PSR Power Systems Research India Private Limited (PSR India), is the India office of Power Systems Research (PSR). Our experienced analysts, including our team in India, work with OEMs, engine and component manufacturers, dealers, fleet managers and industry experts to compile model-level data that is considered the leading source of global information on engines, drivetrains and powered vehicles and equipment.
The Union Budget 2021 is very important since it comes during an unprecedented pandemic. The most significant pain points of the economy are the lack of demand and liquidity. The shrinking market’s impact and the weak demand is evident after the Economic Survey said that the country would experience a current account surplus for the first time in 17 years.
The automotive industry is the key stakeholder of the country’s economy. It suffered extensive sluggishness in the past 10-12 quarters after introducing GST, the new safety norms, insurance regulations, axle, and emission norms. These led to a hefty increase in purchase costs. The industry was waiting for direct announcements to reduce purchase cost and improve customer sentiment
Officials at Volkswagen, Ford, Fiat Chrysler, Toyota and Nissan all say they have been hit by the shortage and have been forced to delay production of some models in order to keep other factories running.
A widening global shortage of semiconductors for auto parts is forcing major auto companies to halt or slow vehicle production just as they were recovering from pandemic-related factory shutdowns.
“This is absolutely an industry issue,” Toyota spokesman Scott Vazin said in an email. “We are evaluating the supply constraint of semiconductors and developing countermeasures to minimize the impact to production.”
Kia Motors is expanding its network and targets to reach 300 touchpoints by the end of the year. Further, the company will now focus on expansion in tier-IV and upcountry markets, which will further penetrate the Indian market.
The company is identifying the nerves of Indian customers. It has rightly understood that one of the critical factors in purchasing a car is consumers’ proximity to the brand. Hence, even before the first product (Seltos) launch in the market, it had a wide-spread network in 160 cities with 265 touchpoints.
Daimler India, which recently set up 10 new touchpoints, plans to have at least 350 dealerships across India in the next two years as it looks to deepen market penetration.
In September, DICV announced plans to grow its BharatBenz dealer network by 10%, exceeding 250 outlets by the end of 2020. With the opening of these new touchpoints, the company moves a step closer to cutting the distance between dealerships from 160 km to 120 km. The company is expanding strategically. The touchpoints are located on leading national and state highways, improving DICV’s golden quadrilateral coverage.
Along with increasing domestic reach, the company is focusing on the export market. Post announcement of the production-linked incentive (PLI) scheme, the company plans to invest in the country. The new investment could be used to increase the localization levels of components to avail the PLI. Furthermore, India has moved to BS-VI norms (equivalent euro 6 norms), it will be relatively easier for the company to cater to domestic as well as an export market with the same engines (with few moderations). PSR
Aditya Kondejkar is Research Analyst – South Asia Operations – for Power Systems Research
The Union Cabinet has approved an expansion of the Production-Linked Incentive (PLI) scheme to include 10 more labor-intensive industry segments. The PLI outlay for automobiles and auto components is the highest at Rs 57,042 crore over five years, roughly Rs 10,000 crore a year.
Daimler India Commercial Vehicle (DICV), a subsidiary of Stuttgart-based Daimler, plans to increase its dealership count by 10% to 250 this year. Read The Article
As Ashok Leyland (second largest player in the MH CV segment) is reducing its business to focus on SCV, DICV is adopting an aggressive strategy in the struggling Indian MH CV industry.
For 18 months, tractor factories were working on a single or 1.5 shift basis at best because of demand slowdown. With numbers picking up, factories now are moving to two or three shifts to hit 100% capacity utilization. The capacity is currently 9.5 lakh units on a two shift basis, but we can also go to three shifts if the demand holds up. Read The Article
India’s auto industry has slid back to the level of nearly a decade ago due to multiple regulatory changes, a slowing economy, liquidity issues, and the COVID-19 pandemic.
Aditya Kondejkar
The auto industry has shown signs of recovery over the last couple of months; however, an additional demand push is required to generate sustainable growth. The government is evaluating a series of possible measures such as a revision in the goods and services tax (GST) rate and a production-linked incentive and scrapage policy.
GST Revision: The GST council is evaluating an industry 10% GST cut across categories of vehicles.
This GST revision will defiantly neutralize the impact of the price hike due to BS-VI upgradation. Further, this GST revision will give a strong thrust to auto sales during the coming festive seasons.
In a bid to promote electric mobility in India, the Indian government now permits sales of EVs without a battery. This step has been taken to reduce the upfront cost of EVs, since the most expensive component in an electric vehicle is the battery pack (which accounts for 40% cost of the total cost). Read The Article
Aditya Kondejkar
PSR Analysis: We anticipate that electric 2 and 3-wheelers will be the first segments to benefit from this move. This move by the central government will support the FAME-II program and the Delhi government’s latest EV policy, aiming for 5 lakh registrations of EVs in 5 years.
As the upfront cost of the electrical 2 and 3 wheelers will be lower than their ICE counterparts when registered without battery, it will be more attractive to consumers. However, implementation will be critical for the success of this move. As lack of infrastructure was one of the key reasons for customers not opting for EVs.
With extended lockdowns in most parts of India, the production of all non-essentials was at a halt or at minuscule levels in April and May until the economy was unlocked. This move reduced demand in the short-term, but owing to intrinsic domestic demand, we are optimistic about future business expectations
Aditya Kondejkar
Better Outlook of Rural Economy
However, hope has arisen from India’s rural part as the agriculture sector appears to have been relatively less impacted by the lockdown. This part of the country never truly went into a harsh lockdown, and thus procurement, harvest, and consumer activities have remained unaffected. Farming continued during the lockdown, especially for rice and wheat cultivation. The return of migrant workers caused a surplus of agricultural labor. This resulted in the fact – more land was brought under cultivation than ever before. As a result, the country has witnessed a good season of rabi harvest.
