
Auto recap, July 13: Loose FASTag users to be blacklisted, Mahindra and Uno Minda to produce rare-earth magnets
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The automotive sector is undergoing swift transformations, making it challenging to remain updated on all the recent developments. At HT Auto, we are committed to providing the most pertinent and up-to-date information as it emerges. Presented below is a brief summary of the main highlights from Sunday, July 13.
Loose FASTag users to be blacklisted by NHAI
The National Highway Authority of India (NHAI) is ready to take strict action against the national highway users who don't paste the FASTag stickers on the designated spot on the car windshield. The NHAI has further strengthened its policy of immediately reporting and blacklisting of loose FASTags, which is a practice commonly known as 'tag-in-hand'. The agency aims to take this step in an attempt to curb toll fraud and ease congestion at toll plazas.
The Ministry of Road Transport and Highways (MoRTH) in an official statement has said that this move will make the toll operations further smooth. The release also stated that in view of upcoming initiatives like the Annual Pass System and Multi-Lane Free Flow (MLFF) tolling, it is critical to address this issue to ensure FASTag authenticity and system reliability. With the move, the authority has further streamlined its policy for the toll collecting agencies and concessionaires to immediately report loose FASTags.
Also Read : Loose FASTag users to be blacklisted by NHAI, no more 'tag-in-hand' at toll plazas. Know more Mahindra and Uno Minda to produce rare-earth magnets in India
Auto manufacturer Mahindra, as well as auto component manufacturer Uno Minda, are eyeing the local production of rare earth magnets in India with an aim to cut reliance on China. This plan is being devised keeping in sync with the Indian government's initiative to incentivise the production of the critical components.
Also Read : Mahindra and Uno Minda plan to produce rare-earth magnets in India, eyeing to cut dependence on China Indian Auto Sector Struggles in Q1 FY26 Amid Rising Costs, Slowing Exports
India's auto sector is likely to be hit with margin pressure once again during the first quarter of FY26, a recent report by HDFC Securities has stated.
Also Read : Indian auto sector faces tough Q1 FY26 as costs climb and exports slow: Report
The report does not give an optimistic outlook for original equipment manufacturers (OEMs) since a mix of elevated input prices, softer demand, and regulatory changes could dent profitability in the short term.
Get insights into Upcoming Cars In India, Electric Vehicles, Upcoming Bikes in India and cutting-edge technology transforming the automotive landscape.
First Published Date: 14 Jul 2025, 08:46 am IST
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Mint
14 minutes ago
- Mint
Stock market this week: US-India trade deal, Q1 earnings, macro-economic data top triggers that may dictate Dalal Street
Indian stock market indices—the Sensex and Nifty 50— ended on a weaker note on Friday, July 18, marking their third straight week of losses. The Nifty 50 slipped below the crucial 25,000 mark. Over the last three weeks, the Sensex has shed about 2,300 points, or nearly 3 per cent, and the Nifty 50 has seen a similar 3 per cent decline. On July 18, the Nifty 50 declined by 143 points, or 0.57 per cent, settling at 24,968.40, while the Sensex dropped 502 points, or 0.61%, finishing at 81,757.73. 'Markets edged lower on Friday, losing over half a percent, primarily due to weak earnings. A sharp decline in Axis Bank following its results made participants cautious ahead of upcoming earnings from other banking heavyweights, namely HDFC Bank and ICICI Bank, which are scheduled over the weekend. Additionally, the results of another index heavyweight, Reliance Industries, expected after market hours on Friday, further added to the cautious sentiment. As a result, the Nifty index nearly tested the support zone of 24,900 before settling at 24,968.40 level,' said Ajit Mishra – SVP, Research, Religare Broking Ltd. Markets continued to decline for the third straight week, as investor sentiment remained cautious amid a weak start to the earnings season and persistent uncertainty over the US-India trade agreement. Like the previous week, the benchmark indices initially showed some strength in the first three sessions, but the momentum shifted downward in the latter part of the week. By the end of the week, both the Nifty and Sensex closed near their weekly lows at 24,968.40 and 81,757.73, respectively. On the Nifty outlook next week, brokerage firm Bajaj Broking said, ' Nifty on the weekly chart formed a bear candle with a lower high and lower low signaling continuation of the corrective decline for the third consecutive week. Market activity was largely stock-specific, awaiting concrete cues on both macro and micro fronts. The market is expected to be volatile in Monday's session, driven by the quarterly results of key index heavyweights—Reliance Industries, ICICI Bank, and HDFC Bank. These earnings will serve as a crucial trigger to watch. Key level to track remains at 24,900. A sustained breach below the same could prolong the corrective phase towards 24,600–24,400. Conversely, holding above may trigger a technical rebound towards last week high (25,255). However, only a breakout past last week's high would confirm a pause in ongoing correction and open upside potential towards 25,500–25,600 in the near term.' Meanwhile, on the Bank Nifty outlook, it added, ' Bank Nifty formed a sizable bear candle signaling profit booking at higher levels for the second session in a row. The index on Friday's session breached the last 10 sessions consolidation range 56,500-57,600 signaling extended decline. A follow through weakness will open further downside towards 55,000 levels. Key short-term term support is placed at 56,000–55,500 region, representing a confluence of the 50-day EMA and the key retracement level.' India and the United States have completed the fifth round of discussions for the proposed Bilateral Trade Agreement (BTA) in Washington. The four-day talks, held from July 14 to 17, were headed by India's chief negotiator and special secretary in the commerce department, Rajesh Agrawal. This round of negotiations is especially significant as both countries are working to finalize an interim trade pact before August 1. This date marks the conclusion of the suspension period for the Trump-era tariffs, which had introduced additional duties of up to 26% on imports from several nations, including India. According to reports, Donald Trump has increased pressure in trade talks with the European Union by insisting that any agreement include a minimum tariff ranging between 15% and 20%. On the macroeconomic side, key data indicators like India's Infrastructure Output and HSBC Flash PMI figures for Manufacturing, Services, and Composite sectors will be closely monitored. The focus will stay on the ongoing earnings season as a number of major results are expected. In the coming sessions, several leading companies such as Infosys, Dr. Reddy's Laboratories, Bajaj Finance, Nestle India, and Cipla are set to release their quarterly earnings. The IPO buzz in the primary market is all set to continue as 10 new public issues, including five in mainboard segment, are scheduled to open for subscription next week. Apart from new issues, the market will also witness listing of Monika Alcobev IPO in the coming week. Foreign Portfolio Investors (FPIs) offloaded shares worth ₹ 3,694 crore in Indian equities, whereas Domestic Institutional Investors (DIIs) made net purchases amounting to ₹ 2,820 crore, as per provisional data from the NSE, on Friday, July 17. DIIs bought shares totaling ₹ 13,523 crore and sold shares worth ₹ 10,702 crore. Meanwhile, FPIs purchased stocks worth ₹ 11,633 crore but sold ₹ 15,327 crore during the day. Cumulatively for the year, FPIs have been net sellers of equities valued at ₹ 1.32 lakh crore, while DIIs have emerged as net buyers with a total of ₹ 3.67 lakh crore. Crude oil futures remained largely steady on Friday amid mixed signals from U.S. economic and tariff developments, along with concerns over supply due to the European Union's newest sanctions on Russia over its invasion of Ukraine. Brent crude slipped by 24 cents, or 0.3%, closing at $69.28 per barrel, while U.S. West Texas Intermediate (WTI) crude declined by 20 cents, or 0.3%, finishing at $67.34. Both benchmarks ended the week roughly 2% lower. Gold prices climbed on Friday, supported by a softer U.S. dollar and persistent geopolitical and economic uncertainties that increased the appeal of the safe-haven asset. Meanwhile, platinum prices dipped after touching their highest levels since 2014. Spot gold was up 0.4% at $3,351.18 per ounce, rebounding after a 1.1% decline in the previous session. According to Ajit Mishra – SVP, Research, Religare Broking Ltd, market indices to remain in a consolidation phase with a negative bias in the near term, driven by a weak start to the earnings season and prevailing global uncertainties. " Nifty ended the week below the key psychological mark of 25,000, indicating sustained caution. The index remains vulnerable to further downside if it breaks below the immediate support zone of 24,900. A breakdown could drag the index toward the 24,450–24,700 zone in the coming sessions. On the upside, the 20-day EMA—currently acting as a short-term hurdle—may restrict recovery around the 25,250 mark. A decisive move above this level is essential for any bullish reversal. Until then, the broader trend is expected to remain under pressure," Mishra said. Disclaimer: This story is for educational purposes only. The views and recommendations above are those of individual analysts or broking companies, not Mint. We advise investors to check with certified experts before making any investment decisions.


India Today
28 minutes ago
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China begins construction of $167 billion mega dam over Brahmaputra in Tibet
China on Saturday formally started the construction of a USD 167.8 billion dam over the Brahmaputra River in Tibet, close to the Indian border in Arunachal Premier Li Qiang announced the start of the construction of the dam at a groundbreaking ceremony in the lower reaches of the Brahmaputra River, locally known as Yarlung Zangbo, at Nyingchi City, official media groundbreaking ceremony took place at the dam site of Nyingchi's Mainling hydropower station in Tibet Autonomous Region, state-run Xinhua news agency reported. The hydropower project, regarded as the biggest infrastructure project in the world, raised concerns in the lower riparian countries, India and project will consist of five cascade hydropower stations, with a total investment estimated at around 1.2 trillion Yuan (about USD 167.8 billion), the report to a 2023 report, the hydropower station is expected to generate more than 300 billion kWh of electricity each year - enough to meet the annual needs of over 300 million will primarily deliver electricity for external consumption while also addressing local demand in Tibet, which China officially refers to as Xizang. Representatives from various organisations, including the National Development and Reform Commission and the Power Construction Corporation of China and locals attended the ceremony, the report project was approved in December last dam is to be built at a huge gorge in the Himalayan reaches where the Brahmaputra River makes a huge U-turn to flow into Arunachal Pradesh and then to Bangladesh. According to earlier reports, the size of the project would dwarf any other single infrastructure project on the planet, including China's own Three Gorges dam, regarded as the largest in the has already operationalised the USD 1.5 billion Zam Hydropower Station, the largest in Tibet, in 2015, which raised concerns in arose in India as the dam, besides empowering China to control the water flow, the size and scale of it could also enable Beijing to release large amounts of water, flooding border areas in times of too, is building a dam over the Brahmaputra in Arunachal and China established the Expert Level Mechanism (ELM) in 2006 to discuss various issues related to trans-border rivers under which China provides India with hydrological information on the Brahmaputra river and Sutlej river during the flood sharing of transborder rivers figured in the talks between India, China Special Representatives (SRs) for border question, NSA Ajit Doval and Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi, held here on December 18 last Brahmaputra Dam presents enormous engineering challenges as the project site is located along a tectonic plate boundary where earthquakes Tibetan plateau, regarded as the roof of the world, frequently experiences earthquakes as it is located over the tectonic an official statement in December last year sought to allay concerns about earthquakes, saying that the hydropower project is safe and prioritises ecological extensive geological explorations and technical advancements, a solid foundation has been laid for the science-based, secure, and high-quality development of the project, it Brahmaputra flows across the Tibetan Plateau, carving out the deepest canyon on Earth. The dam will be built in one of the rainiest parts. - EndsTune InMust Watch


Hindustan Times
30 minutes ago
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Job seeker shares painful ordeal after being ghosted following 8 interviews: 'How to get over this?'
A job seeker has sparked an emotional conversation on Reddit after sharing their frustrating experience with a company that ghosted them following eight rounds of interviews. In a candid post titled "I got ghosted after 8 interviews. Why do companies do this?", the user detailed their months-long ordeal, which ended not with an offer or a rejection—but with complete silence. An online post detailed how a candidate was ignored after eight interviews.(Representational image/Unsplash) (Also read: Rejected for living too far? Indian job seeker shares bizarre HR excuse: 'Never tell them…') The user explained, "I went through 7 rounds of interviews with a company, followed by a month of complete silence. Then the recruiter reached out asking me to do an additional round because of an organisational change — the role now had a new hiring manager. Since I had already invested so much time, I agreed to go through the 8th round." However, after completing the eighth round, the candidate was left waiting once again. "They kept stringing me along and eventually just ghosted me," the post continued. "Not to make this a therapy session, but this whole experience has left me feeling really sad this past week. I spent months in this process, and they couldn't even send a simple rejection email? How hard is that?" Reddit reacts The post quickly gained traction among fellow Reddit users, many of whom expressed support and frustration over the treatment of job applicants in today's hiring climate. One user sympathised, 'This is happening way too often. It's just unprofessional.' Another commented, 'Why that f you did more than 3??? I will never take anything serious if takes more than 2 interviews.' Someone else shared, 'I've had similar experiences, and it really does take a toll on your mental health. You're not alone.' Another user added, 'Companies need to understand that candidates aren't just checkboxes—they're humans investing time and hope.' Some even offered practical advice, with one saying, 'Honestly, after three rounds, if there's no movement, just walk away. It's not worth it.' (Also read: Job seeker rejected after failing to meet 5-year requirement for a software launched 1 year ago) Another quipped, 'Ghosting after eight interviews should be illegal. At the very least, send a template email.'