8SEPTEMBER, 2026TOP STORIESPetrol loses its long-held lead as India's car market shifts gears toward alternative fuels in a defining month for the automobile industry. August 2026 delivers the biggest-ever auto retail month, with CNG, hybrids, and electric vehicles collectively overtaking petrol in passenger vehicle sales for the first time.This crossover reflects changing buyer priorities around running costs, cleaner options, and wider model availability. Rural markets drive stronger growth than urban centers, while overall volumes climb 17.51 per cent year-on-year despite a monsoon slowdown. Dealers and industry bodies now turn their attention to the festive period as the true measure of demand strength. Goyal pushes automakers to balance localization with exports and to move beyond nominal claims of indigenization.Union Commerce and Industry Minister Piyush Goyal has warned companies against presenting limited value addition as deep localization. Speaking at the 66th SIAM annual convention, he said the government is tracking company-wise import and export data to map actual supply ecosystems.Firms that cannot localize certain components should offset the gap through higher exports. He also invited global carmakers to use India as a base for both domestic demand and worldwide production. India's solar manufacturing sector is entering a phase where scale, supply capability and the ability to respond to rising domestic demand are becoming increasingly important differentiators. As utility-scale projects, commercial and industrial installations and rooftop systems expand across the country, solar module manufacturers are seeing a corresponding increase in demand.Against this backdrop, Rayzon Solar has emerged as the second-largest solar module supplier in India by shipments during FY2025-26, according to data from JMK Research & Analytics. The company accounted for a 7.21 percent market share, placing it behind Waaree on JMK's FY2026 module shipment leaderboard. India's ambitious coal gasification push has hit an unexpected roadblock. The government created a Rs 37,500-crore incentive scheme to accelerate projects, strengthen energy security and reduce dependence on imported LNG, urea, methanol and other products.Yet, the scheme has attracted zero applications from both private and public sector players. The outcome raises questions about the commercial viability of coal gasification and the industry's willingness to invest in large-scale projects.The development also puts the government's target of gasifying 75 million tons of coal and lignite under scrutiny. PETROL LOSES ITS LEAD AS INDIA'S CAR MARKET SHIFTS GEARS37,500 CRORE, ZERO BIDS: WHAT WENT WRONG WITH COAL GASIFICATIONGOYAL PUSHES AUTOMAKERS TO BALANCE LOCALIZATION WITH EXPORTSINDIA SOLAR MARKET GROWS AS RAYZON SOLAR RISES TO NO. 2
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