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Mahindra & Mahindra’s acquisition of a 58.96% stake in SML Isuzu for ₹555 crore marks a calculated push to expand its presence in the intermediate and light commercial vehicle (ICV and LCV) segments. With minimal exposure in the bus segment and a modest 3% market share in >3.5T CVs, this move is structured to unlock operational synergies, enhance platform capabilities, and fill existing product portfolio gaps.
Mahindra & Mahindra’s (M&M agreement to acquire a controlling stake in SML Isuzu comes at a pivotal point in the Indian commercial vehicle (CV) industry, where demand is gradually recovering post-COVID and the LCV and ICV segments are projected to lead growth. The $64,824,000 USD (₹555 crore) investment—targeted via the purchase from Sumitomo Corporation and Isuzu Motors Ltd—positions M&M to double its CV market share from 3% to 6% immediately, with stated ambitions of reaching 10–12% by FY31 and 20% by FY36.
Komatsu announced that its consolidated net income for the fiscal year ending March 2026 is expected to decrease by 30% year on year to 309 billion yen. This is lower than the market forecast of 403 billion yen. The U.S. administration’s tariff policy will have a negative impact of $650 Million USD (94.3 billion yen). The exchange rate assumption of 1 yen = 135 yen (compared with 152.8 yen in the previous fiscal year) is also a factor, as it reflects an appreciation of the yen by approximately 8 yen compared with the current market rate.
Of the 943 billion yen, 785 billion yen is attributable to increased production costs due to tariffs, and 158 billion yen is attributable to a decrease in sales volume due to reduced demand.
Japan Engine Corporation, a manufacturer of marine engines, says it has begun final testing of a new engine that uses a fuel mixture of ammonia and heavy fuel oil. The testing involves running the engine alone in a factory to confirm safety and to check for abnormal behavior. Testing is expected to be completed by September, with production planned to begin in October.
The large, low-speed marine engine developed by the company can burn up to 95% ammonia (by heat ratio) mixed with heavy fuel oil. The engine used in this trial will be installed in an ammonia carrier ship currently under development with Nippon Yusen and others. The ship is expected to be completed in fiscal 2026.
KG Motors, which manufactures and sells the ultra-compact “mibot” EV, is moving toward mass production of the units. It will start mass production in October 2025 at an assembly plant it has built near its headquarters. The company plans to produce 300 units in FY2025, 3,000 units in FY2026, and 10,000 units in FY2027.
The mibot is a one-person vehicle designed for short-distance travel, with a range of 100 kilometers per charge. The planned price at the time of mass production is 1.1 million yen ($7,700 USD), including consumption tax.
The assembly plant in Higashi Hiroshima City consists of a single production line with a main line of seven processes and a subline of four processes. Since there are only a few parts, the number of processes is less than that of a normal automobile production line.
Last month, South Korea’s Hyundai Motor Group announced that it will invest $21 billion in the U.S. over the next four years. In addition to investing $6 billion to build a steel mill in Louisiana, the company will increase its U.S. auto production capacity by 70% to 1.2 million vehicles per year at a cost of $9 billion
The $21 billion investment in the U.S. will be the largest ever made by the Hyundai Motor Group. The investment will be made between 2025 and 2028 and will cover a wide range of fields, including automobiles, steel, parts and energy.
Honda plans to launch an electric motorcycle in Vietnam this month. The suggested retail price is less than 29 million VND (about $1183) without battery. The company is targeting the younger generation, who often use motorcycles to commute to school.
The name of the motorcycle to be sold is “ICON e:”. It will be manufactured at the company’s Binh Phuoc plant in northern Vietnam and will initially be sold through authorized dealers in seven provinces and cities. The maximum speed is 48 km/h, and it takes about 8 hours to charge the battery from zero to full. The maximum distance that can be traveled on a full charge is 71 kilometers. Because it does not require a driver’s license, which can be obtained at age 18, it is expected to be used by high school students on their way to school.
South Korea is considering purchasing liquefied natural gas (LNG) and sharing the cost of stationing U.S. troops in the country as bargaining chips in negotiations with the U.S., which President Trump is seeking to revive, but these are not sufficient materials, and the future is uncertain. South Korea is the second largest shipbuilding nation after China and can produce high value-added vessels such as LNG carriers.
The numbers vary greatly from country to country. This is strongly influenced by the geopolitical and economic intentions behind them. Broadly speaking, it seems that countries with strong economic and strategic ties to China have been given a higher tax rate as a form of sanction. Cambodia, Laos, Vietnam, and Myanmar are all examples of this. On the other hand, countries where U.S. companies have a direct presence have also been given a more restrained rate from a supply chain perspective. Furthermore, from a political and security perspective, the Philippines, for example, which has close military and diplomatic ties with the United States, can be said to be relatively privileged.
On April 12, as I write this, things are still in flux. There is a lot of media coverage every day, with reports on the tariffs reaching almost hysterical levels. The reciprocal tariff rate for Japan announced by the U.S. is 24%, which is an unexpectedly high level given the past relationship between the two countries.
As a result, Japan’s real GDP is expected to fall by about 0.6% in the short term (2025) and 1.8% in the medium term (2029). This will have a huge impact on Japan, which has maintained a growth rate of around 3% per year. It has been reported that Japan is currently negotiating with the Trump administration, but it is doubtful whether the current Japanese government will be able to negotiate effectively with the US. We will see whether the terms will be reconsidered after the negotiations in the future.
I would just like to point out one thing: President Trump talks about Japan’s failure to buy American cars as unfair and negligent, but this is a clear mistake. It is true that American cars do not sell well in Japan. GM is the only company with a formal dealer network in Japan, and it is even hard to find GM dealer shops in Japan. Chrysler pulled out in 2018 and Ford in 2016.
Kubota plans to build a tractor factory in India, open that will be operational by 2030. The investment is expected to be in the tens of billions of yen. The annual production volume will be increased to approximately 240,000 units, double the current volume.
India accounts for about half of the global tractor market in terms of volume, but Kubota’s market share in the country is only about 25%. The company aims to increase sales by developing new products in cooperation with the local manufacturer it has acquired.
Currently, it produces about 120,000 units a year at three factories, including Escorts, which it acquired in April 2022 for about $953,020,000 USD (140 billion yen). Its production capacity is 170,000 to 180,000 units, but it is expected to fall short of that in the next five years.
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