German luxury carmaker BMW Gorup India clocked its highest-ever car sales of 18,001 units, registering a growth of 14% year-over-year. BMW Group India President and CEO Hardeep Singh Brar talks about the company’s outlook for 2026, electric vehicle market share, competition with Elon Musk’s Tesla, becoming India’s top luxury carmaker in Q3 and price hike plans owing to weak rupee.
Mahindra has launched the updated version of the XUV700. The popular SUV has been renamed as XUV 7XO and comes at a starting price of Rs 13.66 lakh (ex-showroom). The introductory prices are for the first 40,000 units. Bookings will open on January 14. The XUV 7XO adopts a bold new design while retaining the essence of its predecessor. The front fascia includes a redesigned grille and reworked LED headlamps with integrated C-shaped LED DRLs. The SUV comes with new alloy wheels, while the rear features connected LED taillights and a redesigned bumper. Business Today's Chetan Bhutani reviews the new XUV 7XO.
EV maker Simple Energy has rolled out its Gen 2 scooter portfolio, led by the new flagship Simple Ultra with a claimed 400km IDC range. Showcased ahead of pricing later this year, Ultra anchors a four-model lineup. Updated Simple One variants offer 236km and 265km ranges, while the Simple OneS Gen 2 delivers 190km. Prices start at Rs. 1.39 lakh and go up to Rs. 1.77 lakh, ex-showroom Bengaluru. Bookings open soon; deliveries expected to scale across key markets nationally.
German luxury carmaker BMW Gorup India clocked its highest-ever car sales of 18,001 units, registering a growth of 14% year-over-year. BMW Group India President and CEO Hardeep Singh Brar talks about the company’s outlook for 2026, electric vehicle market share, competition with Elon Musk’s Tesla, becoming India’s top luxury carmaker in Q3 and price hike plans owing to weak rupee.
Mahindra’s auto business is seeing strong momentum, backed by record December sales and a solid start to January. R Velusamy said the company has around 10,000 units per month capacity, with nearly 40% headroom, and has invested ₹400 crore in the 7XO. While the SUV market is growing at 7%, Mahindra is expanding at 18%, with CNG and EV demand picking up amid supportive macroeconomic indicators.
The Mahindra XUV 7XO has been launched with prices ranging from Rs 13.66 lakh to Rs 24.92 lakh (introductory, ex-showroom, pan-India). The XUV 7XO is offered in six variants for now: AX, AX3, AX5, AX7, AX7 T, and AX7 L
Mahindra & Mahindra reported a 25% year-on-year jump in automobile sales to 86,090 units, including exports, in December 2025. Domestic passenger vehicle sales rose 23% to 50,946 units, compared with 41,424 units in December 2024. Domestic commercial vehicle sales stood at 24,786 units, registering a 34% year-on-year growth, the company said. In an exclusive conversation with Sakshi Batra, Nalinikanth Gollagunta, CEO – Automotive Division, Mahindra & Mahindra, and Executive Director – Mahindra Electric Automobile, said the company is not ruling out a price hike, though the timing remains difficult to predict. He added that any price increase would be marginal and would not offset the benefits of GST rationalisation.
2025 turned out to be a landmark year for the Indian auto industry. From big launches and iconic nameplates making a comeback to EVs firmly entering the mainstream. But the action is far from over. In this video, Business Today’s Chetan Bhutani takes a clear, brand-wise look at the most important car launches expected in India in 2026. From Maruti Suzuki’s first all-electric SUV, the e Vitara, to Mahindra’s XUV 7XO, Tata’s Sierra EV revival, the new-generation Renault Duster, and key facelifts from Kia, Skoda and Nissan , the lineup is packed. With EVs, petrol comebacks, hybrids and global products on the way, 2026 could be one of the most exciting years yet for Indian car buyers.
The next-generation Kia Seltos is all set to go on sale in India on 2nd January, 2025. The all-new model has already been showcased, revealing design changes, feature upgrades and mechanical enhancements. Bookings for the SUV are currently open across the country at Rs 25,000, with deliveries to start by mid-January, 2026. Business Today's Chetan Bhutani reviews the all new Kia Seltos.
India’s top auto awards were announced yesterday, recognising excellence in the automotive industry. The winners were chosen by a jury of leading auto journalists from across the country. Among the key honours, the Indian Motorcycle of the Year 2026 award was won by the Apache RTX 300, applauded for its performance, design and innovation.
BTTV's Chetan Bhutani takes the Mini Cooper Convertible to Jaisalmer for a thorough real-world evaluation. The 204hp soft-top shows its lively character on long, open desert highways, delivering quick acceleration and a confident, planted feel. With the roof down, the cabin fills with natural light and the desert breeze, highlighting the car’s lifestyle appeal. Its 7-speed dual-clutch gearbox offers smooth shifts, while multiple drive modes let the car adapt to relaxed cruising or spirited sprints. On narrower village roads, the Mini’s compact size and sharp steering make it easy to place, proving that this convertible blends style with genuine everyday usability.
The third model on Mahindra’s INGLO pure-electric platform, the Mahindra XEV 9S, is also the most sensible yet. While the BE 6 and XEV 9e drew attention with bold design and heavy tech—and sparked plenty of debate—the XEV 9S takes a more mature, understated route. It delivers the same core strengths of the INGLO architecture but in a familiar, easy-to-accept SUV form.
Mahindra has launched the XEV 9S 3-row SUV with introductory prices starting at Rs 19.95 lakh (ex-showroom) for the entry-level Pack One Above variant. Interestingly, prices for the XEV 9S, the first dedicated 7-seater mass-market electric SUV, start at Rs 1.95 lakh lower than those of the XEV 9e; both models are based on the INGLO platform.
The Mahindra BE 6 Formula E Edition has debuted as a sportier, motorsport-inspired variant of the BE 6 SUV, bringing exclusive styling features at a starting price of Rs 23.69 lakh (ex-showroom). the special edition taps into the motorsport culture while strengthening Mahindra’s position as the only Indian brand to win on the global Formula E grid. Customer preferences open on December 14, 2025, while bookings begin on January 14, 2026, and deliveries commence a month later on February 14. BTTV's Chetan Bhutani in conversation with Pratap Bose.
The seven-seater SUV is claimed to be India's first authentic electric origin 7-seater SUV built ground-up on the INGLO architecture. While the brand has launched the SUV after building anticipation with teasers, booking for the Mahindra XUV 9S is set to commence from January 14, 2026, and delivery will begin from January 23, 2026. The Mahindra XEV 9S offers three battery pack options: 59 kWh, 70 kWh, and 79 kWh. The 59 kWh battery is capable of delivering a peak power of 170 kW, the 70 kWh battery delivers 180 kW, and the 79 kWh battery promises 210 kW of peak power.
The Tata Sierra 2025 has been launched at a starting price of Rs 11.49 lakh (ex-showroom). As of now, Tata Motors Passenger Vehicles (TMPV) has revealed the price of only the entry-level variant of the new 5-seater SUV. The complete pricing will be announced next month. So far as trims are concerned, the Tata Sierra 2025 has seven -- Smart+, Pure, Pure+, Adventure, Adventure+, Accomplished and Accomplished.
Shailesh Chandra, MD & CEO, TMPV, told Business Today that Sierra deliveries will commence in January, and prices will be held stable initially. He said commodity costs have risen by 1.5% of revenue over the past year, and the industry has not been able to fully pass this on making a Q4 price revision likely, with partial adjustments possible in January. Chandra confirmed the Sierra is being built at the Sanand-2 (Ford) plant. He expects Tata Motors’ SUV share to rise from 16–17% to 20–25% with the Sierra, and forecast double-digit growth in November’s second half and around 5% growth for the full year.
JCB India MD & CEO Deepak Shetty tells Business Today that despite a dampened 2024, the company expects a surge of new NHAI, road, airport and infrastructure projects next year. Export headwinds from US tariffs reduced shipments from 10,000 machines to around 1,500–2,000, but strong demand from Europe, East Africa, South Asia and Southeast Asia helped offset nearly 70% of the impact. Shetty said the construction equipment industry urgently needs a PLI scheme to build a domestic ecosystem for key components like valves and electronics, still largely imported from Japan, Korea and Europe. JCB has also secured its largest-ever defence order—around 750 telehandler machines—and is developing new railway technologies.
In this exclusive conversation with Business Today, Ajay Jain, Head of the India Design Studio at Tata Motors deep-dives into the design journey of the all-new Tata Sierra. Reimagined from the legendary original, the new Sierra blends nostalgia with modern, future-ready styling. Ajay explains how the India design team led the project end-to-end, shaping its silhouette, signature glasshouse, strong stance, and EV-first proportions. He also discusses how the new Sierra reflects Tata Motors’ updated design philosophy, the balance between heritage cues and contemporary surfaces, and how global design studios in the UK and Italy contributed while India drove the final vision. With the production-spec model now unveiled, the Sierra is moving closer to its market debut on 25th November.
JK Tyre & Industries CMD Dr. Raghupati Singhania tells Business Today that the company’s ₹1,400-crore capacity expansion will be completed by Q1 FY26, adding that demand in the auto and tyre sectors remains strong at 6–7% growth. He said stable raw material prices and potential GST rationalisation will improve affordability and give a boost to the economy. On the US import tariffs, he revealed that JK Tyre has diversified exports to newer markets and is leveraging its Mexico plant to serve the American market more efficiently.
Maruti Suzuki Chairman R.C. Bhargava told Business Today’s Chetan Bhutani that the recent GST rate cut on small cars from 28% plus cess to 18% will revive demand in the compact car segment. He added that many automakers will now realise the true nature of the Indian car market and may rework their product strategies. Currently, 69% of Maruti’s sales fall under the 18% GST slab, a share Bhargava expects will grow further.
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