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Tag: car

  • VinFast Preparing for Russian Sales

    VinFast Preparing for Russian Sales

    VinFast’s sedan and SUV Lux images were found in the database of the Russian Federal Service for Intellectual Property (Rospatent).

    “Clearly, the Vietnamese automobile brand with BMW’s platform is approaching really close to the Russian market,” the news site said, suggesting that VinFast’s plans to sell its products in Russia might have been some time in the making.

    According to a VinFast source, the company is in the process of completing necessary procedures to start selling cars in Russia. The source did not reveal a time frame for when it would happen.

    Right from the beginning, VinFast had aimed at making cars that meet European standards, so they could be exported, apart from being sold in the domestic market. Russia was one of the first foreign markets targeted.

    The sedan and SUV Lux are both equipped with turbocharged 2-liter 4-cylinder engines. The sedan has a 174 horsepower engine and a maximum torque of 300 Nm, while the SUV has a 228 horsepower engine with a maximum torque of 350 Nm.

    Currently, the Lux model is scheduled to reach Vietnamese customers in the third quarter of this year, following the Fadil car, which would be introduced to the domestic market in the second quarter.

    VinFast is shipping 155 of its cars to 14 countries across Asia, Europe, Africa and Australia to test them for safety and endurance against standards in those countries.

    VdinFast, the car manufacturing unit of Vietnam’s largest private conglomerate Vingroup, showed off its first two car models, a sedan and an SUV, at the Paris Motor Show in France last October just a year after the company’s incorporation, grabbing the attention of the local and international media.

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  • New Generation BMW Z4 Launched In India

    New Generation BMW Z4 Launched In India

    Having teased its new convertible weeks ago, BMW India has finally launched the much awaited new-generation Z4 Roadster in the country. Prices for the 2019 BMW Z4 Roadster start at ₹ 64.90 lakh for the sDrive20i variant, while the M40i is priced at ₹ 78.90 lakh (all prices, ex-showroom India). The all-new offering bring back the Z4 nameplate to India and has been developed in collaboration with Toyota. In fact, the new Z4 shares its engine with the all-new Toyota Supra that was revealed last year. The BMW convertible comes as a Completely Built Unit (CBU) and bookings are open at the automaker’s dealerships pan India.

    Speaking on the launch of the new Z4 Roadster, BMW Group India President (act.), Dr. Hans-Christian Baertels said, “BMW has a rich history of roadsters that have stood out as icons of pure driving pleasure. The all-new BMW Z4 Roadster is our brand-new addition to BMW’s long history of engrossing roadsters. With dynamic proportions, emotional design and thrilling sportiness, this open-top two-seater takes the classic roadster into the world of tomorrow. When the roof opens, there are no limits to driving pleasure in the all-new BMW Z4 Roadster.”

    The all-new BMW Z4 Roadster gets an evolutionary styling over the previous generation model, and is actually similar to the Z4 concept that was showcased a couple of years ago. The model gets the wide kidney grille up front that grabs all the attention, while the headlamps get the smoked finish and the LED treatment.  The bumper gets larger air intakes with the fog lamps neatly integrated in the design. The convertible rides on 18-inch or 19-inch alloys, while the rear gets wraparound LED taillights that look sharp with the gloss black finished bumper and twin exhaust tips. The new Z4 looks aggressive and certainly proper eye candy that will grab a lot of attention on the road. BMW says the new Z4 Roadster can be further spruced up visually with the Sport Line or M Sport Package on the sDrive20i that add a sportier appearance to the convertible.

    The new BMW Z4 Roadster is available in two engine variants. The Z4 sDrive20i uses a 2.0-litre four-cylinder petrol motor that churns out 194 bhp and 320 Nm of peak torque. The car accelerates from 0 -100 kmph in just 6.6 seconds. The more powerful and feature loaded Z4 M40i is powered by the 3.0-litre petrol motor tuned for 335 bhp and 500 Nm of peak torque. The M40i can sprint from 0-100 kmph in just 4.5 seconds. Both engines are paired with the 8-speed Steptronic Sport Transmission. Like all BMW models, the Z4 Roadster too gets 50:50 weight distribution for optimum drive with power sent only to the rear wheels.

    The cabin on the new Z4 Roadster is a familiar affair sharing the design with other BMW models. The massive 10.3-inch multimedia display takes prominence in the centre, while a 12.3-inch digital display replaces the conventional instrument console. The two-door also comes with two-zone climate control, electrically adjustable front seats, ambient lighting and more. The M40i also gets a 364 watt Harman Kardon system and a Head Up Display (HUD).

    On the safety front, the Z4 Roadster is loaded with pedestrian detection, emergency braking, rear collision warning, lane departure warning and cross traffic alert. The convertible also gets an auto parking feature and adaptive cruise control.

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  • Jaguar Land Rover To Use High-Grade Recycled Aluminium

    Jaguar Land Rover To Use High-Grade Recycled Aluminium

    Jaguar Land Rover is developing the next phase of its aluminium closed loop strategy with an innovative recycling initiative to transform the vehicles of today into the cars of tomorrow. It’s called the ‘Reality’ project and it aims to recover aluminium from existing Jaguar and Land Rover vehicles to reform it into a new high-grade aluminium to create new vehicles.

    The process is currently being tested on early, pre-production Jaguar I-Pace prototypes which have had their batteries safely removed. These batteries enter into their own second-life process which Jaguar Land Rover is developing while the scrap from the vehicles is sorted into various materials using high-tech sensors by Axion. Once separated, the aluminium scrap is melted and reformed.

    The batteries of the I-Pace have been safely removed and will enter into their own second-life process

    With this project, Jaguar Land Rover expects to reduce the CO2 impact of production while reducing the amount of virgin aluminium required to produce vehicles. Between September 2013 and January 2019, around 300,000 tonnes of closed-loop scrap have been processed back into the brand’s lightweight aluminium intensive architecture, across all vehicle lines including XE.

    In 2014, the Jaguar XE was the first vehicle in the world to use aluminium alloy grade RC5754 for its body panels, which contains up to 75 per cent recycled aluminium. Half of the XE body structure is made of aluminium alloy grades that contain an important amount of recycled aluminium content – made possible by a closed-loop manufacturing system at our UK and Slovakia facilities. Of course the company is conducting strength tests for the recycled aluminium to make sure that it meets the company’s mechanical standards

    Jaguar Land Rover currently uses 180,000 tonnes of aluminium per year – a small percentage of the 80 million tonnes produced globally each year. It is already one of the most widely recycled materials with 75 per cent of all aluminium ever produced still in circulation.

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  • Mercedes-AMG CLA 35 4MATIC Teased Ahead Of Official Debut

    Mercedes-AMG CLA 35 4MATIC Teased Ahead Of Official Debut

    Mercedes-Benz has recently put out a new teaser announcing the imminent arrival of the Mercedes-AMG CLA 35. The new teaser photo released by the German automaker on social media gives us a glimpse of the car’s rear section, mainly just the new LED taillamp along with the ‘CLA 35’ badging, and a partially visible boot-mounted rear spoiler. And knowing Mercedes, the Stuttgart-based carmaker will be coming out with several more teaser images before revealing the actual car. While the carmaker has already unveiled the new 2020 Mercedes-Benz CLA, the next obvious choice had to be the AMG model, by the looks of it we won’t have to wait very long. In fact, it’s possibly the car will be showcased at the upcoming New York Auto Show 2019.

    The upcoming Mercedes-AMG CLA 35 4MATIC will come powered by a 2.0-litre turbocharged four-cylinder engine. The motor is tuned to churn out 302 bhp and develops 400 Nm of peak torque. The engine comes mated to a seven-speed dual-clutch automatic gearbox along with the company’s 4Matic all-wheel-drive system. This will make the AMG CLA 35 the most powerful CLA model yet, of course, that is until the new CLA 45 is launched.

    Based on the spy photos we have seen so far, the upcoming Mercedes-AMG CLA 35 appears to be very similar to the regular new-gen CLA sedan and is likely to feature a single slat grille with the large three-pointed star at the centre. The test mule also came with LED headlamps, black alloys, a black roof, black ORVMs, LED taillamps and a dual exhaust system.

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  • Maruti Suzuki Celerio And Celerio X Updated With New Safety Features

    Maruti Suzuki Celerio And Celerio X Updated With New Safety Features

    The Maruti Suzuki Celerio and the Celerio X hatchbacks are the latest offerings from the manufacturer to get additional safety kit to meet the upcoming safety norms. As part of the upgrade, the Celerio and its cross-hatch sibling now get ABS with EBD, speed alert system, driver and passenger seatbelt reminder, rear parking sensors as standard across all variants. The driver side airbag was already a standard feature on the offering. With the additional kit, the Celerio range has a slight bump in prices as well and now starts at ₹ 4.31 lakh for the base LXi trim. The Celerio X, meanwhile, starts at ₹ 4.80 lakheeco.

    Apart from the new safety features, the Maruti Suzuki Celerio and the Celerio X get no other changes, both visually and on the feature front. Power too, comes from the same 1.0-litre K-Series, three-cylinder, petrol motor tuned for 67 bhp and 90 Nm of peak torque. The motor is paired with a 5-speed manual gearbox with the AMT unit available as optional. The Celerio also comes with a factory-fitted CNG kit that is offered on the mid-trim manual version.

    The updated Celerio joins the Eeco in the latest set of Maruti Suzuki cars to get the mandatory safety features. More recently, the automaker announced the availability of the new Ciaz sedan powered by the 1.5-litre diesel engine. The new motor replaces the tried and tested 1.3-litre Fiat-sourced Multijet engine that powered nearly all of Maruti’s diesel range for over a decade. The new 1.5-litre oil burner has been developed in-house by Suzuki and is tuned to churn out 94 bhp and 225 Nm of peak torque. The motor is paired with a 6-speed gearbox and returns an ARAI claimed fuel efficiency figure of 26.82 kmpl, one of the best in the segment.

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  • Bentley Bentayga V8 Design Series Unveiled

    Bentley Bentayga V8 Design Series Unveiled

    Bentley is introducing a new special edition model to the Bentayga range and is calling it the V8 Design Series. The changes on the Bentley Bentayga V8 Design Series are limited to aesthetics in a bid to enhance its road presence. Bentley has taken the standard V8 variant and has updated it with special colour schemes and finish from Mulliner on the exterior as well as inside the cabin.

    On the outside, the bumper is finished in body colour and there are gloss black exhaust pipes at the rear. The seven-spoke alloy wheels are finished in dark gray and get monochromatic treatment which goes well with the shade. On the inside, the owner has the option to choose from a range of dual-tone colour options including red, orange, white and Blue and the accents are available as part of the design for the first time. The dashboard and console get contrasting accents as well and there is the Design Series badging on the seatbacks. The Bentley Bentayga V8 Design Series also features carbon-fibre palette running the length of the dashboard and similar trim on the doors.

    Mechanically, the Bentley Bentayga will remain identical to the V8 standard version. It is powered by a 4.0-litre V8 motor which churns out 542 bhp at 6000 rpm and 770 Nm of peak torque between 2000 rpm and 4500 rpm. It takes 4.5 seconds to clock triple-digit speed and the top speed is limited to 290 kmph.

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  • Google Maps is using Waze Features

    Google Maps is using Waze Features

    Google paid almost a billion dollars for the popular Israel-based Waze navigation app back in 2013, but curiously enough, the search giant took an awfully long time to integrate some of the basic features of its daughter service into the main Maps platform.

    For instance, Google Maps users barely started seeing options to report crashes and speed traps added to their navigation service of choice a few months ago, with a wider rollout of these two features subsequently noticed and a handy third option seemingly enabled as we speak. As usual, we’re looking at a staggered release, with a handful of screenshots shared by Android Police proving some people can add reports of crashes, speed traps, andslowdowns, while others are still waiting to get the first two parts of the incident reporting functionality.
    With the traffic slowdown feature, also known as congestion in certain regions, Google Maps users should be able to contribute to a smoother navigation experience, with more realistic ETAs and helpful re-routing suggestions during peak hours. Along with the crash and speed trap reporting functionality, this will make Google Maps bear an even stronger resemblance to Waze, possibly escalating speculation that something might be going on soon.
    Of course, unlike services like Google Plus, Inbox, or Allo, Waze is actually beloved and actively used by millions of people around the world. Specifically, more than 90 million drivers, according to the company’s latest official count, spending an average of 438 minutes in the app each and every month. That’s not something you can afford to throw away very easily, so we’re guessing Google Maps and Waze will remain separate but increasingly similar for many years to come.
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  • Maruti Suzuki Cuts Vehicle Production By Around Half

    Maruti Suzuki Cuts Vehicle Production By Around Half

    The country’s largest car maker Maruti Suzuki India (MSI) cut vehicle production by around 21 per cent across its factories in March due to subdued demand. The auto major produced a total of 1,36,201 units in March, including Super Carry LCV, down 20.9 per cent from 1,72,195 units in the year-ago period, it said in a regulatory filing. The production of passenger vehicles, including Alto, Swift, Dzire and Vitara Brezza, declined by 20.6 per cent to 1,35,236 units as compared with 1,70,328 units in March 2018.

    The compact segment saw 7.5 per cent decline in production to 81,163 units, while utility vehicle witnessed a drop of 26.4 per cent to 17,719 units in March.

    However, production of vans rose by 6 per cent to 15,710 units last month as compared with 14,822 units in March 2018.

    When contacted, MSI declined to comment on the reason for decrease in production.

    In February, MSI had cut production by over 8 per cent to 1,48,959 units from 1,62,524 units produced in the year-ago period.

    In January, the company had reported a total production of 1,83,064 units, up 15.6 per cent from 1,58,396 units produced in January 2018.

    MSI’s installed manufacturing capacity at its two plants in Gurgaon and Manesar stands at 15.5 lakh units per annum. Besides, the Suzuki-owned Hansalpur (Gujarat) plant also has an installed capacity of 2.5 lakh units from the first line.

    The second production line has been commissioned at the plant, but is yet to reach its peak capacity of 2.5 lakh units per annum.

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  • Pininfarina Launches New Website To Strengthen Its Online Presence

    Pininfarina Launches New Website To Strengthen Its Online Presence

    Mahindra-owned Pininfarina has announced the launch of its new website detailing out its complete product and service that are on offer. The Italian marque says that the new website will further aid to strengthen the company’s digital presence and showcase how broad and structured its service offer is. For this project, Pininfarina has roped in the creative agency Vangogh from Milan, which has designed and developed the new website.

    Talking about the company’s new website, Giuseppe Bonollo, Director Sales and Marketing, Design, Pininfarina S.p.A. said, “We are a company made up of people with a multitude of skills, from car design to engineering, from industrial design to architecture, from digital design to the ability to build prototypes and cars in small series. A wealth of skills that allows us to have a unique and comprehensive approach to projects, always consistent with our mission from the beginning: the creation of products and services that transform and innovate the experience for the end user. The new site is, therefore, the global showcase of the plurality of our skills and services”.

    In addition to the company’s several design projects, the website also offers details about its all-new fully-electric hypercar the Battista, which was revealed early this year in Cambiano, Turin. Furthermore, the website also talks about Mahindra’s recently launched intermediate commercial vehicle, the Mahindra Furio.

    Max Galli, President of vangogh said, “We are excited to collaborate with Pininfarina, another Italian excellence that entrusts to our agency the objective of enhancing the Made in Italy talent oriented to the global export of quality. Creativity, innovation and effectiveness are the levers that will guide us in this precious “collaboration”, in which the values of Pininfarina reflect those of our agency”.

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  • Harley-Davidson India Launches Internship Programme

    Harley-Davidson India Launches Internship Programme

    In a celebration of Harley-Davidson’s tenth year in India, the American motorcycle brand has announced a summer internship, offering motorcycle fans an experience of a lifetime. The internship was launched in the US last year, and now Harley fans can become a part of the brand, and experience the Harley-Davidson lifestyle up close and personal.

    This one-of-a-kind opportunity will allow interns to be part of Harley-Davidson’s marketing and social media team, and will get to take to the road, and document their journey throughout summer. The internship has been launched on March 31, 2019, and Harley-Davidson India is inviting applications from fans of the brand to be a part of the Harley-Davidson story in India.

    “We are thrilled to launch the INTERN program in India for the first time. The Internship will be a great way to engage and build future Harley-Davidson riders, lending them a first-hand experience of the Harley-Davidson way of life. We are looking forward to the next few months where at the end of the selection process, three candidates will earn their place here to spend a whole month with us,” said Sajeev Rajasekharan, Managing Director, Harley-Davidson India.

    According to Harley-Davidson, to qualify for this internship, candidates must be socially savvy storytellers, and interested candidates must describe what freedom means to them by creating a video, writing an essay, developing a photo collage or creating whatever piece of content they want to make their application unique and submitting it to the Harley-Davidson India’s Instagram handle.

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  • Jeep Compass Sport Plus Launched In India

    Jeep Compass Sport Plus Launched In India

    The Tata Harrier has surely escalated the competition in the compact SUV segment and it has proved to be a strong product, especially at the price Tata Motors has launched it. The Jeep Compass is the obvious-first rival to the Harrier and the company has added a new Sport Plus variant to the range in a bid to compete against the Harrier. The Jeep Compass Sport Plus has been launched in India at ₹ 15.99 lakh for the petrol variant and ₹ 16.99 lakh for the diesel variant.

    The Sport Plus variant of the Compass has been positioned above the base Sport variant and is more feature-rich. The added exterior kit includes 16-inch alloy wheels finished in silver, black roof rails and rear parking sensors. The rear windscreen, pillars and window fringes are also finished in black. The cabin of the Jeep Compass Sport Plus trim will be equipped with a 5.0-inch touchscreen infotainment system and dual-zone climate control which the base trim doesn’t get. We would have liked Jeep to also include the power folding wing mirrors which makes maneuvering through tight spots easy. However, safety kits such as dual front airbags, ABS, ESC and traction control are standard throughout the range.

    Mechanically the Compass Sport Plus remains identical to the base variant. The diesel is powered by the same 2.0-litre, four-cylinder Multijet turbo motor which makes 172 bhp and 350 Nm of peak torque and is mated to a six-speed gearbox as standard. The petrol is the 1.4-litre, four-cylinder MultiAir Turbo motor which develops 161 bhp and 250 Nm of peak torque and is also offered with an automatic gearbox, while the six-speed manual is standard.

    Other than the Harrier, the Jeep Compass Sport Plus will compete with the W4 variant of the Mahindra XUV500 and SX variant of the Hyundai Creta.

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  • BMW Group India Shows Strong Growth Sales

    BMW Group India Shows Strong Growth Sales

    BMW Group India has registered the highest-ever Q1 sales. All three brands – BMW, MINI and BMW Motorrad – helped in achieving this strong growth in sales. In Q1 2019, BMW Group India delivered 2982 cars (BMW + MINI) registering a growth of 19 per cent as compared to Q1 2018. BMW India sold 2822 cars, clocking a notable growth of 19 per cent. MINI India led the niche small-premium car segment with sales of 160 cars and a growth of 18 per cent. BMW Motorrad India posted a remarkable growth with sales of 597 units.

    The BMW 5 Series and the BMW 6 Series Gran Turismo have contributed strongly to the growth story. BMW also saw significant contribution coming from the locally-produced X range with introduction of the all-new BMW X4 Sports Activity Coupe that created a novel segment in the luxury car market and generated new demand. The locally-produced Mini Countryman together commanded a share of over 80 per cent in Mini sales. The sub-500 cc offerings of BMW Motorrad – BMW G 310 R and BMW G 310 GS got the lions share with over 80 per cent sales. The recently launched BMW R 1250 GS and BMW R 1250 GS Adventure have also created high demand among motorcycling enthusiasts.

    Dr. Hans-Christian Baertels, President (Act.), BMW Group India, said, “BMW Group India will continue its unwavering focus on maximizing performance, bringing best-in-class products to the Indian market and exceeding expectations on each and every service that is offered. We are confident that the growth strategy for BMW, MINI and BMW Motorrad will yield even higher results in the coming months and we will continue to grow the luxury vehicle market in India.”

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  • Daimler Opens Mercedes-Benz Plant In Moscow Area

    Daimler Opens Mercedes-Benz Plant In Moscow Area

    German automaker Daimler officially opened a Mercedes-Benz factory near Moscow on Wednesday at a ceremony attended by President Vladimir Putin, marking a rare foreign investment into Russia’s car industry. The plant in the town of Esipovo 40 kilometers north west of Moscow is the first in years to be opened by a foreign carmaker in Russia where investment into the once burgeoning auto industry dried up amid western sanctions and a stagnant economy.

    Speaking at the inaugural ceremony, Putin said the plant would produce 25,000 cars a year and that investment in the project had totaled 19 billion roubles ($291 million).

    Putin said the factory, built after Daimler signed a deal with Russia’s authorities in early 2017, would employ almost 1,000 people.

    Most global automakers opened plants in Russia in the first half of the 2000s, but after peaking in 2012 car sales slumped to a ten-year low of 1.42 million in 2016. The market is picking up again, and a total of 1.8 million cars were sold last year.

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  • Autotalks trials C-V2X on Chinese road

    Autotalks trials C-V2X on Chinese road

    Israeli vehicle-to-everything (V2X) communications solutions provider Autotalks has announced the successful completion of cellular V2X field trials in China.

    The trials on a public road, conducted in collaboration with an unnamed large Chinese technology company, validated Autotalks’ C-V2X capabilities, including a communication range of over 2km with a nominal range of around 1.5km.

    The successful field test involved the use of hardware compliant with standards body 3GPP’s Release 15 for V2C communications improvements.

    Autotalks has been building momentum in China in a bid to target the large local market, growing its partner ecosystem and increasing staff.

    The company is a member of the government’s IMT-2020 (5G) Promotion Group, as well as the China Industry Innovation Alliance for the Intelligent and Connected Vehicles (CAICV) and China ITS (intelligent transport systems) Industry Alliance.

    In November, Autotalks recruited former Ceragon Networks country manager Yang Xiaobing to lead up its Chinese business development efforts out of its branch in Beijing.

    In February, Autotalks partnered with Taiwanese fabless semiconductor company MediaTek for a project focused on cooperating on integrating V2X and telematics technologies.

    Autotalks also recently launched the first global V2X solution supporting both C-V2X and dedicated short range communications (DSRC) technologies, the two main connected vehicle standards being adopted by car manufacturers.

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  • Bajaj Launches CT100 And Discover 125 With CBS

    Bajaj Launches CT100 And Discover 125 With CBS

    Bajaj Auto has introduced combined braking system on the Bajaj CT100 and the Bajaj Discover 125, in accordance with the law of all two-wheelers in India needing to have either CBS or ABS compulsorily after 1 April, 2019. The Bajaj CT100 will be available in three variants which are spoke, alloy, and alloys with electric start. The spoke model is priced at ₹ 33,152 while the alloy model is priced at ₹ 35,936 and the top model with alloys and electric start is priced at ₹ 41,587. The overall hike in prices of the CT100 ranges from ₹ 700 to ₹ 1,100.

    The Bajaj Discover 125 is available in two variants which are disc and drum. The drum variant of the Discover 125 with CBS is priced at ₹ 58,000 and the disc variant of the CBS is priced at ₹ 61,500. Both variants get a price hike of ₹ 800 and ₹ 2,000 respectively. Apart from the addition of combined braking system on both motorcycles, everything else remains the same.

    Bajaj had a decent FY2019, reporting a growth of 25 per cent in total sales for the financial year 2018-19. The company sold 50, 19,503 units (motorcycles + commercial vehicles), as opposed to 40, 06,791 units sold during FY2017-18. This was also a new milestone for the company recording its highest ever sales in a fiscal. The company’s domestic sales for the year stood at 29, 40,773 units, growing by 25 per cent over 23, 44,214 units sold during the previous year.

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