Top Indian Automobile Industry News & Updates - 02 March 2026,Monday
🏢 Industry
New launches, pending orders drive auto sales in February
New Delhi: The domestic passenger vehicle (PV) wholesales (dispatches to dealers) grew by 1.5 per cent year-on-year ( y-o-y) to around 4.25 lakh units in February on the back of continued demand and new launches, as compared to 3.81 lakh units in the same month last year, with companies such as Mahindra & Mahindra (M&M), Tata Motors, and Toyota Kirloskar Motor reporting double-digit growth. Market leader Maruti Suzuki India (MSIL) reported marginal year-on-year growth during the month with sales of 1.61-lakh units in February as compared with 1,60,791 units in the same month last year.
Why EVs might only be adding to vehicle load
New Delhi : The dashboard flashed a warning: “Battery Low”. Seventy-two-year-old Purshottam Kalra was cruising along Mumbai Expressway when he spotted a charging station near Rajgarh. Three cars were already lined up, engines silent but hopeful. Only… the electricity was not working.
‘Time for India to ‘Learn to Run’ in Semicon Journey’
Ahmedabad : The time has come for India to ‘learn to run’ at a good pace, so that the country can continue its semiconductor journey in the years to come, union minister of electronics and information technology Ashwini Vaishnaw said on Sunday at the Gujarat SemiConnect conference in Gandhinagar.
Mahindra & Mahindra total auto sales rise 18% to 97,177 units in Feb
Tata Motors PV sales climb 35% y-o-y in February; commercial vehicles grow 32%
📝 Is BaaS model a pricing breakthrough or just a marketing spin for Indian EV makers?
📝 Mass adoption of EVs in India depends on making entry-level products viable: Shailesh Chandra
📝 PV sales stay on fast track in February; Tata Motors PV holds firm at No. 2
📝 Indonesia puts vehicle imports from Tata Motors and Mahindra & Mahindra on hold
📝 Cars, 2-wheelers hold pace in Feb on GST tailwind
📝 Auto sales in February 2026: Maruti Suzuki up 7.13%, Mahindra up 19%
📝 Break traffic rules, lose your license! Govt plans new point-based system
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🚗 ICE Car/SUV
Kia India sales grow 10.3% y-o-y in Feb
New Delhi Automaker Kia India on Sunday reported a 10.3 per cent rise in sales to 27,610 units last month compared to 25,026 units sold in February 2025.
Maruti runs above capacity as demand surge continues
Maruti Suzuki India has announced that its production lines are operating at more than capacity with demand outpacing its ability to produce. Domestic wholesales stood at 1.64 lakh units, the highest ever for any February, while retail sales rose 12% year-on-year to 1.51 lakh units as production lines ran at or above 100% capacity. “We are operating close to or more than 100% of our production capacity,” said Partho Banerjee, senior executive officer (Marketing & Sales). “The numbers are not muted. Demand is not muted; supply is the bottleneck.”
Exposure to Middle East limited at 12.5% of exports, says Maruti Suzuki amid West Asia tensions
India’s largest carmaker and passenger vehicle (PV) exporter - Maruti Suzuki (MSIL) - said on Sunday that their exposure to the Middle East is not very high and it accounts for about 12.5% of total exports. The remark by MSIL comes as tensions in the Middle East are at a high level after the US and Israeli forces targeted key Iranian sites over the weekend.
Hyundai Motor India reports 12.6% rise in Feb sales, exports jump 25%
Hyundai Motor India Ltd on Sunday reported a 12.6 per cent year-on-year increase in total sales to 66,134 units in February 2026.
Maruti Suzuki expands its road safety efforts
Maruti Suzuki India total sales up 7.32% at 213,995 units in February
📝 Toyota Kirloskar Motor February sales rise 16% to 30,737 units
📝 Maruti Suzuki’s February sales remain flat at 1.74 lakh units
📝 Tata Nexon leads February sales race; Maruti Dzire close behind
📝 Renault India's February sales jump 31% on strong demand for Triber
📝 Car cos clock strong sales growth in Feb
📝 Honda Cars India sales down 30.11 pc at 7,212 units in February
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Electric Car/SUV
📝 Tata Punch EV facelift review: More range, more power & lower price!
📝 Mahindra launches XEV 9e Cineluxe Edition at ₹29.35 lakh; bookings open March 2
📝 JSW MG Motor India posts 24% jump in February sales
📝 3 reasons to buy the Tata Punch EV facelift and 2 to skip it
📝 Tata Tiago EV facelift spied testing, launch soon: What to expect
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🚗 Luxury
Mercedes bets on ‘rolling boardrooms’ as India’s luxury MPV market gathers pace
Mumbai: When Mercedes-Benz India unveils its flagship V-Class on March 2, it will be making a calculated return to one of the fastest-evolving corners of the luxury-car market—high-roof, chauffeur-focused limousines designed to turn India’s gridlocked commutes into private suites and rolling boardrooms.
Mercedes-Benz to drive in the V-Class, once again
Mercedes-Benz India is set to challenge the luxury MPV dominance of Toyota Vellfire (Rs 1.2 crore to Rs 1.3 crore) and Lexus LM (Rs 2.15 crore to Rs 2.69 crore) by launching the V-Class on March 3, in the price range of Rs 1.7 crore to Rs 1.8 crore, ex-showroom.
Volvo Car India drops 2030 electric-only target, recalibrates EV roadmap
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⛟ Commercial Vehicles
📝 MTC invites tenders for procurement, operation of 220 electric low-floor A/C buses
📝 Switch Mobility brings electric double-decker bus to national capital
📝 Tata Motors commercial vehicle sales up 32 pc at 42,940 units in February
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🏍 EV/ICE Two Wheelers
GST 2.0 effect: Triumph 350cc motorcycles launching in April 2026, Check expected models and prices
With the GST 2.0 tax slabs in effect, Triumph Motorcycles is set to expand its made-in-India portfolio with a new range of 350cc motorcycles. The British manufacturer has launches scheduled for April 2026, as confirmed directly by Rajiv Bajaj, Managing Director and CEO of Bajaj Auto – Triumph’s manufacturing and development partner in India. Triumph’s smallest capacity engines in India so far have been the 400cc platform that spawned models like the Speed 400 and Scrambler 400X.
E2W registrations jump 36% in February; TVS Motor continues to lead the segment
Registrations of electric two-wheelers (E2Ws)—including pure electric and battery-operated vehicles—rose 36 per cent year-on-year to 1.05 lakh units in February 2026, compared with 76,350 units a year ago, according to Vahan data as of 1.15 pm on Saturday.
Ola Electric slips out of top five; TVS retains E2W lead in February
Ola Electric, once the dominant player in India’s electric two-wheeler (E2W) market, has slipped out of the top five in monthly sales for the first time this fiscal, ceding ground to smaller rival Greaves Electric. The company recorded its weakest monthly dispatches of the year in February, selling 3,968 scooters and capturing just 4% market share.
KTM 200 Duke 2026 facelift brings 2 big performance upgrades: Here’s the new price
At first glance, the 2026 KTM 200 Duke might seem like a minor facelift – a fresh Atlantic Blue colour scheme, a USB-C port, and a few tweaks under the skin. But dig deeper, and this refresh packs more meaningful mechanical upgrades than most expect from a minor annual refresh, especially in the fiercely competitive 200cc naked bike segment. It’s not yet sharing the core mechanicals as the 3rd generation Duke platforms that the 250 Duke and 390 Duke are based on, but there are enough changes to make it a much better motorcycle to ride in person.
Royal Enfield posts 11% rise in February sales
Sales of models with engine capacity up to 350cc grew 16 per cent to 89,844 units, up from 77,775 units in February 2025. However, motorcycles with engine capacity exceeding 350cc declined 14 per cent year-on-year to 11,061 units from 12,895 units.
Ola unveils 'Ola Insiders' programme with upgrade and referral benefits
Raptee.HV aims to expand footprint in south, western regions by year-end
📝 TVS Motor’s February sales soar 31% to 5.29 lakh units
📝 Hero MotoCorp wholesales up 44pc at 5,58,216 units in February
📝 Honda CBR400R E-Clutch concept images surface ahead of Japan Motorcycle Show
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⚙ Components
Japanese rare earth magnet giant wants India to not 'overdo' production of key component
New Delhi: Japanese rare-earth magnet giant Proterial Ltd says that New Delhi should be selective in backing large players to kickstart domestic rare-earth magnet manufacturing, as excessive production and initial high competition can make economic returns on the business unviable for companies.
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🌇 Allied Industries
Well-illuminated prospects
We had given a ‘buy’ call on Lumax Industries (LIL), a tier-1 supplier of automotive lighting in February 2025. The stock price then was ₹2,296. Since then, the stock has trebled to mark its all-time high of ₹6,970, a couple weeks ago. It now trades at ₹6,041 — a 160-per cent rise since our recommendation (or becoming 2.6x ).
📝 History of tyres: How wheels made from wood have evolved into the sensor-laden smart tyres of today
📝 Cognizant’s Ravi Kumar snaps up a deal he once won for Infosys
📝 Own an EV? Follow these simple habits to protect your battery
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🌢 Fuels, Lubricants
E20 petrol only from April 1: Will premium fuels like XP100 and Power100 save older vehicle engines in India?
The Indian government has now set a deadline of April 1 for a complete transition to E20 petrol with a minimum 95 Research Octane Number (RON). The rollout, which was initiated from 2025 across the country, aims to tackle the issues of vehicular emissions and benefit farmers by supporting agricultural economies. However, the ethanol-blended petrol has led to concerns for owners of older, non-E20-compliant vehicles, who are already grappling with potential reliability concerns.
Oil prices surge in Asia, stocks under pressure
Sydney, - Oil prices surged on Monday and investors stampeded to the safety of bonds and gold as military conflict in the Middle East looked set to last weeks, just as markets had been spooked by AI and banking fears.
India braces for crude blow from Iran strike, scouts for options
Taking stock
Crude oil prices jump 10% on Iran war, spike to $100/barrel seems certain
Crude oil prices surge approx 10% to USD 78.52/barrel amid middle east tensions, Experts warn of USD 120+ oil risk
Crude oil prices, competition likely to dull paint makers' margins
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🌍 Emissions/Environment
Govt to take consensual view before implementing new fuel-emission norms
CAQM panel may set annual EV sales targets for automakers in Delhi-NCR
Delhi air quality remains in 'poor' category, mercury set to cross 30°C
Panel pitches for 4-month BS-IV vehicle ban in NCR as pollution rises
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📖 Magazines
Hero Xoom 110: Price and variants explained
The Hero Xoom 110 was launched back in 2023. It kickstarted the brand’s Xoom lineup, which has recently also seen the addition of two higher-displacement models — the Xoom 125 and 160.
📝 Mahindra launches XEV 9e Cineluxe Edition at Rs 29.35 lakh
📝 Kawasaki Z900 vs Z900RS differences explained
📝 Everything we know about Mercedes-Benz V-Class ahead of launch tomorrow
📝 Hero Destini 110 Fuel Economy Tested and Explained
📝 Opinion: how retro design should be reinterpreted for modern times
📝 TVS Apache RTR 200 4V price and variants explained
📝 5 cars deserving a better engine
📝 Tata Punch EV facelift review: More for less
📝 5 things to know before buying the Bajaj Avenger 220 Cruise
📝 Upcoming car launches in March 2026
📝 Suzuki Burgman price and variants explained
📝 5 things to know before buying the Kawasaki Versys 1100
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📰 International
BYD February Vehicle Sales Plunge 41% on Waning Domestic Demand
BYD Co. reported a 41% drop in vehicle sales for February from a year earlier, after a record-long Lunar New Year holiday brought production and retail activity in China to a near standstill for much of the month.
Changes to Formula One's engine rules could mostly impact Mercedes
📝 UK auto manufacturing declines in January amid weakening export demand
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