Truck market's distant No.2, Ashok Leyland is aiming for a larger share not just in India but also abroad. Problem: there are newer global rivals and tougher market conditions to negotiate. R. Seshasayee, MD, says that speed is the essence and all employees have been made to realise its importance. N.Madhavan reports.

It could well be the most sought-after stretch of land in India. Five global car majors, two commercial vehicle companies, one tractor manufacturer, three earth moving equipment companies, a tyre major and over 100 auto parts producers have either made it their home or will do so soon. A 45-km-long corridor near Chennai is on its way to becoming one of the largest automobile centres in the world. N. Madhavan checks it out.

Business Today presents an annual listing of India Inc.'s fastest growing large, mid-size and small companies based on their revenues.

Can information technology be transformational? Without doubt, yes. And here are 20 examples to prove it. Our annual listing of the most IT-savvy outfits in the country.

Your cover story was timely. The report highlights the tenuous balance that needs to be maintained between controlling inflation on the one hand and sustaining and promoting growth on the other.

Auto companies see demand rise ahead of festive season

Mudra Group’s Bobby Pawar; ArcelorMittal’s Malay Mukherjee; Venkatramani Sumantran, Executive Vice Chairman, Hinduja Automotive; Dileep Choksi, former Vice Chairman, Deloitte Haskins & Sells; Pradeep Guha, CEO, Zee Entertainment Enterprises; and Sam Ghosh, CEO, Reliance Capital.

NBFCs are aspiring to become one-stop shops for all financial services, and, in the process, coming into direct competition with scheduled commercial sector banks, especially in the private sector. Large NBFCs, such as Reliance Capital and Indiabulls, are giving banks a run for their money in many of their traditional segments. BT's Anand Adhikari reports.

Writing off farm loans worth Rs 60,000 crore, increasing Income Tax exemptions, slashing excise duties?Finance Minister Chidambaram’s Budget 2008 is aimed at winning votes in an early poll. Full coverage: Budget 2008

Writing off farm loans worth Rs 60,000 crore, increasing Income Tax exemptions, slashing excise duties?Finance Minister Chidambaram’s Budget 2008 is aimed at winning votes in an early poll. Watch complete Budget speechHighlights of Union Budget 2008Full coverage: Budget 2008Surfers' comments on Budget 2008Read full text of FM's speechClick to read sectoral analysisRead experts views on Budget 2008Budget at a glanceWhat’s cheaper, what’s dearer?

The economy is slowing down, foreign investors have turned wary, and there is an election to be won next year. So, will Finance Minister P. Chidambaram script Budget 2008 for votes or growth? Shalini S. Dagar tells us what we can expect this year.  Full coverage: Budget 2008-09

Two decades after testing Indian waters, the Hindujas are once again in investment mode in India. They’re planning to pump at least $50 billion into a number of sectors in the next five to seven years. That's not too little, but are they too late? Brian Carvalho tells us the inside story.

The Hindujas have never really demonstrated their bullishness about India by actually investing here in a big way. Better late than never, say the brothers. 

It’s a trend that’s increasingly becoming prominent. Multinational corporations (MNCs) that have been in the country for years and years with precious little to show for their efforts are finally beginning to make the big moves in a local market that’s hit a tipping point.

India Inc. has beaten the slowdown blues, and can look forward to more of the same.

Daimlerchrysler isn’t doing too badly for itself in India, cantering along at a growth rate of 22 per cent (till August) in 2007, having sold 1,385 Mercedes-Benz cars in India.

Ashok Leyland is taking the JV route into \"sunrise\" areas.

The overall optimism was kept alive by India Inc. which reported another good quarter ended June 2007. At first glance, the performance seems fantastic.

Three new states, Uttarakhand, Chhattisgarh and Jharkhand, are attracting big-ticket investment proposals and latent demand is fuelling a boom in these states, but problems remain.