From watches and sunglasses to trekking/fitness bicycles, online shoppers seem ready to loosen purse strings.

Cars and two-wheelers attract 28% GST and a cess in the range of 3-22%, taking the effective tax rate to up to 50%.

Mahindra Holidays & Resorts plans to have close to 5,300 rooms in the next 3- 4 years from the current 3,700 rooms.

Good sowing of kharif crops, better minimum support prices, and fewer Covid-19 cases (in villages) will help the rural growth story to continue, says Maruti.

With the Thar, M&M has come full circle. In a market where every other vehicle has an SUV tag, the company plans to stick to its core competence of making rugged, true-blue, all-terrain SUVs, and marks a fresh beginning for the 75-year-old firm that enjoyed an indomitable position in the SUV segment till 2012, reports Shally Seth Mohile.

Pandemic-hit auto majors are likely to set aside these time-tested strategies for now, and, instead, focus on attractive finance schemes and an enhanced digital experience.

Hotels are also relying on couples who had earlier planned destination weddings but are now considering options within the country.

Consolidation has begun, due to which some are trying to trim the business and others are seeking an exit. The situation would worsen after August 31.

With entry-level cars being preferred amid the pandemic, market leader Maruti Suzuki has strengthened its hold, along with Hyundai Motor India.

Close to 50 models were launched in India in the past 12 months, but companies have not been able to realise their potential due to the pandemic.

With demand drying up, hotels are surviving on quarantine centres and isolation facilities.

The Pune-based company sells the Platina and CT brands in the entry-level - 100-110cc - segment.

'We haven't flattened the infection curve, we may have merely smoothened it temporarily.'

Caught in the crossfire of Sino-India border skirmishes and strained by the severe impact of the pandemic on its business, Brand Hector is foregoing the bustle and frenzy for a quiet digital campaign that talks about its British roots, the smart tech powering its drive and its made-for-India models. The tone is subdued and the brand seems to be deliberately playing down its ownership by Chinese company, SAIC.

The pre-owned vehicles arm of the Mahindra Group plans to add 30 outlets in a few days taking the total number to 1,000.

This will have an impact on inflation as everyone in the value chain passes on the costs.

Several carmakers, including car market leader Maruti Suzuki India pulled the plug on diesel models citing higher costs for BSVI variants leaving buyers with limited options.

A knee-jerk reaction, they said, could be detrimental to the fortunes of an industry that is highly dependent on the country given the huge competitive advantage it offers, in terms of cost and speed.

To be able to tide over the current crisis, automobile manufacturers have waged a war against all cost heads.

After the easing of lockdown in mid-May, auto companies were able to resume production in a phased manner, but the ramp-up was slow due to a broken supply chain, and lockdown-induced restrictions.