Tresor Attempto Racing scored a class victory in the highly acclaimed edition of the Spa 24 Hours to mark its 100th anniversary. The team deployed the Audi R8 LMS in GT3 and GT4 versions to do so. 

An event that would revoke the memories of the Spa 24 Hours that was held for the first time exactly 100 years ago, the Audi customer racing team – Tresor Attempto Racing – put in a convincing performance in the Bronze Cup, the second strongest class with 20 participants in a field of 66 GT3 sports cars. Max Hofer, Andrey Mukovoz, Aleksei Nesov and Dylan Pereira fought a close battle with their pursuers right to the end. As class winners and tenth in the overall standings, the four private drivers were also the best of eight Audi R8 LMS driver line-ups. 

Saintéloc Racing, another Audi customer team, also contributed a class podium result with second place in the Gold Cup of Paul Evrard, Gilles Magnus, Jim Pla and Hugo de Wilde. Stefan Wieninger put in a faultless performance at the second ADAC Racing Weekend at the Nürburgring.

Attracting 99,500 spectators on the last weekend in June 2024, the event saw the ‘privateer’ driver Wieninger from Land-Motorsport drive behind fellow Audi driver Martin Zander in the first sprint in the Spezial Tourenwagen Trophy in the Audi R8 LMS. This was in the initial laps until he decided and successfully overtook Zander from the ‘équipe vitesse’ team and won by 7.5 seconds after 24 laps.

In the second race, Wieninger even built up a 12.4-second lead over the Porsche of his closest rival. Berthold Gruhn won Class 2a in both races in his Audi R8 LMS. The GTC Race series also held its second competition at this event. In the second sprint, Land-Motorsport finished third with Ivan Peklin. The Audi customer team Stradale Motorsport remained undefeated in South Africa. At the fifth event of the Extreme Supercars Driven by Dunlop racing series, South African Arnold Neveling won all three sprints on the Aldo Scribante circuit in his Audi R8 LMS. Andy Deng maintained his lead in the GT Sprint Challenge standings in China. At the second event, the driver from the Winhere Racing by HAR team won the second race on Sunday. He celebrated this success after a tactically clever drive, as he delayed the pit stop for a long time.

Due to a handicap stipulated in the regulations, he had to make the longest mandatory pit stop of all the competitors at 95 seconds. In his victory on the Ningbo circuit, he left Li Dongsheng and Li Donghui behind in another Audi R8 LMS. This driver duo had already achieved second place the day before with the Climax Racing team. Another Audi customer team, Zhou Tianji and Lin Weixong from Team Azure Lane by ‘HEHEHE’ Racing, finished third in the first race.

Audi R8 LMS GT4

In a promising position, Robert Consani and Benjamin Lariche improved to second place in the Silver Cup standings at the halfway point of the GT4 European Series powered by Rafa Racing Club season. At the third event at Spa, the Audi R8 LMS of the Speedcar team led the 55-strong field after the first pit stop, but Consani was beaten by 3.8 seconds at the end of the one-hour race. After three of six events, Consani and Lariche moved up one position in the Silver classification and are now the second-best of 21 driver pairings. Jürgen Hemker collected three trophies at the ADAC Racing Weekend at the Nürburgring. The private driver from the Konrad Motorsport team drove the Audi R8 LMS GT4 to third place in his class in the first race of the Spezial Tourenwagen Trophy. In the DMV Super Touring and GT Cup as part of the same event platform, Hemker won his class in the first race and was second in the second race. At the second race weekend of the P9 Challenge at the Lausitzring, the Audi R8 LMS GT4 achieved two double victories in its category. Sophie Hofmann won Class 2 for Seyffarth Motorsport ahead of the driver duo Bernd Schaible and Tobias Erdmann. In China, Team Harmony Racing took two second places in the GT Sprint Challenge in the GT4 category. Bao Junbin and David Chen secured these results in the Audi R8 LMS GT4 at the second event on the Ningbo circuit. Harry He from the Madness Racing Team completed the second result with third place in another Audi.

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Mumbai-headquartered automotive major Mahindra & Mahindra has unveiled its first global pick up christened Lifestyler, which will be launched in India as the Mahindra Scorpio Lifestyler. The vehicle will go on sale by April 2027 with prices starting below INR 1.97 million ex-showroom. 

First shown as a concept in Cape Town, South Africa, in August 2023, the pickup was designed at the Mahindra India Design Studio in Mumbai and developed at Mahindra Research Valley in Chennai. It is built on Mahindra’s next-generation body-on-frame architecture and is intended for both payload and lifestyle use. The company claims to have around 267 patents in terms of innovation for the Lifestyler.

Dr Velusamy R, President, Automotive Business, Mahindra & Mahindra, said, “From the outset, our vision was to create a world-class global pickup that raises the bar for the segment while remaining true to Mahindra's strengths in authentic capability and value. The Scorpio Lifestyler is a testament to the strong product development capabilities at Mahindra Research Valley (MRV). Built on our advanced next-generation body-on-frame architecture, it has been engineered to deliver the capability, durability, safety and refinement demanded by customers around the world.”

Pratap Bose, Chief Design and Creative Officer, Mahindra & Mahindra, said, “The Scorpio Lifestyler is inspired by how our customers work, play and explore. Combining bold exterior design, plush interiors and SUV-like comfort with unmistakable Mahindra toughness, it brings style and refinement to every journey. This philosophy is reflected in the three editions showcased today: Valley celebrates purposeful refinement, Reef embodies freedom and exploration, and Trail captures the spirit of boundless adventure. Together, they express our vision of a pickup that celebrates individuality while remaining rooted in capability, authenticity and the freedom to explore without limits.”

Nalinikanth Gollagunta, CEO, Automotive Division, Mahindra & Mahindra, said, “The Scorpio Lifestyler represents the convergence of global engineering and evolving customer aspirations. As we prepare for its India launch, we see a growing appetite among customers for a vehicle that delivers authentic capability without compromising on technology, safety, comfort or everyday usability. We are investing in building awareness, strengthening our network and creating the right ownership experience for this category. We believe the Scorpio Lifestyler has the potential to redefine expectations and shape the future of the pickup segment in India.”

While the technical details are still under the wraps, the company showcased three editions - the Valley Edition finished in Artemis Grey, the Reef Edition uses an Aquareef finish and the Trail Edition finished in Sahara Beige.

The Mahindra Lifestyler is aimed at the midsize lifestyle pickup segment in Australia and New Zealand, South Africa, Africa, the Middle East and Latin America. It has been developed to meet requirements for capability, durability, safety, technology and everyday use across those markets.

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Tata Motors Passenger Vehicles, one of the leading automakers in the country, is charting a confident course for FY2027. The company is sees its multi-powertrain leadership, capacity flexibility and industry-outperformance ambitions to drive a strong H2 for fiscal 2027.

Shailesh Chandra, Managing Director and CEO, of Tata Motors Passenger Vehicles, struck a distinctly forward-looking tone in the company’s Q1 FY27 virtual conference, outlining a strategy built on sustained demand for alternative-energy vehicles, flexible manufacturing, product intensity and disciplined capital allocation even as the broader industry navigates inflationary and commodity headwinds.

He characterised the remainder of FY2027 as a period of continued outperformance relative to the passenger-vehicle industry. Tata Motors at 14.1 percent had already delivered growth roughly twice the industry average of 7.9 percent in FY2026 and a robust 45 percent in Q1 FY2027 as against the industry average of 25.9 percent.

The management expects this momentum to persist. Industry volumes are projected in the mid-double-digit range of 15-20 percent for the remainder of the year in some scenarios.

Tata Motors, on the other hand, is targeting sustained growth even if overall industry expansion moderates to single digits in the second half because of a high base effect from strong H2 FY2026 demand.

Inventory levels are meaningfully lower than a year earlier, creating scope for healthier retail offtake. Q2 is expected to be more challenging for the industry as a whole due to cost pressures, with the second half potentially tighter still for conventional passenger vehicles.

Chandra, however, intends to defend and expand market share through timely product refreshes, facelifts and new nameplates across both ICE and electric portfolios, while prioritising supply-side capacity increases. Waiting periods across the Tata Motors range currently stand at 4-6 weeks, reflecting healthy demand.

Hatchbacks continue to contribute around 15-20 percent of the mix, while SUVs remain the structural growth engine. Export plans include opening a significant new market next year, with a dual focus on ICE and EV products; recent export growth has been driven primarily by South Africa.

Alternative Energy Mix

The shift toward alternative powertrains is central to Chandra’s vision. Industry EV penetration has reached approximately 8 percent – the highest among passenger-vehicle markets – and is expected to climb toward 10 percent by end-FY2027.

Tata Motors’ own EV share of its portfolio has risen from around 38 percent and is targeted at upwards of 40 percent (for the remainder of the year), supported by strong customer acceptance. EV demand has jumped sharply (management noted a 3-4 times increase relative to February levels for the company), but supply remains the binding constraint rather than underlying demand. Chandra revealed that the strong demand for EVs versus supply-side constraints has led to waiting periods for EVs of around 4-6 weeks.

CNG demand is robust: industry CNG share stands near 22 percent, while Tata Motors’ mix is higher at around 27 percent. The outlook remains positive as the CNG station network expands from roughly 8,500 to 15,000-16,000 stations in the coming year. CAFÉ norms (particularly CAFÉ 3 and CAFÉ 4) will further accelerate the push toward alternative-energy vehicles; for OEMs with credible EV offerings, electrification is the most powerful compliance lever.

Sharing his perspective on hybrid technology, Chandra stated that its share in the overall PV segment has stabilised at a modest 2-2.5 percent share. Tata Motors remains ready to introduce hybrids if market conditions warrant, but current emphasis is clearly on CNG and pure electric.

In Q1 the combined CNG-plus-electric mix rose from 19-21 percent to 24 percent. Management is optimistic that EV volumes for the company could grow 70 percent in FY2027, even allowing for some high-base effects in the second half, with overall company growth of 10-15 percent still feasible.

Capacity, Cost Pressures and Capital Plans

For Tata Motors internal EV capacity is not a bottleneck since production systems are fungible and flexible; capacity has already been stepped up from 9,000 to 13,000-14,000 units and reached more than 15,000 units last month, with further increases planned.

Responding to lower-than-anticipated sales for the popular Sierra SUV, the company attributed the temporary production impact to constraints from casting and sheet-metal suppliers plus a five-day production loss at the Sanand plant due to heavy rains, but corrective actions are under way.

Profitability in the recent period was pressured primarily by commodity-price inflation (approximately 4-4.5 percent impact) plus roughly 1 percent from other factors. Cost-reduction initiatives have partially offset these headwinds; in a normalised quarter, margins would have expanded more significantly. Certain PLI benefits were deferred because of new-product launches but will be reapplied in due course.

However, it is important to note that Chandra has emphasised that CAPEX plans remain unchanged at around 6-8 percent of revenue, which will continue to be directed toward new products, technologies and capacity expansion. Management sees no need to revise the programme despite margin pressure.

On the E20 contamination issue raised in the market, Tata Motors has not experienced customer reports and was not among the OEMs that submitted data on the matter.

Jaguar Land Rover Perspective

Richard Molyneux, CFO of JLR, noted that the luxury brand is a truly global business with only a small percentage of sales in India. China remains challenging, production of legacy products (including Jaguar) has been wound down, and a fire plus broader global slowdown affected Range Rover output. Q1 is seasonally soft for JLR, but the team is optimistic about sequential improvement. India is viewed as a significant growth market going forward, supported by existing domestic assembly and imports, with plans to expand the brand’s presence rapidly.

Chandra’s message is one of controlled confidence. Tata Motors Passenger Vehicles enters the balance of FY2027 with lower inventories, a flexible multi-powertrain portfolio that is already capturing rising CNG and EV demand, fungible capacity that can scale with the market, and an intact investment programme focused on product and technology. While the industry faces near-term cost and base-effect challenges, the company’s leadership in alternative energy, combined with ongoing product intensity and supply-side focus, positions it to continue outgrowing the market and to deepen its role in India’s evolving mobility landscape.

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Tata Motors Passenger Vehicles (TMPVL) has published its consolidated financial results for the Q1 FY2027.

The company’s consolidated revenue came at INR 957 billion, representing a 9.3 percent YoY increase, consolidated profit before tax, before exceptional items, stood at INR 16.06 billion, while profit after tax was INR 9 billion, a significant drop of 80 percent YoY.

Earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation, and amortisation (EBITDA) margin came at 7.4 percent, down 130 basis points YoY. Free cash flow for the quarter was negative INR 118 billion on the back of working capital requirements, resulting in a net debt position of INR 422 billion.

Jaguar Land Rover (JLR) reported revenues of GBP 6 billion, a decline of 9.6 percent YoY, with wholesale volumes falling 9.2 percent. JLR's performance was affected by component supply constraints following a supplier fire, Middle East market disruptions and the planned phase-out of outgoing Jaguar models.

Profit before tax, before exceptional items, for JLR decreased by 68.9 percent to GBP 109 million, while profit after tax stood at GBP 66 million. Adjusted EBIT margin fell to 2.8 percent from 4 percent in the prior year, influenced by higher variable marketing expenses, which rose from 4.1 percent to 7.1 percent. Range Rover, Range Rover Sport and Defender models comprised 80.8 percent of JLR's volume mix. Total liquidity for JLR stood at GBP 5.9 billion at the end of the quarter.

In the domestic market, Tata Passenger Vehicles business generated revenue of INR 179.3 billion, representing a 64.8 percent YoY increase. Volume growth for the domestic division reached 46 percent, while electric vehicle volumes grew 112 percent YoY to over 34,000 units. EBITDA margin for the domestic unit stood at 4.3 percent, an increase of 30 basis points, while EBIT margin reached negative 0.5 percent, an improvement of 230 basis points. The domestic operation achieved breakeven profit before tax, supported by a 14.3 percent overall market share and a 39 percent share in the electric vehicle segment.

Dhiman Gupta, Chief Financial Officer, Tata Motors Passenger Vehicles, said, “Q1 FY27 was a quarter where we focused on carrying forward the growth momentum in the domestic business and preparing for an important transition year at JLR. Some of the challenges of FY26 i.e. supply constraints and elevated commodities / FX continued to impact performance in Q1 FY27. We delivered a resilient quarter and are confident to drive growth through new launches, debottleneck supply constraints, and take focused actions to deliver margin improvements.”

PB Balaji, Chief Executive Officer, Jaguar Land Rover, said, "JLR delivered first quarter profits of £109m and an adjusted EBIT margin of 2.8%. Despite the near-term industry challenges, we continue to see strong demand for our brands and look forward to the launch of four sensational new products in the coming months: Range Rover Electric, Range Rover Sport Electric, Range Rover GT and Jaguar Type 01. I would like to thank all our people, suppliers and retail partners for their continued dedication, resilience and support.”

Shailesh Chandra, Managing Director & CEO, Tata Motors Passenger Vehicles, added, “Q1 FY27 marked a strong start to the year for Tata Motors PV, with industry-beating 46 percent YoY volume growth driven by robust customer demand and the success of our recent launches. Our leadership in electric mobility strengthened further, with record quarterly EV volumes of over 34,000 units and 112 percent YoY growth. The new avatars of Tiago and Punch have received a strong response, with robust bookings across powertrains, reinforcing the strength of our multi-powertrain strategy. We are encouraged by the growing adoption of EVs across segments and the rapid mainstreaming of electric mobility in India. While supply constraints affected Sierra volumes during the quarter, customer interest remains strong and the Sierra.ev has seen a positive response. In Q1 FY27 we delivered a resilient financial performance while being impacted on account of elevated levels of commodity and forex. Supported by a strong order book, exciting product pipeline, sustained demand, and focused margin improvement initiatives, we remain confident of maintaining growth momentum and delivering sequential improvement through the rest of the year.”

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JSW MG Motor India has released a teaser for its upcoming 7-seater electric SUV, which will serve as the first vehicle built on the company’s ADAPT platform.

The e-SUV draws design inspiration from a World War II fighter aircraft.

JSW MG Motor India has opened pre-reservations for the vehicle via its website for an amount of INR 21,000. The vehicle is scheduled to make its debut in India on 26 August 2026.

The teaser image shows design elements of the front and profile while keeping the full vehicle form concealed. The addition of the seven-seater model expands JSW MG Motor India's existing portfolio of new energy vehicles in the market. Further technical specifications and product details will be disclosed closer to the unveiling.

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