. While its chief rivals, such as Hyundai, Tata Motors and Mahindra, entered the EV fray years ago, India’s largest carmaker took its time, finally entering the arena with the e Vitara electric SUV. There’s plenty to unpack, so let’s dive in.
Up to Rs 2.5 lakh off on outgoing Skoda Kushaq, Mahindra XUV700
As 2025 draws to a close, the automotive market is gearing up for an exciting year ahead. Several popular models are set to receive updates in 2026 to better meet evolving buyer expectations. And as manufacturers prepare for the upcoming launches, they are also looking to clear the existing inventory, offering attractive discounts on the outgoing models, which also have no waiting period. Here’s a detailed look at the top discounts on models that are set to be refreshed soon in 2026.
Upcoming Skoda launches in India in 2026
2025 has been an important year for Skoda India, marked by the launch of two new-generation models in the form of the Kodiaq premium SUV and the Octavia RS performance sedan. But to balance its portfolio at the other end – the mass-market segment – Skoda is lining up facelifts for the Kushaq and Slavia next year. Notably, both midsize models are set to receive major updates since their respective launches in 2021 and 2022.
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📰 International
Beijing allows export of rare earths for civilian use
China on Friday said it will approve export of its rare-earth metals for civilian use, amid India’s persistent calls for Beijing to lift curbs and resume the export of precious metals needed to manufacture a host of modern products.
📝 Italy ends probes on Stellantis, Volkswagen, Tesla, BYD over EV consumer info
📝 Ford to recall over 272,000 US vehicles due to loss of park function
📝 Ford cancels billion-dollar battery deal with South Korea's LG Energy Solution
📝 Wanxiang to pay $53 million to resolve US probe into imported Chinese auto parts, DOJ says
📝 Japan's Toyota to import US-made cars after Trump gripe
📝 BYD rolls out 15 millionth new energy vehicle from Jinan plant
📝 Volkswagen management to continue cost cutting
📝 Toyota to Sell US-Built Camry, Highlander and Tundra in Japan From 2026
📝 Musk wins appeal that restores 2018 Tesla pay deal now worth about $139 billion
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