In Auto Tom this week: Maruti raises prices; Bajaj opened and closed Chetak's booking; The government cleans up the development of hydrogen fuel and more

 Here's a complete look at what made headlines in the auto space  during the week

A hydrogen fuel pump nozzle is depicted at the Linden factory of the German industrial gas manufacturer in Vienna (representative image).

Twenty-two of the 30 most polluted cities in the world are in India. But the central government is moving steadily to change that. In addition to the pressure from electric vehicles (EVs), the government is considering pushing hydrogen as a clean-fuel alternative to petrol and diesel. A small but important step in this regard was announced this week. More about this in the copy copy behind this, but here’s a full look at what the main issues became in the auto toe space during the week.

Auto companies reduce output in Maharashtra plants

Amid curbs like the curfew imposed by the Maharashtra government under Section 144 to spread the coronavirus, automotive companies have been allowed to continue production of the vehicle, but with a limited workforce.

Mahindra & Mahindra (M&M), Tata Motors, Mercedes-Benz and Fiat Chryslerom Tomobiles continued their vehicle and engine manufacturing plants on April 15, marking the first in a 15-day lockdown period.

Bajaj Chetak booking has been opened and closed

Within 48 hours of re-booking for its electric scooter Chetak, Bajaj Auto Toe applied the brakes on Thursday as it stopped taking bookings due to supply chain uncertainties.

The company received a tremendous response after opening the booking at 900 hours on April 13, which was also an auspicious day for Goody to fall, and customers were able to book Chetak book online on a first-come, first-served basis.

The wholesale March rate rose 115%

The passenger vehicle (PV) market saw a 115 per cent jump during March last year on a lower base of similar demand and March, according to figures shared by the Society of Indian F-Tomomobile Manufacturers.

PVs, including cars, sports utility vehicles (SUVs) and vans, sold 290,939 units in March, compared to 135,196 units sold in the same month last year. The numbers do not include sales of Tata Motors as the company stopped sharing data with SIAM.

Bajaj launches Auto Toe City 1110

Bajaj has widened its communicator portfolio with the launch of the new CT1110 at Rs 55,494. Making a lot of changes to the CT110X from the standard CT110 causes a lot of changes.

The Bajaj CT1110 is at the top end of the XCT series of passenger bikes and the Bajaj Auto Toe says new changes have been made keeping in mind the challenging roads and riding conditions.

Honda will call about 78,000 units

Honda Cars India (HCIL) announced on April 16 that it has expanded its campaign to voluntarily replace fuel pumps in 77,954 units of the preferred model Dello in India.

"The fuel pumps installed in these vehicles may contain defective impellers, which may cause the engine to shut down or not start over time," HCIL said in a statement.

Maruti will increase prices

Maruti Suzuki, India's largest car maker, on April 16  announced a hike increase of up to 22,500 to partially offset the additional impact on input costs.

Input Tomotive Major states that they increase prices on select models due to the increase in various input costs. However, the regulatory filing did not include details of the selected models.

India's plans with hydrogen

India has committed to spend 200 200 million over the next 7-7 years to promote the use of hydrogen. A senior official of the Ministry of New and Renewable Energy said in an event this week.

This is the first big and concrete announcement by the government since the Union Budget 2021 was put in place when the finance ministry talked about plans to set up a national hydrogen mission.

Hydrogen is considered to be the cleanest form of water in the world because its only by-product is water. Hydrogen has many more advantages than other fuels like petrol and diesel when used to power the need for mobility.

Hydrogen can be a viable option for short-distance vehicles, due to its low weight and high energy emissions. Hydrogen-powered vehicles have a longer drive range, plus a 50 percent reduction in fuel consumption compared to conventional fuels.

Last year, the automotive industry came a step closer to the commercial opening of hydrogen-powered vehicles in India, with the Government-Organized Automotive Industry Standards Committee (AISC) presenting a final draft of its rules.

This is the second time the government is considering a new type of fuel. Similar guidelines for EVs were previously finalized. No company currently sells hydrogen powered vehicles in India. But this did not stop the government from showing that it was in favor of hydrogen-powered cars.

In 2018, the government reduced the Goods and Services Tax (GST) on hydrogen fuel cell vehicles by more than half to 12 per cent from 28 per cent on petrol, diesel and CNG vehicles.

While developing long-distance, full electric vehicle has its limitations, hydrogen powered vehicles can be developed instead of meeting the requirements. There are countries like the United States, Germany, Japan, South Korea and China