Stellantis CEO Carlos Tavares has stepped down due to differences with the board, a news report in the CNN.com (Business) has mentioned. It has also mentioned that Tavares faced criticism for the lack lustre performance of the Group brands – formed with the coming together of FCA and PSA Groups – during the nine months of the current calendar year in the US. 
The announcement of Tavares’ departure comes at a time when popular group brands such as Jeep, Chrysler and Dodge have seen sales drop as the ‘affordable’ models are discontinued under the wake of a ‘lean’ strategy and in what looks like an attempt to elevate the brands to offer premium luxury vehicles. 
In India too, the Jeep vehicles are priced much higher than they may be worthy of. It is no surprise therefore that they are being undercut by Jeep-like vehicles from brands like Mahindra, which costs many million Rupees less. 
Beginning its journey in Mumbai after Independence by assembling Willys CJ3 Jeep under license from Willys Corporation, Mahindra has grown to be a leading utility and SUV vehicles manufacture in India. It has also found a strong footing in export markets of US, Australia and South Africa with its 4x4 vehicles. 
Also failing to extensively refresh or introduce next generation models such as the Compass in India, Jeep is not doing great in India either, the figures indicate. The other brand, Citroen seems to be better positioned and more agile in its ability to learn and adapt to the market requirements in the country. It too is yet to show its prowess to set the sales charts on fire in India.   
Criticised to have taken the lean strategy a bit too far to come back and bite the group where it hurts the most, Tavares’ stepping down comes at a time when dealers across many parts of the world struggle to move the inventory on their lots. 
Several workers laid off at several plants of the group – particularly in the US – have also criticised Tavares for the situation Stellantis got into in that market. 
The situation in other markets is claimed to be not very different either. 
The process to appoint the new permanent CEO is underway with a Special Committee of the Board expected to announce one in the first half of 2025 calendar year, as per the report. A new Interim Executive Committee, chaired by John Elkann, will be established, the report further mentions. 
Global sales volume for the first half of this year fell 10 percent in the case of Stellantis. In the third quarter, it plunged 20 percent. 
With many loyal buyers of Dodge and Jeep vehicles keeping away as the prices have risen way beyond, sales in US have been down by 17 percent in the first nine months of the year. 

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Tier 1 supplier Uno Minda has announced an expansion into the passenger vehicle seating systems segment with a new greenfield facility in Maharashtra.

The company’s board has approved the construction of a manufacturing facility in Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar, Maharashtra, with an investment of INR 3.2 billion with operations scheduled to begin by Q4 FY2028.

The project will be managed by Uno Minda Tachi-S Seating, a joint venture between Uno Minda and TACHI-S Company of Japan. The joint venture, which began in September 2022 with the production of seat recliners, has now secured an order from an original equipment manufacturer (OEM) for seating systems.

Ravi Mehra, Managing Director, Uno Minda, said, "This is one of the most exciting chapters in Uno Minda's growth story. Entering the complete 4W Passenger Vehicle Seating Systems segment isn't just a product expansion — it's a strategic leap that substantially increases our per-vehicle value potential and deepens our footprint in a segment that is central to the premium vehicle experience. This greenfield facility reflects our unwavering commitment to advanced domestic manufacturing and delivering the kind of high-performance seating comfort that India's rapidly evolving automotive market demands.”

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Autoliv and Great Wall Motor (GWM) have signed a Global Strategic Cooperation Framework Agreement to expand their long-term partnership. The agreement follows a collaboration established in 2023 and aims to support GWM’s international expansion.

Under the framework, the companies will cooperate in areas including global business growth, supply chain management, localised operations and the development of safety systems. The partnership is intended to align innovation and product strategies.

Mikael Bratt, CEO, Autoliv, said, "Today's agreement marks an important step in our continued collaboration with Great Wall Motor. By combining GWM's international growth ambitions with Autoliv's global capabilities in automotive safety, we are strengthening the foundation for an even more integrated and resilient partnership."

Jack Wei, Chairman, Great Wall Motors, said, "Safety is the bottom line of the automotive industry. The partnership between Great Wall Motors and Autoliv began with a shared vision and a steadfast commitment to the mission of safety. Now we are strengthening our collaboration and will jointly build the industrial cornerstone of automotive safety and deliver safer Great Wall vehicles to users around the world."

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The Automotive Component Manufacturers Association of India (ACMA) has released its performance review for FY2025–26, which saw the industry record a turnover of USD 85.9 billion (INR 7,600 billion), representing a growth of 12.7% compared to the previous year. Over the past five years, the sector has grown at a CAGR of 17 percent.

The industry body stated that supplies to OEMs rose by 16.3 percent to INR 6,628 billion, while the aftermarket segment grew by 9 percent to INR 1,084 billion. Exports increased by 5 percent to USD 24 billion, with Europe remaining the primary market. Imports grew by 13 percent to USD 25.4 billion, largely due to demand for technology products and components from China, Japan and Germany. Supplies for electric vehicles accounted for 4.6 percent of domestic OEM supplies, excluding lithium-ion batteries.

Vinnie Mehta, Director General, ACMA, said, “FY26 reaffirmed the strength and resilience of India’s auto component industry. Robust domestic demand, continued investments in capacity and technology, and the confidence of global customers enabled the industry to deliver another year of healthy growth despite a challenging international environment. As global supply chains continue to diversify, India is steadily strengthening its position as a trusted manufacturing and sourcing partner for the global automotive industry. While imports of advanced technology products and specialised components increased during the year, they also underline the next opportunity before us - to deepen localisation, accelerate technology development and move further up the value chain. The industry’s long-term competitiveness will increasingly be defined by innovation, quality, sustainability and supply-chain resilience.”

Vikrampati Singhania, President, ACMA, added: “The medium- to long-term outlook for the Indian auto component industry remains positive. Growing domestic demand, infrastructure-led economic growth, expanding manufacturing investments, deeper global integration through Free Trade Agreements and increasing global sourcing from India are creating significant opportunities for the sector. At the same time, geopolitical developments, supply-chain disruptions, the availability of critical minerals such as rare earth magnets, logistics costs and raw material volatility will require continued strategic focus. The industry remains committed to investing in advanced manufacturing, localisation, digitalisation and sustainable mobility solutions to enhance India’s global competitiveness.”

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Automotive retail sales in India touched a new record for the month of June with a total of 2,557,234 units sold, up 21.83 percent YoY, as against 2,098,996 units sold for the same period last year.

As per the latest data shared by the Federation of Automobile Dealers Associations (FADA), the apex body representing automotive dealers in India, the record performance was witnessed across vehicle categories – two-wheelers, three-wheelers, passenger vehicles and commercial vehicles.

For June 2026, two-wheeler sales came at 1.82 million units, up 21.22 percent YoY, three-wheelers at 120,889 units, up 16.2 percent YoY, passenger vehicle at 410,853 units, up 26.6 percent YoY, tractors at 100,818 units, up 25.31 percent YoY and commercial vehicle at 90,972 units, up 16.8 percent YoY.

On the other hand, the construction equipment segment saw a decline of 40.94 percent YoY to 5,244 units, albeit a high base.

C S Vigneshwar, President, FADA, said, “Tractors recorded their second-best June ever. That such records have come in a seasonally transitional month underscores the structural depth of the India Growth Story and the widening aspirations of Bharat.”

He further stated that when it came to two-wheeler sales, saw a marginal MoM sequential decline due to rural demand dip on the back of late onset and uneven progress of south-west monsoon. This led to many customers opting for a ‘wait-and-watch mode’ for their purchase decisions. But on the flip side, dealers witnessed a strong demand for entry-level two-wheelers, improved supply from automakers and a decisive shift in demand for electric vehicle offerings.

“Two-wheeler electric vehicle share crossed double digits for the first time at 10.60 percent against 7.34 percent a year ago,” stated Vigneshwar.

Similarly, passenger vehicle retail sales also clocked their best performance for June, with both rural (+35.09 percent YoY) and urban markets (+24.67 percent YoY) witnessing strong demand. Share of alternative energy vehicles (CNG, hybrid and electric) crossed 40 percent share for the first time at 40.35 percent (CNG 24.33 percent, hybrid 8.27 percent and EV 7.75 percent).

“On the channel side, PV inventory increased by 1 day over May-end to 32–34 days, moving further from FADA’s recommended 21-day benchmark. We once again urge PV OEMs to calibrate dispatches to retail through the monsoon-soft July window so that dealer capital is not locked in aged stock,” said the executive.

Going forward, FADA has maintained a constructive outlook with all eyes on the onset of monsoon making up its deficit with kharif sowing gathering pace and supplies staying normalised following the West Asia ceasefire and easing crude prices.

Vigneshwar said, “For the two-wheeler segment, improving rural cashflows once rainfall catches up and the accelerating shift towards EV and fuel-efficient models should provide support, though deficient-rainfall pockets and the July OEM price hikes may keep some buyers in wait-and-watch mode. Passenger Vehicles enter the month with healthy booking pipelines, particularly in EVs and CNG, and fresh launches, while Commercial Vehicles should stay steady on freight and infrastructure-linked activity. The trajectory of the monsoon remains the single most important variable for rural demand, alongside price-hike absorption and financing turnaround times. Overall, the outlook for July’26 appears Cautiously Optimistic – with monsoon catch-up and rural cashflows the key swing factors ahead of the festive season.”

For Q2 FY2026, FADA expects continued sales momentum through the festive season. But dealers have identified a monsoon shortfall / El Niño could impact rural demand as the single biggest risk, followed by further price hikes affecting affordability and inventory pile-up pressure.

FADA expects that easing geopolitical and fuel-price uncertainty and broad policy continuity will provide a supportive runway into the festive quarter, with the monsoon the key monitorable for Bharat.

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