As the news of a seven-seater C-segment SUV being tested by Nissan in India gathers speed (besides the news that Renault will launch the new Duster as the Bigster in the next few months), the Renault Group and Nissan have announced new strategic projects. 
The most important of these is the restructuring of the Indian Renault Nissan Alliance entity with Renault Group buying out the 51 percent stake of Nissan, making Renault Nissan Automotive India Private Ltd (RNAIPL) its fully owned subsidiary. 
Despite this change, Nissan will maintain its presence in India with a strong focus on enhancing market coverage. RNAIPL will continue to support Nissan’s production of models, including the New Nissan Magnite in India. 
With Nissan choosing Renault Group to develop and produce a derivative of Twingo that it has designed, the restructuring of the Indian business that was until now a well-honed alliance effort with almost equal-equal investment by both the auto makers, the Renault Group and Nissan have entered into a new alliance agreement that would increase the flexibility of each of the two regarding their cross-shareholdings. This would be done by setting the lock-up undertaking at 10 percent instead of the current 15 percent. 
Nissan would be released from its commitment to invest in Ampere while continuing the agreed product projects.
 Luca de Meo, CEO of Renault Group, commented on the significant development: “As a long-time partner of Nissan within the Alliance and as its main shareholder, Renault Group has a strong interest in seeing Nissan turnaround its performance as quickly as possible. Pragmatism and business-oriented mindset were at the core of our discussions to identify the most effective ways of supporting their recovery plan while developing value-creating business opportunities for Renault Group. This Framework Agreement, beneficial for both parties, is the proof of the agile and efficient mindset of the new Alliance. It also confirms the attractiveness of our products with Twingo as well as our ambition to grow our business on international markets. India is a key automotive market and Renault Group will put in place an efficient industrial footprint and ecosystem.”
 “Nissan is committed to preserving the value and benefits of our strategic partnership within the Alliance while implementing turnaround measures to enhance efficiencies. Our goal is to create a more agile and effective business model that allows us to respond quickly to changing market conditions and conserve cash for future investments. We remain committed to the Indian market, delivering vehicles tailored to local consumer needs while ensuring top-notch sales and service for our existing and future customers. India will remain a hub for our research and development, digital and other knowledge services. Our plans for new SUVs in the India market remain intact, and we will continue our vehicle exports to other markets under the “One Car, One World” business strategy for India," said Ivan Espinosa, President and CEO of Nissan. 
 

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Japanese auto major Honda Motor Co recently established a new retail finance company in India, christened ‘Honda Finance India’. The new company will provide customers with retail sales financing services, including loans and lease sales options for Honda products in India.

The automaker states that with demand for two-wheelers and four-wheelers set to grow in India, there will be a significant growth opportunity for retail finance too. Till now, retail sales financing services has been primarily done by local financial institutions in India.

However, Honda aims to further strengthen its business in India by offering its own sales financing services through a local subsidiary in India. For this, Honda Finance India is applying for a Non-Banking Financial Company (NBFC) license to conduct financial services business in India.

The Japanese company states that for it financial services business has been one of the main business areas and it has established local subsidiaries specialising in retail sales financing services in Japan and various countries in key regions such as North America and Europe. With the establishment of the new company, India became the ninth country where Honda has a local subsidiary to offer financial services.

Going forward, in anticipation of the global expansion of software-defined vehicle (SDV) sales in the future, Honda is looking into opportunities to offer new financial services designed to increase customer satisfaction and the value of the customer experience using various data from Honda SDVs.

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Rakesh Srivastava, the former Managing Director of Nissan Motor India, has been appointed as a Partner at Helyxa Consulting Group, a newly launched firm of senior professionals. Srivastava joins a team with over 150 years of collective experience from top-tier companies across various industries.

Helyxa Consulting Group, which was established on India's Independence Day, is focused on enabling India's growth journey and building a ‘Viksit Bharat’ in line with the vision of a USD 30 trillion economy by 2047. The firm aims to accelerate the growth of Indian companies by providing services in key areas including – AI Transformation, Board Advisory, Deals & Partnerships, Innovation in Entrepreneurship, Leadership & Culture Transformation and Planning & Process Transformation.

Srivastava will work alongside other key partners, including Managing Partner Bhanu Sharma, former President and Global Head of HR and IT at Tega Industries, and Partner Raman Madhok, a board member at Johnson Controls Hitachi and former Joint Managing Director and CEO of JSW Steel. The leadership team also includes Bindu Bhatia and Harish Bhatia.

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German luxury automotive brand BMW India is set to increase prices across its entire model range by up to 3 percent beginning 1 September. The company cites continued foreign exchange impacts and rising material and logistics costs as the primary reasons for the price adjustment.

Vikram Pawah, President and CEO, BMW Group India, said the company has seen significant sales growth in the first half of the year.

“BMW India’s growth and sales momentum in the first half of the year has been remarkable. However, factors like continued forex impact and global supply chain dynamics have been leading to increased material and logistics costs. Our commitment to offer best value and experience throughout customer journey is steadfast. In the festive season, we are geared to introduce several new power-packed profiles of our cars. As the strong demand for BMW’s luxurious, pioneering cars continues, we will deliver exceptional performance and innovation to our valued customers,” he said.

At present, BMW sells the locally produced the BMW 2 Series Gran Coupe, BMW 3 Series Long Wheelbase, BMW 5 Series Long Wheelbase, BMW 7 Series, BMW X1, BMW X3, BMW X5, BMW X7, BMW M340i and BMW iX1 Long Wheelbase.

in India. The company also offers a wide selection of imported models, including the BMW i4, BMW i5, BMW i7, BMW i7 M70, BMW iX, BMW Z4 M40i, BMW M2 Coupe, BMW M4 Competition, BMW M4 CS, BMW M5, BMW M8 Competition Coupe and BMW XM (Plug-in-Hybrid) as completely built-up units (CBU).

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In a joint effort to improve road safety, Skoda Auto Volkswagen India (SAVWIPL) and the SaveLIFE Foundation have successfully completed a two-year project on a high-risk section of National Highway 19 in Uttar Pradesh.

The initiative, named ‘Surakshit Sadkein, Surakshit Bharat’ (Safe Roads, Safe India), has resulted in a 7.5 percent reduction in road crash fatalities on the Agra–Etawah–Chakeri corridor since its launch in November 2022.

The program benefited over 720,000 commuters and focused on a comprehensive, evidence-based approach to road safety, addressing four key areas:

Engineering: Over 7,000 engineering hazards were fixed, with the addition of crash barriers, speed-calming measures and improved pedestrian facilities.

Enforcement: Electronic enforcement tools and new signage were deployed to improve traffic management.

Emergency Care: More than 300 first responders were trained in Basic Trauma Life Support.

Education: Awareness campaigns, including billboards and local outreach, reached a wide audience and commercial vehicle drivers received training in anticipatory driving.

This project was a collaboration with several government bodies, including the National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) and the Uttar Pradesh Police. The partners hope this successful model can be replicated in other high-risk areas across the country.

Piyush Arora, Managing Director & CEO, SAVWIPL, said, “For us, progress in the automotive sector is as much about building safer communities as it is about innovation. The Group takes safety seriously – our Made-in-India models have achieved full 5-star safety ratings, and we are committed to extending that safety beyond our cars to the roads we share. The NH 19 Zero Fatality Corridor with SaveLIFE Foundation shows that when engineering, enforcement, training, and awareness come together, lives are saved. This measurable impact strengthens our vision of a self-reliant India, where independence also means the freedom to travel without fear.”

This is the second Vision Zero Fatality Corridor project supported by SAVWIPL, following the Mumbai–Pune Highway initiative, which achieved a 61 percent reduction in fatalities.

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