One year after the car and sports plans were unveiled, Maserati returned to Spa-Francorchamps for round 3 of the Fanatec GT2 European Series Powered by Pirelli. 

During the qualifying round held on 29 June 2024, three Maserati GT2s achieved a magnificent one-two in Race 1. The victor was LP Racing's number 1 car, driven by Leonardo Gorini and Carlo Tamburini. He finished ahead of teammate Philippe Prette, the winner in the Am class. 

In the same class, the third Maserati, the TFT Racing team's number 24 driven by Alexandre Leroy, crossed the finish line in second (fifth overall). In Race 2, the Belgian took the bottom step of the podium for the class.

At the end of qualifying for Race 1, the Maseratis took the top three places with Leroy taking his first pole position of the season. At the start, the number 24 picked up on the advantage to maintain the lead in the race but was forced to give way to the number 1 Maserati GT2 with Gorini at the wheel, who made his way to the front of the pack after a few laps. 

Passing the baton to Tamburini, the latter then made a mistake at Les Combes, giving his teammate Philippe Prette the opportunity to catch up significantly, although he kept the lead. Tamburini was the first to the chequered flag, with Prette finishing 2.8 seconds behind, confirming the Maserati one-two and his third win of the year in the Am class. Leroy remained in the battle for the overall podium all throughout, but then dropped to fifth to take second in the Am class.

In the second 50-minute race held on Saturday morning, Prette was forced to pit in the early laps due to a puncture, compromising the rest of the race. After a good start, Tamburini found himself in fourth, but after about 20 minutes he slipped to eighth after contact with an opponent. At the end of the mandatory pit window, Gorini – who took over from Tamburini – began to make up for falling behind but was unfortunately forced to pit again due to a puncture; he ended up finishing tenth. Leroy, with a steady pace throughout the race, finished sixth overall and third in the Am class.

The next event, round 4 of the Fanatec GT2 European Series – powered by Pirelli – is scheduled to take place in Hockenheim, Germany, from 19 to 21 July 2024.

Giovanni Sgro, Head of Maserati Corse, said, “Our winning streak with Maserati GT2 continues: I couldn't have hoped for anything better this weekend at the Spa-Francorchamps circuit, despite a bit of bad luck in Race 2. Once again, taking the first and second places in Race 1 demonstrates that we have developed an outstanding car for motorsport customers, professional racing teams and gentleman drivers. Maserati's racing vocation, recently celebrated with the two MC20 Icona and MC20 Leggenda special editions for the 20^th anniversary of the MC12's debut, both in GT1 and Stradale versions, is the common thread that binds all our cars. Starting from the MC20, via the Maserati GT2 to the MCXtrema, our brand reiterates its intent to develop cutting-edge technologies and to meet customers’ requirements, both on the road and on the track. We can’t wait to line up on the grid for the next round of the 2024 Fanatec GT2 European Series Powered by Pirelli at Hockenheim”. 

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Tata Motors Passenger Vehicles has announced it will present the Indian Women’s Cricket Team with the first lot of the soon-to-be-launched Tata Sierra SUV following their victory at the ICC Women's World Cup. The Tata Sierra is slated to be launched on 25^th November.

The company will gift the top-end model of the Sierra to each team member as part of its salute to the team’s journey and contribution to the country.

Shailesh Chandra, MD and CEO, Tata Motors Passenger Vehicles, said, “The Indian Women’s Cricket Team has made the entire nation proud with their extraordinary performance and remarkable win. Their journey stands as a true testament to determination and the power of belief, qualities that inspire every Indian. At Tata Motors Passenger Vehicles, we are privileged to present these legends with another legend, The Tata Sierra. This is our salute to their spirit and the pride they have brought to the nation – Two legends, One spirit, Infinite inspiration.”

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Maruti Suzuki India, the country’s leading passenger vehicle manufacturer, has attained a new milestone by crossing the 30-million-unit sales milestone in the domestic market.

The new benchmark was attained by the company over a course of 42 years, with the first 10 million unit sales taking 28 years and 2 months to achieve.

The 20 million unit sales took 7 years and 5 months, while the recent milestone took just 6 years and 4 months.

Interestingly, the entry-level hatchback Alto was the most preferred model in the country, with over 4.7 million units sold, followed by Wagon R with 3.4 million units and the sporty Swift with 3.2 million units.

The Brezza and Fronx SUVs also played an instrumental role in contributing to the sales milestone, being featured among the top 10 models sold in the country.

It was on 14^th December 1983, Maruti Suzuki India delivered its first model, the iconic Maruti 800, to its first customer.

Hisashi Takeuchi, Managing Director & CEO, Maruti Suzuki India, said, “When I look at the length and breadth of India and think that 3 crore customers have placed their trust in Maruti Suzuki to realise their dream of mobility, it fills me with humility and gratitude. Yet, with car penetration at approximately 33 vehicles per 1,000 people, we know our journey is far from over. We will continue to make every possible effort to bring the joy of mobility to as many people as we can, while also be an asset to both the economy and the environment at the same time.”

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American electric vehicle maker Tesla has appointed Sharad Agarwal, former Chief Business Officer of Classic Legends, as its new business head, according to a report by Bloomberg.

The report further stated that Agarwal joined the EV maker a week ago and is tasked to drive sales for Tesla in India, which as per industry observers, has not performed as per the company’s expectations.

Agarwal, an automotive industry veteran, had begun his career with TVS Motor Co as Area Sales Manager in December 2002, before joining Mahindra First Choice Wheels as its Business Head for North and Eastern region in March 2007.

It was in January 2013, he moved to Audi India as the head of Sales, before taking over as the head of Lamborghini India in April 2016, where he spent almost 9 years, before joining Classic Legends.

During his tenure at Lamborghini, the Italian super luxury car maker saw its dealerships across India achieved a Return on Sales (RoS) of more than 10 percent, setting a new benchmark for the automotive business in the country. He also grew India’s ranking for the automaker as the third market globally in terms of PR visibility in 2021.

He also expanded Lamborghini India’s reach to over 60 cities, with sales volumes from Tier 2 and Tier 3 cities contributing more than 25 percent of the total.

Tesla, which formally started deliveries in September 2025 with its first dealership in Mumbai and the second facility in Delhi, has till date delivered 114 vehicles, of the estimated 600-plus bookings.

File photo for representational purposes only.

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Mumbai-headquartered business conglomerate Mahindra & Mahindra has announced its financial results for Q2 FY2026 with consolidated Revenue reaching INR 461 billion, marking a 22 percent YoY growth.

The consolidated Profit After Tax (PAT) stood at INR 36 billion, a 16 percent increase YoY. The company stated that, excluding specific one-time impacts, PAT growth was 28 percent YoY.

Mahindra’s Auto business reported sales of 262,000 vehicles, up 13 percent, which includes around 146,000 SUV sales. This translated to a revenue of INR 271 billion, up 25 percent YoY, while net profit came at INR 15 billion, up 8 percent YoY.

On the other hand, the farm sector reported its highest ever Q2 market share at 43 percent with sales of 123,000 units, up 32 percent YoY. The revenue came at INR 102 billion, up 25 percent, while consolidated net profit came at INR 11 billion, up 45 percent YoY.

Dr. Anish Shah, Group CEO & Managing Director, Mahindra & Mahindra, said, “We are pleased with the strong execution and solid performance delivered across the group in Q2 FY2026. Auto and Farm sustained their leadership with consistent gains in market share and profitability. TechM is progressing well on its transformation journey. MMFSL achieved a 45 percent PAT growth and remains committed to quality growth and digital transformation. Our Growth Gems are steadily advancing towards their ambitious goals, reinforcing our long-term value creation potential.”

Rajesh Jejurikar, Executive Director & CEO (Auto and Farm Sector), Mahindra & Mahindra, said, “Strong performance of our Auto and Farm businesses continues in Q2 FY2026 reinforcing our leadership position, with a gain of 390 bps YoY in SUV revenue share, and 100 bps YoY in LCV (< 3.5T) market share. In Tractors, we gained 50 bps YoY to reach 43 percent market share. Our Auto Standalone PBIT margin (excl. e-SUV Contract Mfg.) improved by 80 bps to 10.3 percent and core Tractor PBIT margins improved by 190 bps to 20.6 percent.”

Amarjyoti Barua, Group Chief Financial Officer, Mahindra & Mahindra, “Our solid Q2 consolidated results reflects the strength of our diversified portfolio. We continue to deliver on our strategic priorities. We had strong cash generation in the first half, delivering over INR 100 billion of operating cash flow. We remain committed to sustainable growth and value creation.”

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