Volkswagen Passenger Cars India announced the commencement of its Autofest Mega Exchange Carnival 2024. The programme would offer customers a chance to upgrade to a new Volkswagen car with exciting benefits and deals available from third July to 20 July 2024. 

The programme also marks the rebranding of used car business by Volkswagen from Das WeltAuto to ‘Volkswagen Certified Pre-Owned’. The move is in line with the brand’s global positioning and aimed at leveraging the strength and trust of the core Volkswagen brand, enhancing the pre-owned car programme's visibility and value in the India market. 

Volkswagen opened its first rebranded ‘Volkswagen Certified Pre-Owned’ car showroom in Coimbatore recently. By successfully operating a successful multi-brand pre-owned car business with emphasis on Volkswagen branded models, the ‘Volkswagen Certified Pre-Owned’ brand is keen to provide refurbished, certificated and warranty enabled cars wherever applicable through its retail channel. 

While doing so, the Brand aspires to create a proposition that sets it apart from industry peers thanks to a frictionless and fully digitised customer journey through the rebranding initiative. 

Ashish Gupta, Brand Director, Volkswagen Passenger Cars India, mentioned, “Today, we are delighted to announce the start of Autofest Mega Exchange Carnival that will give customers a chance to upgrade to a new Volkswagen car. With Autofest customers can avail exciting deals and offers that are available for a limited time period. As we continue to holistically focus on the Indian car market, we are also focusing on offering customers strong residual value in their new Volkswagen cars.”

“We have also announced the strategic rebranding of our used car business to ‘Volkswagen Certified Pre-Owned’ and also launched the first rebranded store in Coimbatore. Rebranding our used car business aligns with the global positioning of this business vertical for the Brand, while also emphasising more on the trust that the Volkswagen Brand name commands. This move will help us better serve the growing demand for pre-owned vehicles, providing customers with high-quality, certified cars that they can rely on. We have already witnessed strong demand during first half of this year and we expect this momentum to grow stronger during the festive season,” he added. 

The rebranding from Das WeltAuto to ‘Volkswagen Certified Pre-Owned’ comes at a time of growing demand for pre-owned cars in the Indian market as prices of new cars soar higher, making even the run of the mill automobiles unaffordable for many who aspire them to have. 

While the used car valuation – in line with the drastic rise in new car prices – has been increased quite a bit, it is satisfying the need for those who aspire or require to have a vehicle to commute or take their family out without breaking the bank for a new car that has a life of 15 years after all. 

Experiencing a ten-fold growth in volumes over the last five years, the automaker’s retail sales of pre-owned cars through the channel have witnessed a growth of 12 percent last year, a trend that has continued into the first half of 2024. It is the Tier 2 towns that have emerged as a notable driver of this growth, contributing significantly to the increasing demand. 

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Maruti Suzuki India has been awarded a 5-star Bharat NCAP safety rating for its e Vitara, marking a moment for the company's electric vehicle strategy.

The e Vitara is built on Suzuki’s Heartect-e platform designed for electric vehicles to deliver strength, structural rigidity and advanced high voltage protection. The ‘Made-in-India, Made-for-the-World’ e Vitara is designed and tested for temperature conditions across the world, ensuring performance from as high as 60deg Celsius to as low as -30deg Celsius. The model is offered with 49 kWh and 61 kWh battery options.

Nitin Gadkari, Minister of Road Transport and Highways of India, said, “Congratulations to Maruti Suzuki for achieving 5-star Bharat NCAP in both adult and child occupant protection for their e Vitara. I am especially glad that Maruti Suzuki has shown real leadership in providing 7 airbags as a standard across all variants of the e Vitara.”

Hisashi Takeuchi, Managing Director & CEO, Maruti Suzuki India, said, “The 5-star Bharat NCAP rating for e Vitara, our first Battery Electric Vehicle, is a moment of immense pride for all of us at Maruti Suzuki. Using the Bharat NCAP 5-star rating, we will export the e Vitara to more than 100 countries of the world. Bharat NCAP’s globally benchmarked stringent vehicle test protocols have been a catalyst in empowering customers to make informed decisions. I thank the Minister Gadkari, the officials in his Ministry and test agencies for their rigorous efforts and commitment in shaping India’s journey towards safe mobility.”

The e VITARA’s body structure uses more than 60 percent ultra-high tensile and high-tensile strength steel. Its battery protection system incorporates a structural design with an energy-absorbing battery pack mounting structure.

Key safety features include 7 standard airbags (including the Driver's knee airbag), Level 2 ADAS (Automatic Emergency Braking, Lane Keep Assist, Adaptive Cruise Control), Hill Hold Control, ABS with EBD and Brake Assist, Electronic Stability Program (ESP) and a 360-degree Surround View Camera.

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Mahindra has marked a major milestone in its nationwide electric vehicle (EV) infrastructure expansion with the inauguration of its first dealership-based ultrafast charger – a 180 kW Charge_IN station.

This is the first of many such installations planned across Mahindra dealerships, forming a key pillar of the company’s commitment to building India’s ultrafast charging network.

This initiative scales up Mahindra’s Charge_IN ecosystem, complementing the 250 highway fast-charging stations already announced. The new 180 kW ultrafast chargers will enable EV users to charge quickly and conveniently at strategically located dealerships across the country, with 24x7 on-ground support.

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Hyundai Motor India, one of the leading passenger vehicle manufacturers, has reported wholesales of 66,840 units in November 2025, up 9.1 percent YoY as against 61,252 units last year.

This includes domestic sales of 50,340 units, up 4 percent YoY and exports of 16,500 units, up 27 percent YoY.

Tarun Garg, Whole-time Director & Chief Operating Officer, Hyundai Motor India, said, “Supported by GST 2.0 reforms, we continue to carry forward sales momentum with a year-on-year growth in our monthly domestic sales in November 2025. Further, our commitment to bolstering India’s role as a global manufacturing hub is further solidified with 26.9% year-on-year growth in monthly exports.”

He further added that the all-new Hyundai Venue SUV, the company's first software-defined vehicle in India, has received more than 32,000 bookings within a month of its launch. The new Venue features ccNC infotainment powered by Nvidia.

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Toyota Kirloskar Motor (TKM) has announced its wholesales for November 2025, reporting total sales of 33,752 units, up 28 percent YoY.

This includes 30,085 units sold in the domestic market and 3,667 units exported.

Varinder Wadhwa, Vice-President, Sales–Service–Used Car Business, Toyota Kirloskar Motor, said, “Following a positive festive season supported by the government’s progressive GST reforms, we continue to witness a strong momentum, with a growth of 19 percent. The recent introduction of the Urban Cruiser Hyryder Aero Edition and Fortuner Leader Edition has also continued to help us reinforce this growth trajectory, receiving recognition across the country. The innovative initiatives such as the Drum Tao and the launch of the toyota experiential museum (tem) in Bangalore, have been highly appreciated, further strengthening customer engagement and brand connect.”

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