Robust growth in utility vehicle sales boosted domestic passenger vehicle wholesales to 3,34,247 units, marking a growth rate of 13.54 per cent compared with the same month last year, the Society of Indian Automobile Manufacturers (SIAM) said on Tuesday.
SIAM director-general Rajesh Menon said the sales of passenger vehicles in May 2023 have been the highest ever witnessed for the month.
According to the latest SIAM data, dispatches of passenger vehicles (PVs) from manufacturers to dealers were at 2,94,392 units in May 2022.
Utility vehicle wholesales, excluding that of Tata Motors which shares its numbers quarterly, grew by 33.5 per cent last month at 1,55,184 units compared with 1,16,255 units in the year-ago period.
Two-wheeler domestic wholesales were at 14,71,550 units against 12,53,187 units in May last year, a growth of 17.42 per cent.
Motorcycle sales grew 20.63 per cent at 9,89,120 units last month compared with 8,19,940 units in May 2022, SIAM said.
Maruti Invicto
Maruti Suzuki will launch a premium multi-purpose vehicle named Invicto on July 5, a regulatory filing on the Bombay Stock Exchange said on Tuesday.
Invicto is the co-badged Toyota Innova Hycross that will be supplied to Maruti by Toyota under the Suzuki-Toyota alliance.
Toyota plans solid-state batteries
Toyota plans to make an all solid-state battery as part of its ambitious plans for battery electric vehicles, the company said Tuesday, amid mounting criticism Japan’s top automaker needs to do more to fight climate change.
Toyota Motor Corp. aims for a commercial solid-state battery as soon as 2027. Charging time, one of the main drawbacks of electric vehicles, will get shortened to 10 minutes or less, the company said in a statement.
“With the evolution of the vehicle’s operating system, the next-generation battery EV will also enable customization of the driving feel,’ with a focus on acceleration, turning and stopping,” it said.
EV owners usually have charging stations in their homes and keep their cars plugged in overnight to recharge. That’s one of the main reasons Toyota has long insisted that hybrids are a better solution. A hybrid recharges as the car runs.
Toyota president Koji Sato has said the company must play catchup after falling behind in the EV sector.
