Rs 100 pEssentialro readingfe fors thes Automotiveion industryal Vol. 17 No. 5 Total pages: 48 15 February 2021 www.autocarpro.in BRAND FINDER INDUSTRY ACMA .............................. 14 Ampere Vehicles ..............7 Ashok Leyland ............... 14 Ather Energy ...................7 Daimler’s big divide and Bajaj Auto ...................... 25 Benelli India ................... 12 Bgauss ..............................7 the road ahead for India Bharat Benz .................. 30 Ceat Tyres ........................7 Cooper Corporation ...... 24 Daimler .......................... 28 Daimler India CV ........... 30 Earth Energy EV ........... 42 Gemopai ...........................7 GWM India ........................5 Hero Electric ....................7 Hyundai Motor India ..6, 14 JBM Group ................... 32 Maruti Suzuki India ..10, 14 Mercedes-Benz ............. 28 MG Motor India ................6 Nissan Motor India ..........3 Okinawa Autotech ...........7 Pure EV ............................7 QuantumScape ............. 36 REE Automotive ........... 40 Renault ........................... 31 Renault India .................. 21 Revolt Motor ....................7 With Daimler planning to spin off its truck business and create a new Mercedes-Benz SKF India ..........................6 Skoda Auto India ..............9 identity for cars, there will be new challenges and opportunities to reckon with. The Stellantis ........................ 31 move could also have some interesting implications for the India market Page 28 Suzuki Motor Corp ...........8 BUDGET 2021 INTERVIEW SPOTLIGHT Tata Motors ...............6, 30 Tata-Hitachi ................... 14 MARUTI SUZUKI INDIA Toyota ...............................8 Why PV market leader isn’t Toyota Kirloskar Motor ....9 betting on EVs yet Page 10 TVS Motor Co ...................4 Volkswagen ................8, 36 NISSAN MOTOR INDIA Zeon Charging .............. 45 The new Magnite SUV brings the buzz back Page 3 TWO- JBM GROUP WHEELERS Atmanirbharta Farrokh Cooper CVs and logistics stand to Chairman and MD of Satara-based TVS rolls out vs Protectionism gain from Budget Page 32 start-stop tech on Import duty is up on some auto Cooper Corporation on India being Jupiter scooter components. Can self-reliance go a manufacturing growth engine HERO ELECTRIC hand in hand with tariff barriers and why it’s time for a change of Tops high-speed e-two- Page 4 in a globalised world? Page 18 mindset for India Auto Inc Page 24 wheeler sales in 2020 Page 7 TECHNOLOGY QUANTUMSCAPE AIMS TO REDEFINE CHARGING WITH SOLID-STATE BATTERIES PAGE 36 February 15-2021 cover.indd 1 2/11/2021 3:51:09 PM AD.indd 16 2/11/2021 12:20:33 PM NEWS EDITORIAL Managing Editor Ajit Dalvi Executive Editor Sumantra B Barooah Special Correspondents Mayank Dhingra (New Delhi), Shahkar Abidi (Mumbai) New Magnite brings the buzz Correspondents Nilesh Wadhwa (Mumbai), Sricharan R (Chennai) Copy Editor Sumana Sarkar Assistant Art Editor Pralhad Kusuma Photographer Ardeshir Ashley Baxter Manager — Administration & Office Affairs back into Nissan showrooms G K Singh (Gurugram) By Mayank Dhingra get 5MT or 5MT alongwith Consulting Editor Murali Gopalan Nissan Motor India, which CVT as gearbox options, has little to show in terms respectively. AD SALES of passenger vehicle market The crossover also offers B2B Business Head Sudhanva Jategaonkar Senior Manager – Brand Partnerships share, has reasons for cheer segment-first features such (Pune & Rest of Maharashtra) Pratik Soni with its latest offering in as a 360-degree camera, Brand Partnerships (Mumbai) Rohan Doshi the compact SUV space — wireless Apple CarPlay Regional Manager (North) Brand Partnerships Harsh Verma Nissan Magnite — drawing and Android Auto and CVT Manager-Brand Partnerships (South) huge consumer interest. transmission. While Nissan Pramodh R The budget-friendly Motor India is witnessing Advertising Coordinator Sonal Jain crossover, which undercuts a revival with the Magnite, Senior Manager — Marketing Avinash Bhakre Production Manager Prasad Gangurde rivals by as much as it is soon to find in-house General Manager — Circulation Rs 190,000, ex-showroom, competition with alliance Gilbert D'Souza is seeing customers partner Renault all set Head — Circulation (South — Chennai) P Vijayakumar (Cell: 94442 88134) queuing for this make- to introduce its Renault Regional Manager — Circulation (North) or-break model for the The carmaker plans to ramp up production and employ 1,000 Kiger crossover, based on Vimal Sharma Japanese carmaker in additional workforce to bring down the wait time to 2-3 months. the same platform as the Manager — Subscription Ganesh Jadhav Customer Care India, which currently has Magnite, and aiming to take [email protected] a minuscule 0.37 percent the price war to the next PV market share and 0.26 level. CONTACT US percent UV market share. The competitive compact Mumbai: Raheja Xion, 4th/5th floor, Opposite Nirmal Park, Dr B Ambedkar Marg, Byculla East, Nissan Motor India SUV segment is headed for Mumbai 400 027 Tel: 022-23787500 is understood to have an exciting time in 2021. e-mail: [email protected] despatched 4,527 units of How well the Magnite, Bangalore: No. 811, ‘A’ Wing, 8th Floor, Mittal Tower, M G Road, Bangalore 560001 the Magnite in January, with Nissan India's limited Tel: 080-40954311 registering a 220 percent retail infrastructure and year-on-year uptick in concerning aftersales News-Stand Price: Rs 100 sales volumes compared support, fares against Subscription Rates 1 year — Rs 1,680/- , 2 years — Rs 2,880/- , 3 years — Rs 3,600/- (plus to 1,413 units sold in the many rivals in the long run, Rs 35 for cheques not drawn on a Mumbai bank). same month last year. In remains to be seen. But for Cheques to be drawn in favour of December 2020, it had now, the Magnite is drawing 'Haymarket SAC Publishing India Pvt Ltd '. International Subscription Rate despatched 560 Magnites car buyers like a magnet. US$80 for one year and also exported five The publisher makes every effort to ensure units. A total of 1,974 Nissan Motor India is understood to have despatched 4,527 units that the magazine's contents are correct. Magnites were produced in in January, registering a 220 percent YoY uptick in sales volumes. MAGNITE IMPACT However, he can accept no responsibility for l Budget-friendly crossover, any effects from errors or omissions. December 2020. Unsolicited material — including photographs The Magnite is a value- 150-odd touch-points At the time, the carmaker which undercuts rivals by and transparencies — is used in Autocar for-money offering in the across the country for the announced plans to as much as Rs 190,000, Professional, but it is submitted entirely at B-SUV segment wherein compact crossover. Seeing ramp up production at its ex-showroom, is a make- the owner's risk and the publisher accepts no responsibility for its loss or damage. All material it squares off against the the momentum build-up, 480,000 units-per-annum or-break model for Nissan published in Autocar Professional is copyright likes of the segment leader the company has refrained plant in Chennai and also in India. and unauthorised reproduction is forbidden. Maruti Suzuki Vitara from implementing a price employ an additional 1,000 l Two engine options — a Printed and published by Hormazd Sorabjee Brezza, and good sellers hike to the introductory workforce to bring down 1.0L 72bhp petrol and a 1.0L on behalf of Haymarket SAC Publishing (India) Pvt Ltd, Raheja Xion, 4th/5th floor, Opposite such as the Hyundai Venue, price of the car, in order to the wait times to up to two 100bhp, turbocharged petrol. Nirmal Park, Dr B Ambedkar Marg, Byculla East, Ford EcoSport and the hot- gain more customers in a to three months. l Magnite has segment- Mumbai 400 027 selling Kia Sonet. highly-competitive market. The Magnite, which first features such as a Printed at Indigo Press ( India ) Pvt Ltd, Plot No. 1, Nissan’s value card can On January 4, just a comes priced between 360-degree camera, wireless C/7 16, Off Dadoji Konddeo Cross Road, between Sussex and Retiwala Industrial Estate, Byculla be understood to have done month after its market Rs 549,000 and Rs Apple CarPlay and Android (East), Mumbai 400 027 the trick for the Magnite’s launch, Nissan Motor India 959,000, ex-showroom, Auto and CVT transmission. Published at Haymarket SAC Publishing (India) growing popularity, which had claimed receiving has two engine options — a l Nissan plans to ramp up Pvt Ltd, Raheja Xion, 4th/5th floor, Opposite is drawing customers up to 33,000 bookings of 1.0-litre 72bhp naturally- production at its Chennai Nirmal Park, Dr B Ambedkar Marg, Byculla East, Mumbai 400 027 especially first-time buyers the Magnite, with waiting aspirated petrol and a 1.0- plant to bring down the Editor: Hormazd Sorabjee and those on a budget, periods rising as high as litre 100bhp, turbocharged sizeable waiting period. CIN: U22120MH1998PTC116780 flocking to the carmaker’s four months in some cities. petrol. The engines either This magazine contains 48 pages including both covers. Autocar Professional Editorial Tel: 022-23787500 or Email: [email protected] Advertising Tel: 022-23787552 or Email: [email protected] Subscriptions Tel: 022-23787592 / 93 or Email: [email protected] PB Autocar Professional 15 February 2021 www.autocarpro.in www.autocarpro.in 15 February 2021 Autocar Professional 3 News AD - Feb 10.indd 3 2/11/2021 12:41:52 PM NEWS. EFD Induction Worldwide