As the curtain come down on 2022, Roshmila Bhattacharya flashbacks to some of the year's news-makers and events.
Billionaire Mukesh Ambani's Reliance Jio is India's strongest telecom brand in India, ahead of Bharti Airtel and Vodafone Idea Ltd, according to brand intelligence and data insights company TRA. TRA, formerly Trust Research Advisory, in its 'India's Most Desired Brands 2022' ranked companies according to their brand strength. Reliance Jio topped the telecom category, followed by Bharti Airtel, Vodafone Idea Ltd and BSNL.
Two years after it hitched a ride with Hero MotoCorp (Hero), Harley-Davidson (Harley) and the Pawan Munjal-led firm are gearing up to ride into the middleweight (midweight) motorcycle segment (350-850cc) in the world's largest two-wheeler market.
Test cricketers from England and South Africa paid tributes to Queen Elizabeth II as they wore black armbands and observed a minute's silence ahead of start of Day 3 of the third and final Test match at The Oval in London.
The world of sport reacted to the death of Queen Elizabeth on Thursday with a raft of cancellations across cricket, golf, rugby and cycling, while others paid tribute by holding a minute's silence.
Formula One will have a new power unit from 2026 with the focus on sustainability and a more cost-efficient future.
Prithvi, who turns 22 on November 9, bought the BMW 630i M Sport car, which costs around Rs 68 lakh (Rs 6.8 million).
'The global semiconductor shortage has inadvertently provided an immense fillip to the pre-owned car market'
Soccer's top flight Premier League and the English Football League (EFL) had already announced they were postponing their next round of fixtures.
Passenger vehicle dispatches to dealers in India rose over two-fold last month on a low base of Covid-19-hit May last year. As per the Society of Indian Automobile Manufacturers (SIAM), passenger vehicle wholesales rose to 2,51,052 units last month as compared to 88,045 units in May 2021. The two-wheeler sales rose to 12,53,187 units in May as compared to 354,824 units in the year-ago period.
It has get-up-and-go and is possessed of immense agility, observes Pavan Lall.
The probe agency sought to intervene in a plea of Chandrashekhar, who is lodged in Tihar jail on charges of money laundering and duping several people, and his wife seeking their transfer to a prison outside Delhi alleging threat to their lives from jail staff.
The company, which currently sells a range of vehicles from Alto to S-Cross, said it has taken the decision to hike prices due to an increase in input costs. The weighted average price rise, with effect from April 18, in ex-showroom prices (New Delhi) across models is 1.3 per cent, it added.
CURVV, currently in its production-ready avatar, will first be made available as an electric vehicle, to be followed by its internal combustion engine counterpart.
Smooth engine, plush interiors, great suspension that handle dodgy roads with ease, futuristic design elements that have little by way of competition in the market -- it's all there, says Pavan Lall.
Reliance Industries, headed by India's richest man Mukesh Ambani, has bought an ultra-luxury Rolls Royce hatchback costing Rs 13.14 crore.
Recently, world headlines buzzed with Elon Musk's announcement that he was shelving his audacious bid for social media platform Twitter. Away from the media spotlight, questions are being asked about the maverick billionaire's plans in India, too. A few days ago, a Reuters report said Musk's flagship Tesla had put on hold its plan to launch electric cars in India.
Seven years after it announced Nexa, there's no mistaking the seriousness with which Maruti wants the segment to grow, says Pavan Lall.
A Mercedes-Maybach S650 Guard was recently added to the prime minister's cavalcade by the Special Protection Group.
For those who've always wanted to drive a BMW in India, the 2 Series is easily the most fun to drive everyday car that money can buy.
"The cars cost much less than the media speculation, in fact it is about one-third of the price quoted in the media," an official source said.
Ashish Narsale/Rediff.com brings you some of the innovative cars presented at the latest edition of the Consumer Electronics Show.
Diego Maradona's fans will have a chance to snap up memorabilia from the soccer star in an auction on Sunday, just over a year after his death, which will include his iconic cigars, a pair of BMW cars and a luxury villa that Maradona bought his parents.
Uniqueness of the first-ever BMW X3 M lies in a newly developed powerful engine and sophisticated chassis technology.
And it feels entirely different when compared to all its earlier avatars, observes Pavan Lall.
Private equity (PE) is set to play a bigger role in banks. Of 21 recommendations accepted by the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) out of 31 made by its Internal Working Group (IWG), its stance on non-promoter holdings in private banks is seen with excitement, though it doesn't refer to PEs explicitly. On non-promoter holdings in these banks, the RBI said this will be capped at 10 per cent of the paid-up voting equity share capital in the case "of natural persons and non-financial institutions and entities"; and "at 15 per cent for all categories of financial institutions, entities, supranational institutions, public sector undertaking, or the government." While this is a modification of the IWG's stance for the non-promoter holding in banks at up to 15 per cent, it does open up a huge window for PEs, all the same. This is because, while the RBI has remained silent on the eligibility of industrial houses for bank licences, fresh high-quality capital in large amounts can only come from PEs.
'Some of the launches may get deferred due to the semiconductor shortage, which is unlikely to get resolved before the second half of 2022.'
Audi's strategy seems to point to pushing technology to directly connect with consumers using digital platforms and marketing to synchromesh into one seamless experience, says Pavan Lall.
While the Q5 is a light driving car that feels like you can easily fling it over and around brooks and brushes and hills and plains, it's also versatile in that its rear seat is as comfy and spacious as you'd expect, says Pavan Lall.
Every M&M car shares a certain DNA which is rugged, with an off-roading quality and built for hard wear and tear. The XUV is all those, but also has a smoother edge for those who want city comfort now offered in competitor vehicles such as the MG Hector, Hyundai Creta, Volkswagen Tiguan and Tata's Harrier, says Pavan Lall.
With cars like the Toyota Corolla and the Honda Civic selling in very small numbers and potentially even being phased out, the Octavia has very little competition, says Pavan Lall.
India's electric mobility goal, which has so far been riding on two wheels, is all set to graduate to four wheels. At least, the journey has begun. Hyundai Motor India said it would invest Rs 4,000 crore till 2028 to launch half-a-dozen electric vehicles (EVs) in India. It would eventually straddle premium and mass segments. The first of these - the electrified version of an internal combustion engine (ICE)-powered model - will go on sale as early as next year.
His transformational vision and strategic orientation played a crucial role in navigation of BMW Group India in a challenging business environment.
Zippy and comfortable, the Mini Convertible is a perfect car for short jaunts, but this isn't the ride you'd choose to take your entire family to the airport or pick for a long family excursion, says Pavan Lall.
While the rich are buying expensive luxury vehicles in Patna, the poor continue to suffer. The pandemic, discovers M I Khan, has cast new light on the stark economic divide in the capital city of Bihar, India's poorest state.
Even with an ongoing pandemic, theatres in many states functioning at 50 per cent occupancy, a quieter social life and fewer movies, Bollywood still managed to pack in plenty of drama and trauma, fun and festivity, love and war into the year.
An ardent fan of F1 driver, Max Verstappen, Yuvraj keenly follows the Scuderia Ferrari Formula1 team.
However, it has an auditory feature that throws up a soft but audible whirring sound like a spaceship while driving as well as a different tone on the outside to let bystanders know a car is on its way, says Pavan Lall.
The MG Motor India management is focused on scaling up and launching smaller cars to play the long game in the country, says Pavan Lall.
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