The Federation of Automobile Dealers Association (FADA) has released the automotive retail sales data for November, which saw a total of 3,208,719 vehicles sold across categories, marking a 11.2 percent growth over November 2023.

This saw two-wheelers clocking its best-ever performance for the month at 2,615,953 units, up 15.8 percent YoY, three-wheeler at 108,337 units, up 4.2 percent YoY, passenger vehicles sales at 321,943 units, down 13.7 percent YoY, tractors sales at 80,519 units, up 29.8 percent YoY and commercial vehicles sales at 81,967 units, down 6 percent YoY.

C S Vigneshwar, President, FADA, stated, “While November was initially expected to build on its prior momentum, particularly due to the marriage season, dealer feedback suggests that this segment underperformed overall expectations. Although rural markets offered some support, primarily in the two-wheeler category, marriage-related sales remained subdued. The late occurrence of Deepawali at the end of October also caused a spillover of festive registrations into November, affecting the month’s sales trajectory.”

He shared that while November sales in certain segments were at record high, the marriage season’s contribution fell short of expectations, offering only limited relief from rural India.

The passenger vehicles sales in particular faced notable headwinds, on the back of weak market sentiment, limited product variety and insufficient new launches, compounded by the shift of festive demand into October.

“Although rural interest was present, it failed to significantly improve sentiment.

Inventory levels have reduced by about 10 days, but to remain high at around 65-68 days. FADA continues to urge OEMs to further rationalise inventory so that the industry can enter the new year on a healthier footing, reducing the need for additional discounts,” stated Vigneshwar.

On the CV sales he explained that the segment also struggled due to restricted product choices, older model issues, limited financier support, and the absence of major festivals in November following a strong October.

“External elements such as elections, a slowdown in coal and cement industries, and weak market sentiment also weighed heavily on this category,” he said.

Going forward he expects that with the prospects of a bumper Kharif harvest is likely to temper food inflation and the broader macroeconomic environment appears will improve, potentially aiding consumer sentiment in the months ahead.

“However, the immediate December outlook derived from dealer feedback is mixed. Category-wise Expectations:

Two-wheelers: Dealers suggest that while some buyers remain hesitant—either awaiting new-year models or influenced by subdued post-festive sentiment—others could be drawn by potential year-end discounts and stable rural demand. Although momentum may not be robust, incremental schemes and easing inflation could lend mild support, placing two-wheeler on a cautiously positive footing.

Passenger vehicles: In the passenger vehicles segment, heavy discounting and improved product availability are expected to help offset weak consumer sentiment and a general year-end lull. While some customers are deferring purchases for new-year models, overall interest could pick up due to aggressive offers and end of year promotions. This sets a tone of cautious optimism, with a moderate chance of improved sales compared to November.

Commercial vehicles: The commercial vehicles category faces a more challenging environment. Factors such as subdued infrastructure activity and customers holding back for newer model-year vehicles continue to dampen demand.

“Nonetheless, selective OEM schemes and year-end offers may provide a limited lift. On balance, while the CV segment’s expectations are not uniformly positive, there is some hope that targeted incentives and stable financing conditions could prevent a sharper decline. In sum, while the near-term outlook for December is not overwhelmingly strong across segments, it leans towards stability with pockets of potential growth, underlining a sentiment that remains overall remains cautiously optimistic.

Representational image: David McBee/Pexels

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Maruti Suzuki India, the country’s largest passenger vehicle manufacturer, has commenced production at its second manufacturing plant at Kharkhoda.

With this, the company has expanded its production capacity to 2.65 million units per annum across Gurugram, Manesar and Kharkhoda in Haryana and Hansalpur in Gujarat.

The new facility can manufacture 250,000 units, which takes the total production at Kharkhoda to 500,000 units per annum combined. It will produce the company’s popular Brezza and Victoris SUVs.

The expansion is part of Maruti Suzuki India’s expansion strategy to meet customer needs, and once fully operational the Kharkhoda facility will produce a million units per annum, making it the biggest four-wheeler manufacturing location for Suzuki globally.

For FY2027, Maruti Suzuki India aims to add 500,000 units capacity.

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Tier 1 automotive supplier Uno Minda has announced that its Board of Directors has approved the establishment of a greenfield manufacturing facility in Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar, Maharashtra.

The facility, managed through its subsidiary Uno Minda Auto Innovations (UMAIPL), will focus on high-voltage electric powertrain products for four-wheeler passenger vehicles.

The plant will manufacture and assemble Electric Drive Units (EDU) and Dedicated Hybrid Transmission (DHT) systems. The expansion is supported by orders for these systems from an anchor customer. The project involves an estimated investment of INR 5.5 billion, funded through a combination of debt and equity. Capital expenditure will be phased over the next two years, with commissioning expected by Q2 FY2028.

This represents the second electric vehicle (EV) powertrain facility announced by UMAIPL, following the ongoing construction of its plant in Khed City, Pune, which is scheduled to start operations in H2 FY2027.

The expansion comes as the automotive market increases the adoption of advanced powertrains, including battery electric vehicles, hybrid electric vehicles, plug-in hybrids and range-extended electric vehicles.

Ravi Mehra, Managing Director, Uno Minda, said, "The Indian automotive landscape is undergoing a structural shift toward sustainable mobility, and Uno Minda is at the forefront of this transition. By establishing our second dedicated EV powertrain plant in Maharashtra, we are not only expanding our capacity but also advancing our product offerings with Electric Drive Unit and DHT. Our commitment remains firm: to lead the localization of high-voltage powertrain technologies in India, ensuring that our partners have access to global-standard innovation right at their doorstep."

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Hindustan Zinc, a Vedanta Group company, hosted ‘Zinnovation 2026’ in partnership with V-Spark DeepTech Ventures. The company aims to achieve INR 20 billion in value delivery through AI-driven industrial transformation. The initiative focuses on accelerating the deployment of technology across mining, smelting and manufacturing operations.

The projected value is expected to be derived from several operational areas, including productivity improvement, cost optimisation, asset reliability and energy efficiency. The transformation also targets enhanced safety, improved mineral recoveries and accelerated decision-making across the company's mines and smelters.

V-Spark intends to extend these AI use cases to the broader manufacturing sector, which currently contributes 17 percent to India’s GDP but maintains lower levels of digital integration compared to other sectors.

During the event, Hindustan Zinc and V-Spark signed several agreements to move technologies from proof-of-concept to industrial scale –

• Memoranda of Understanding (MoUs) were signed with XCMG, Sandvik, STL Digital and AVEVA.
• V-Spark entered agreements with emerging firms, including Beta Tanks Robotics, Symboticware AI, Kernely, Uncharted Technologies, Infinite Uptime, Intellisense.io and Flutura.
• Hindustan Zinc is currently working with over 50 deep-tech startups on more than 100 projects through the V-Spark platform.

Priya Agarwal Hebbar, Chairperson, Hindustan Zinc, said, “The future of manufacturing will be defined by our ability to scale with intelligence. At Hindustan Zinc, we are embedding technology directly into the core of our operations to prove that an industry traditionally defined by grit can be led by data”.

Akarsh Hebbar, Chairman, V-Spark DeepTech Ventures, added, “Zinnovation reflects our commitment to moving innovation from pilots to performance, proving that a 3x to 4x return is a highly achievable reality for deep tech AI enterprises. This is how we create globally benchmarked, future-ready operations across industries.”

The forum highlighted specific industrial applications of AI, such as predictive maintenance, digital twins, autonomous systems and computer vision. Hindustan Zinc also demonstrated its existing digital capabilities, including tele-remote operations and a winder simulator for mining. The venture-client approach utilised by the company is designed to rapidly validate and scale technologies with measurable business impact.

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California-headquartered Aptera Motors Corp., the solar mobility company specialising in ultra-efficient electric vehicles, has announced that five validation vehicles have successfully completed assembly on its new low-volume validation line.

The vehicles were manufactured at Aptera's facility in Carlsbad, using a 14-station assembly process designed to bridge the gap between prototype development and high-volume manufacturing. By running multiple units in sequence, the company is validating the assembly system's repeatability and refining technician workflows.

The 14-station line is being used to test cycle times, workstation efficiency and the precision of the manufacturing system. Each build provides real-world data to sharpen production predictability and identify improvements for future high-volume scaling. The five vehicles will now join an expanding validation fleet for a rigorous testing regime, including durability, safety verification, software integration and solar energy harvest performance.

The Aptera EV, with its around 700 watts of integrated solar cells, claims to provide up to 40 miles or 64km of range per day and a 400 miles or 640km range per full charge. It can accommodate 2 passengers plus a pet, and is targeted as a city vehicle.

Chris Anthony, Co-CEO, Aptera Motors, said, "Every vehicle we run through this line teaches us something. With five vehicles now off the line, we have a growing foundation of data, a team that is getting sharper with every build, and a process that is proving itself in real time. That is what gives us confidence as we move toward our goal of customer deliveries."

Steve Fambro, Co-CEO of Aptera Motors, added, "What we are building here is not just vehicles, but the system to build them well. Each cycle through the line improves precision, efficiency and repeatability. This is how we plan to meet our customers' expectations when they finally get their hands on their own Aptera vehicle."

With nearly 50,000 reservations, the transition to a sequenced assembly line is a vital step for Aptera. The ‘low-volume’ approach allows the engineering team to implement firmware and hardware refinements in real-time before finalising the configuration for mass production.

The milestone underscores Aptera's progress in proving that its unique three-wheeled, solar-integrated design can be manufactured consistently at scale, a critical factor for the company as it approaches its first wave of customer handovers.

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