AUTOMOBILES

Musk-owned auto giant Tesla has reportedly received approval to launch three more electric vehicles in India, according to media reports. With the recent approvals, the electric vehicle company will be launching as many as 7 vehicles, however, the company has not issued any official statement on the timeline yet.

BMW iX intends to compete with luxury automaker's latest launches including Audi e-Tron, Mercedes-Benz EQC, and Porsche Taycan as the luxury electric car market in India witnessed a growth. The SUV will be available in two variants - xDrive 40 and xDrive 50.

According to the auto-tech website Electrek, a YouTuber does drone flyovers of Tesla's Fremont factory and spotted the new Cybertruck prototype on the test track behind the plant. They managed to capture 10 minutes of footage of the automaker testing the new electric pickup truck, the report said. The prototype appears to be brand new with some tape holding some of the trims and cables together.

The company will line up six battery-run electric vehicles during the period, it said on Wednesday. "Catering to the diversity of the Indian market, Hyundai's line-up of six 'Battery Electric Vehicles' will cater to multiple segments including mass market and mass premium segments in India," the automaker said. Besides, the company plans to invest approximately Rs 4,000 crore for R&D (Research & Development) towards the expansion of six electric vehicles line-up till 2028.

The carmaker had announced this business model in June this year, and subsequently, launched it in October, post the successful beta testing. Through the model, the company seeks to directly sell cars to the end users. "With this overwhelming start to 'Retail of the Future', Mercedes-Benz reiterates the culture of competing for the best customer experience and creates a new example in the luxury retail landscape," Mercedes-Benz India Managing Director and CEO Martin Schwenk said.

Tesla in 2021 was busy testing Model 3 at several locations, but concrete steps are yet to be taken to finally roll out the most coveted electric car for its fans in India. Last month, Union Minister for Road Transport and Highways, Nitin Gadkari, informed that Tesla car would cost about Rs 35 lakh in India. "However, this will materialise if Tesla commits to start manufacturing in India," he added.

"To offset rising input and operational costs, a price correction is necessary," Audi India head Balbir Singh Dhillon said in a statement. "The new price range of our select vehicles will ensure the brand's premium price positioning thereby assuring sustainable growth both for the brand and our dealer partners." In 2021, Audi India launched nine new products including five all-electric cars.

The majority of revenue from vehicle automation and ADAS sensors will come from CMOS image sensors (cameras used for image recognition), which will remain more cost-effective than LiDAR (light detection and ranging) in many situations in the short term.

The recent surge of the Saudi-backed EV company comes after its CEO Peter Rawlinson said that he believes there is a long runway for the electric vehicle startup's stock and market value to rise beyond legacy automakers and to eventually be valued more like industry leader Tesla.

"Driving sustainability in our production and operations has been a key focus for DICV since our inception. Our efforts so far have already helped us reach 72 per cent CO2 neutrality in our plant, and we plan to push this to 100 per cent by 2025. We will work continuously towards a sustainable future for our stakeholders and society as a whole," Satyakam Arya, CEO and MD said.