Ajay Gabhane of Nagpur purchased a Kia Sonet on the eve of Diwali. He mentioned that his family found it right to replace their aging sedan with an exciting compact SUV during the festive season.

Like Gabhane, Tushar Deshpande chose the festive season to purchase a new passenger car during the Diwali festive season in Pune.

It were the individuals like Gabhane and Deshpande who contributed towards a cheerful festive season and Diwali for the Indian passenger vehicle and two-wheeler industry.

After witnessing a slowdown in sales performance during the first and second quarter of FY2023-24, it was the festive season that saw the auto industry uplift its spirit on the back of higher passenger vehicle and two-wheeler sales, albeit asking the underlying challenges that saw dealers and their association go to town stating that inventory levels were at an all-time high.

Until 29 October 2024, passenger vehicle registrations reached a record 4,25,000 units, according to the Vahan data. The previous peak was in January 2024 at 3,99,112 units.

With the Diwali festival spreading into early November, it is expected that that the passenger vehicle registrations will bridge the 4,50,000 milestone. This would mean that almost 15,000 units were registered every day.  

Starting at a slower pace, the festive sales picked up pace only close to Diwali this calendar year with two-wheelers registrations marking the most surge. Inside of the two-wheeler domain, it was the electric two-wheelers that contributed wholesomely to the sales surge. Among India's top electric two-wheeler OEMs, Ola Electric lead the pack with TVS Motors a close second and Bajaj Auto a close third.

Contributing handsomely to what is already considered as the record sales year (FY2024-25) for electric two-wheeler sales stood at 109,643 units as on 28 October 2024, as per the Vahan portal data.

This electric two-wheeler sales performance in the country should provide an interesting insight into how the Indian EV market is progressing and shaping up as well. 

With the main celebratory period of Diwali falling during the last days of October made for an interesting trend in terms of October 2024 sales and November 2024 sales.

With a sale of no less than 115,000 units expected by the time Diwali gets over in early November 2024, a significant uptake in sales performance would have been written in the financial books as compared to the sale of 88,156 units in September 2024.

The superior performance of two-wheeler sales overall as compared to passenger cars during the festive season could be attributed to the uptake in rural markets of the country, read a report by Motilal Oswal Financial Services. During the festive season, the commuter two-wheelers experienced the highest traction among the ICE models and electric powered ones, the report mentioned.

In his LinkedIn post, Ravi Bhatia, President and Director, Jato Dynamics, averred, “India's automotive sector experienced a classic relief rally in October 2024, driven by festive sentiment and aggressive discounting. However, with the impending Vehicle Identification Number (VIN) year change requiring sustained discounts, questions arise about the rally's sustainability.”

The challenges, he said, were the sub-INR 10,00,000 passenger vehicle segment continuing to be under pressure, the upcoming VIN year change necessitating continued discounts and the question of demand sustaining post the festive season.
 

Image for representative purpose only.

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TIP Group has been named one of the Fortune 100 Best Companies to Work For in Europe. The list, produced by Great Place to Work, draws on employee feedback gathered through the Trust Index survey, so it mirrors workers’ own experiences on the job rather than external assessments.

This honour represents the newest step in TIP’s broader Great Place to Work journey, which has brought employer recognition across Europe for several years. The company’s workplace culture rests on three core values: team spirit, integrity and reliability and people. These principles guide how colleagues collaborate, serve customers and fuel success across the region.

TIP earned Great Place to Work certification in all nine countries surveyed in 2023 and has since extended it to 11 European nations. TIP France was recognised among France’s Best Workplaces for companies with 250 to 1,000 employees in March 2026, while TIP UK was named a Best Workplace in Manufacturing, Production & Transportation in September 2026. Rooted in employee experience, these honours reflect a culture of collaboration, trust and mutual support. As TIP expands across Europe, it stays committed to investing in its people and fostering an environment where careers grow and success is shared.

Arjen Kraaij, CEO, TIP Group, said, “This recognition reflects our people and the culture they create every day. It is especially meaningful because it is based on the experiences and feedback of our employees. Their teamwork, dedication and willingness to support one another are what make TIP special. I would like to thank all colleagues across Europe for helping build the company we are today.”

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Good Business Lab brought together senior automotive executives, industry actors and shopfloor workers at a leadership conference in New Delhi to discuss strategies for increasing female workforce participation across India's automotive manufacturing sector.

The event followed the organisation's September research report, which revealed that women account for 8.7 percent of the combined original equipment manufacturer and component manufacturing workforce across the country.

The conference addressed findings from a three-year study by Good Business Lab spanning over 55 automotive firms, 400 stakeholders and 1,900 individuals. Discussions focused on practical shopfloor interventions to improve recruitment and retention, including talent supply chains, night-shift operational frameworks, last-mile transportation solutions and childcare infrastructure.

Industry panels examined career progression pathways, performance metrics for middle management retention, and workplace safety conditions required to support long-term employment.

The event featured three panel sessions covering business metrics, worker perspectives, and sector-wide operational scalability. Executives participating in the discussions included Suman Mishra, Chief Executive Officer and Managing Director of Mahindra Last Mile Mobility; Viveka Bhandari, Chief Operating Officer of Padmini VNA Mechatronics; Sunil Arora, Managing Director of Abilities India Pistons & Rings; Satyaprakash Patil, Chief Human Resources Officer of Honda Motorcycle & Scooter India; and Vinkesh Gulati, Chairperson of the Automotive Skills Development Council.

A panel of female shopfloor associates from Abilities India Pistons & Rings, Asahi India Glass, Honda Motorcycle & Scooter India and Sansera Engineering detailed their career trajectories and operational experiences in vehicle assembly and component production.

Nirmal Deshpande, Managing Director of Good Business Lab, said, “The evidence increasingly mirrors what we are hearing from industry: women’s participation is no longer just an inclusion imperative, but a business necessity. Several leading firms are already showing what is possible; the challenge now is scale. We brought business leaders, women workers and the wider ecosystem together to chart the path ahead. The opportunity is clear: now we need to turn what works into action across the sector.”

Good Business Lab plans to collaborate with automotive manufacturers, philanthropic organisations and industry bodies to pilot shopfloor solutions and co-design workforce frameworks across the manufacturing sector.

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JSW MG Motor India, one of the leading passenger vehicle manufacturers, has announced the eight winning startups selected for the 6^th edition of the MG Developer Program.

The startup engagement initiative, centred on the theme 'Innovation in Automotive', evaluated over 130 applications before selecting the finalists for pilot deployment consideration.

The selected startups comprise Nayan Technologies, Technod8.AI, LiveNSense, LW3, Smaartbrand by Acquink Solutions, Fitsol, Cautio and Meta Materials Circular Market.

The chosen entities specialise in artificial intelligence (AI) platforms, industrial software, battery supply chain tracking, mobility intelligence, supply chain decarbonisation and automotive circular economy systems.

The winners will collaborate with the vehicle manufacturer and program partners to test and implement pilot projects across industrial operations, manufacturing, customer experience and mobility services.

Anurag Mehrotra, Managing Director, JSW MG Motor India, said, "We are entering an era where the boundaries between mobility, data, and artificial intelligence are rapidly converging. The next wave of transformation in the automotive industry will be driven by innovators who can connect these ecosystems and create solutions with real-world impact. Through the MG Developer Program, we are committed to providing startups with a platform to collaborate, experiment and scale breakthrough ideas. The winning startups of Season 6.0 represent some of the most promising innovations across automotive technology, sustainability, industrial intelligence, and mobility services. We look forward to partnering with them to explore pilot deployments and unlock new possibilities for the future of mobility."

The sixth season was conducted in partnership with DPIIT, Startup India, JSW, NCPI BHIM, Jio, Gulf Oil India, TiE Delhi NCR, iCreate, Allianz Partners India, TERI, BSES Rajdhani Power Limited, LICO Materials and Pulse Energy.

The program saw more than 40 startups shortlisted for presentations, with 18 reaching the final jury stage. Since its launch in 2019, the program has evaluated over 1,680 startup applications covering connected vehicles, electric mobility, artificial intelligence, and manufacturing technologies.

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Cummins India has announced the appointment of Gbile Adewunmi as Managing Director and India Regional Leader, effective 1 November 2026. Adewunmi will assume the position alongside his current role as leader of Industrial Markets within Power Systems, where he will continue to direct business operations for the division.

In his current role as Vice-President, Power Systems Industrial Markets, Adewunmi oversees customer and partner operations across industrial segments, including mining. His work in the division has focused on hybrid-electric retrofit systems, mining technologies, and power solutions aimed at operational efficiency and emissions reduction.

Jenny Bush, President of Power Systems, Cummins, said, “Gbile is a respected global leader with deep experience across Cummins and a strong track record of delivering customer-focused growth and business performance. His enterprise perspective, ability to build high-performing teams and commitment to our customers make him exceptionally well positioned to lead Cummins India Limited and the India region while continuing to advance our Industrial Markets strategy.”

Adewunmi said, “I am honoured to take on this expanded role and to work alongside the talented teams across Cummins India, the India region and Industrial Markets. “India is a critical market for Cummins, and I look forward to partnering with our employees, customers and stakeholders to build on our strong foundation and continue powering a more prosperous world.”

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