Second Wave of COVID-19 Hits India Commercial Vehicle Market

Aditya Kondejkar

The second wave of COVID-19 has put the brakes on a rebound in India’s commercial vehicle market, reports Aditya Kondejkar, Power Systems Research Analyst for South Asia Operations, in the May 2021 issue of Motorindia magazine.

Kondejkar notes that the second wave of the pandemic has caused shortages of semiconductors and steel as well as weaker consumer demand. These forces have pushed commercial vehicle production down nearly 60% month-on-month (MoM) in April.

Kondejkar points out that the India CV market witnessed a strong performance in 2018 with more than 1.13 million
units produced, owing in large part to GST implementation and replacement demand. In 2019, however, the Indian CV market began shrinking as it faced headwinds from revised axle load norms, vehicle over-capacity, BS-VI transition, and a liquidity crunch.

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Assembly of Russian Railway Machine Kits Started in India

Technical specialist of Sinara Transport Machines (STM) has started work on assembly of RTM-32 kits in India. They also will supervise trial starts of finished machines. Kit assembly works are performed under a State program “Made in India”, if there is a localization level of 51%.

Based on Russian kits, there will be made rail padding and straightening machines, which are used during railway construction, repair, and maintenance. Also, the machines are working with wooden and concrete rail ties. Assembly is based on the production plant of San Engineering & Locomotives Co. Ltd, located in Bangalore which is acting as STM partner in the project.

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PowerTALK April 2019

Zirnhelt Named President and CEO at Power Systems Research

Significant activities at Power Systems Research (PSR) lead the news report in the April issue of the PowerTALK report.

First, Joe Zirnhelt has been named President and Chief Executive Officer of the company, effective immediately. He had been serving as Chief Operating Officer. Zirnhelt replaces Dennis Huibregtse as CEO.

Top Stories in April 2019 PowerTALK

  • Data Point: Ag Tractors
  • PSR Management Transition
  • PSR-IHS Markit Form Partnership
  • Global Economic Report
  • Ford Brazilian Operations
  • Brazilian M/C Sales Climb
  • Brazilian Ag Credit Limits
  • China Rolls Out Fuel Cell Bus
  • Electrification Hot at Bauma 2019
  • Toyota Pushes Electrification
  • Hyundai Invests US$39 Billion
  • Ride Share Via Expands
  • India Honda Cuts M/C Production
  • VW To Double Russian Production
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Maruti Suzuki Plans India Market Expansion

INDIA REPORT
Aditya Kondejkar

Under Maruti’s 3.0 Strategy, the company proposes to expand annual capacity by 2 million units within nine years, and it plans to feature 28 distinct models by 2031. The automaker aims to reach an annual production volume of more than 4 million vehicles by 2031. Of this total, approximately 15% (about 600,000 units) will be electric vehicles (EVs), and about 1 million will be hybrid units.

This represents a substantial 75% surge from the current production capacity of 2.25 million units.

Foreseeing a threefold increase in export volume to 750,000 units by FY31, Maruti intends to allocate 3.2 million units for the domestic market. The company envisions hybrids and EVs comprising approximately 40% of this portion, translating to over 1.2 million units.

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New India Budget Disappoints Auto Industry

This article initially appeared in the February 2020 issue of PowerTALK News.

Source: Business Today   Read The Article

Ritvik Kulkarni
Ritvik Kulkarni

PSR Analysis: The Indian Automotive Industry was largely left disappointed with the budget after no direct steps were taken to arrest the decline in automotive sales. Although keeping long term benefits in mind, the budget did introduce measures to boost the rural economy, which in turn will directly benefit the commercial vehicle industry which is an important driver for the economy.

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Belaz Wins Tender To Sell 96 Mining Trucks To India

The world’s leading mining trucks OEM – Belaz – has won the opportunity to supply 96 mining trucks to India, taking the prize from US and Japanese manufacturers.

Maxim Sakov
Maxim Sakov

They are heavy 220-ton mining trucks. The supply will take two years. Twelve trucks will be shipped to India this year, and the rest will be sent in 2021. The total contract value exceeds US$ 300 million. Belaz also is completing a previous large contract with India for 77 trucks.

Read The Article

PSR Analysis: Historically, Belarussian Belaz has supplied most of its trucks to Russian mines. However, this year it has suffered a dramatic decrease in demand from Russia. So, the OEM has had to shift its focus to other markets. Its product range includes dump trucks from 30 to 450 ton capacity, wheel loaders and dozers. OEM uses YAMZ, Cummins, MTU, Scania and Liebherr engines for its machines.   PSR

Maxim Sakov is a Market Consultant in Russia, for Power Systems Research

OEMs Target India’s Premium MC Segment

INDIA REPORT
Aditya Kondejkar

The dominance of Royal Enfield in the mid-segment of the premium motorcycle market (300cc-500cc) could be facing challenges from upcoming products. The Triumph Speed 400, a result of a joint development effort between Triumph and Bajaj Auto, and the Harley-Davidson X440, developed through a collaboration between Hero MotoCorp and Harley Davidson, are set to compete in this market segment.

In response, Royal Enfield plans to introduce three new models in the 350-450cc range within the next year.

The Indian motorcycle market has witnessed a favorable trend towards high-end bikes. The phenomenon of premiumization has gained momentum due to increasing income levels, a growing young population, shifting preferences, and a surge in product launches.

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Second Wave COVID Will Have Limited Impact on India Ag Sector

Aditya Kondejkar

“COVID-19 cases started spreading in the rural areas with the beginning of the month of May, and agriculture activity in the month of May is bare minimal, particularly land-based activities,” says Niti Aayog Member (Agriculture) Ramesh Chand.

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PSR Analysis: The second wave of COVID-19 started spreading in the rural areas in May 2021, but agriculture activities in May are minimal, and are mainly land-based activities. Agri activities peak in March or the middle of April, after which it drops significantly and again peaks with the arrival of monsoon.

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Russia New Car Sales Drop 70% in April

New car sales plummeted by 102,000 vehicles in April, the largest monthly car sales decline in history in Russian, according to the Association of European Business.

Maxim Sakov
Maxim Sakov

During April, Russia introduced strict quarantine measures because of the coronavirus, causing car sales to fall by 102,089 units, or 72.4%.

After strong sales in March, dealers have had to suspend or restrict their activity.

“Black April” has dealt a strong blow to dealer cash liquidity, and seriously affected stability during middle-term period. The dealers are preparing to restart their business in May; however, they don’t expect significant sales growth.

AutoVAZ , the largest Russian car manufacturer, reported sales declined by three times in April over March.

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Regulatory Changes Could Boost India Auto Industry

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.

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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. 

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