Not heard of a Grand Vitara 7-seater internally, says Maruti
"So, let's wait till the time comes. I have not heard of a Grand Vitara seven-seater internally at least," he added.The upcoming ICE model will be Maruti's fifth SUV after the Fronx, Brezza, Jimny and Grand Vitara. Although the company has a strong SUV portfolio, another model will only help the company in enhancing its share in the ever-growing SUV segment.India's burgeoning SUV segment expanded from 50.49% of the total passenger vehicle (PV) market in FY24 to 54.34% in FY25. With more buyers opting for SUVs, the carmakers are planning to further bolster their SUV line-up this fiscal.advertisementAt present, all Maruti SUVs are five-seaters. However, the company has been testing a seven-seater SUV, which has been spied on multiple occasions. This SUV could be based on the Grand Vitara's Heartect platform.Before, the new ICE SUV enters the market, Maruti will start sales of the e Vitara. According to the company, the electric SUV will be on Indian roads before the end of September 2025.With a couple of battery options, 49kWh and 61kWh, the e Vitara is claimed to have a range of over 500km on a single full charge.Subscribe to Auto Today MagazineMust Watch
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Fibre2Fashion
2 hours ago
- Fibre2Fashion
ICE cotton weakens on favourable Texas weather, sluggish export sales
ICE cotton futures eased on Thursday due to favourable weather conditions in West Texas. These conditions are expected to improve US cotton crop prospects. Weaker US export sales and a stronger dollar also dampened sentiment in the cotton market. However, a stronger grain market lent some support ahead of US Independence Day on July 4. ICE's most active December 2025 contract settled at 68.46 cents per pound (0.453 kg), down 0.17 cent. The contract lost 86 points this week. Other contracts closed between 11 and 111 points lower. Weekly losses ranged from 15 to 186 points. There will be no trading on Friday in ICE cotton due to the holiday. ICE cotton futures fell on Thursday due to favourable weather in West Texas, weak US export sales and a stronger dollar. The most active December 2025 contract closed at 68.46 cents per pound, down 0.17 cent. Export sales dropped 13 per cent week-on-week. Light trading activity was observed ahead of the US holiday. Cotton prices remained subdued amid bearish macroeconomic and weather-related factors. The US dollar strengthened, making US cotton less competitive globally. This followed a strong US jobs report. June non-farm payrolls rose by 147,000, surpassing expectations of 110,000. May's payrolls were revised up to 144,000 from 139,000. Trading volume was light at 25,989 contracts on Thursday, nearly matching Wednesday's volume of 25,879 contracts. The weekly average volume stood at 34,280 contracts per day. The lower activity was attributed to the upcoming three-day weekend in the US. As of July 2, certified ICE cotton stocks stood at 40,324 bales, slightly down from 40,488 bales the previous trading day. US cotton export sales totalled 23,700 bales for the week ending June 26. This was 13 per cent lower than the previous week and 66 per cent below the four-week average. Favourable rainfall in the West Texas High Plains (Llano Estacado) has raised expectations for improved crop conditions, adding pressure to prices. A market analyst described the day's trading as light, with no major catalysts to drive a sharp move in either direction. Despite some positive signals from the grain market, cotton futures failed to gain support due to broader macroeconomic and fundamental pressures. With limited fresh buying and ongoing technical weakness, cotton prices may remain subdued unless there is a shift in weather or export dynamics. The market continues to closely monitor US crop conditions, particularly in Texas, as July progresses. Overall, the session had a subdued tone with a bearish bias, driven by favourable weather, sluggish exports, and a stronger dollar. Vietnam's trade deal with the US is seen as mildly positive but largely anticipated, with limited immediate market impact. ICE cotton for December 2025 settled at 68.46 cents per pound (down 0.17 cent); cash cotton at 65.81 cents (down 1.11 cents); the July 2025 contract at 65.66 cents (down 1.11 cents); the October 2025 contract at 67.06 cents (down 1.11 cents); the March 2026 contract at 69.78 cents (down 0.12 cent); and the May 2026 contract at 70.82 cents (down 0.11 cent). Fibre2Fashion News Desk (KUL)
&w=3840&q=100)
Business Standard
8 hours ago
- Business Standard
India-made Jimny helps Suzuki top Japan imports in June, overtakes Mercedes
Suzuki Motor Corp overtook Mercedes-Benz to become Japan's top car importer in June, driven by demand for its India-built compact SUVs, led by the Jimny Nomad. The company imported 4,780 vehicles during the month, a 230-fold year-on-year increase, marking its second time leading Japan's import charts this year, after a similar performance in April, according to the Japan Automobile Importers Association, as reported by Bloomberg. The five-door Jimny Nomad, an extended version of Suzuki's cult off-roader, has ignited a buying frenzy in Japan since its April debut. Priced at JPY 2.65 million (around $18,300), the model received 50,000 pre-orders within days, overwhelming the company's monthly sales target of 1,200 units and forcing a temporary halt to new bookings just four days after launch. To meet demand, Suzuki plans to scale up Jimny Nomad production at its Indian facilities starting this month. The Fronx, another India-made SUV added to Suzuki's Japan lineup in October, has also contributed to the surge in imports. Yet, while Suzuki thrives in Japan thanks to its Indian manufacturing base, its Indian subsidiary, Maruti Suzuki, has seen some slowdown in its home market. Maruti Suzuki domestic sales drop in June Maruti Suzuki India Ltd reported a 6 per cent year-on-year drop in total sales in June 2025 to 167,993 units, down from 179,228 units a year earlier. Domestic passenger vehicle dispatches fell 13 per cent to 118,906 units, as part of a broader slowdown in small-car sales. 'The slowdown in passenger vehicle sales is largely due to a sharp decline in the smaller segment cars,' said Rahul Bharti, senior executive officer at Maruti Suzuki India, as earlier reported by Business Standard. 'This is clearly an affordability issue.' He noted that since 2019, industry-wide entry-level prices have jumped over 70 per cent, largely due to tighter safety and emissions regulations, while small-car sales have dropped by more than 70 per cent. Maruti Suzuki, did, however, note a significant rise in its exports to 37,842 units from 31,033 reported in June 2024. Creta becomes India's top-selling PV in H1 2025 In the SUV segment, South Korean automaker Hyundai Motor India's mid-size Creta was the top-selling passenger vehicle in India in June with 15,786 units, narrowly ahead of Maruti's Dzire (15,484). The Creta also ranked as the second best-selling vehicle in the first half of the calendar year 2025 with 100,560 units, just behind the Wagon R (101,424). US-made cars lack 'Japan-friendly offerings' Back in Japan, Suzuki's surge marks a broader shift in consumer attitudes. 'Japanese consumers don't particularly care whether vehicles are produced in Thailand, India or Japan if they want a particular car,' Takeshi Miyao, analyst at Carnorama, told Bloomberg. He contrasted that with the continued struggles of US brands like GM and Ford, which still lack small, Japan-friendly offerings. Honda, too, is leveraging India's manufacturing ecosystem. Its India-built WR-V, launched domestically last year at JPY 2.1 million, which contributed to a 22-fold rise in Honda's annual Japan imports in 2024 to over 45,000 units — earning it the top importer slot in Q1 2025. Mercedes-Benz leads Japan's imports in H1 2025 Yet over the H1 2025, Mercedes-Benz retained its overall lead with 25,016 units imported into Japan, followed by Honda (~22,000) and Suzuki in third. Nissan ranked ninth, with its Thai-made Kicks crossover. Among American brands, Stellantis-owned Jeep led with over 4,000 units imported, outpacing GM and Ford.
Hindustan Times
11 hours ago
- Hindustan Times
Big Beautiful Bill: ICE, FBI budget more than Russia's military budget? Here's the truth
With Donald Trump's Big Beautiful Bill now passed in the US Congress, the Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) is set to see a significant bump in budget. On the other hand, the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) will see its budget slightly reduced. Amid that, claims have surfaced that the combined budget of the FBI and the ICE is set to exceed the military budget of Russia. However, are the claims true? Let's finds out. Donald Trump talks to reporters before boarding Air Force One, Thursday, July 3 at Joint Base Andrews, (AP Photo/Alex Brandon)(AP) Under Trump's One Big Beautiful Bill, the ICE's budget, which stands at $9.3 billion for the fiscal year 2025, is set to increase by approximately three times. As per a report by Axios, Trump's tax and spending bill plans to allocate between $100 billion $150 billion to the ICE over a period of five years. It means, annually, the ICE's budget will stand at around $30 billion. Meanwhile, the FBI's annual budget is set be decrease by around $545 million under the White House's budget proposal for the fiscal year 2025-26, as per a Reuters report. It says that the FBI's budget has been slashed to $10.1 billion from $10.6 billion. Thus, combined, the FBI and the ICE's budget will stand at around $40 billion per year, under Trump's tax bill. Also read: What's in Trump's 'Big Beautiful' bill that cleared Congress today Is It More Than Russia's Military Bidget? When it comes to Russia's military spending, the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute estimated in an April 2025 report that Russia is expected to spend 15.5 trillion roubles in planned military expenditure, which comes to around $174.16 billion. Clearly, the annual budget of the Russian military is significantly more than what the US government will be spending on the FBI and the ICE combined. The claims went viral as the estimated the five-year spending on ICE and the FBI, amounting to around $180 billion, was contrasted with the annual budget of Russia's military. Evidently, the claims are misleading.
