Business
Renault opens new car design centre in Chennai

Laurens van den Acker, Chief Design Officer, Renault Group and M Venkatram, Country CEO and MD, Renault India at the unveiling of a sculpture model designed by the Renault Design team, at the Renault Nissan Technology & Business Centre at Mahindra City, near Chennai
| Photo Credit:
BIJOY GHOSH


The company’s design journey in India began with studios in Pune and Mumbai, which have now been consolidated into the new state-of-the-art Chennai facility.Renault already operates one of its largest global R&D centers in Chennai, with nearly 10,000 engineers contributing to both local and international projects. The company also actively exports made-in-India components for use in vehicles manufactured around the world.Published on April 22, 2025 “India is a unique and complex market shaped by local consumer preferences. Establishing a dedicated design studio here is essential to truly understand these dynamics and create relevant solutions,” said Laurens van den Acker, Chief Design Officer, Renault Group. “The Chennai studio will not only focus on India-specific concepts and models but will also contribute to global projects under the Renault Group umbrella.”French automaker Renault has unveiled what it calls its largest design facility outside France, the Renault Design Centre Chennai (RDCC), located within the Renault Nissan Technology & Business Centre India campus at Mahindra City, near Chennai.This new facility will be responsible for designing all five upcoming Renault models set to launch in India over the next two years. The studio currently employs over 30 design professionals.“We are proud to be the most Indian of European carmakers,” Venkatram Mamillapalle, Country CEO and Managing Director of Renault India Operations, said. “From our extensive R&D center to a robust manufacturing footprint and a deeply localized supply chain, Renault has built strong roots in India. The new Chennai design centre adds yet another dimension to this foundation, positioning us to take forward the Renault International Game Plan 2027.”“We are expanding our Indian design team and collaborating closely with stakeholders across the country’s automotive ecosystem,” van den Acker added. “This enables us to deliver products that resonate deeply with Indian consumers while strengthening Renault’s global innovation pipeline.”
Business
United Spirits Q4 PAT rises 17% to ₹451 cr for Q4FY25

For the full year FY25, it reported a PAT of ₹1,158 crore, up from last fiscal’s ₹1,312 crore.


Published on May 20, 2025
Business
DLF Q4 net profit rises 37% to ₹1,268 cr; FY25 profit surges 59%

“The Board has recommended a dividend of ₹6 per share for shareholders’ approval. This payout would signify a year-on-year growth of 20% in the dividend compared to the previous year,” the company said in a statement.For the full year, the company’s net profit stood at ₹4,357 crore, up 59 per cent y-o-y; while revenues (consolidated) stood at Rs 8996 crore. Revenue was driven by new sales bookings of ₹21,223 crore, up 44 per cent y-o-y.Published on May 19, 2025 The company generated a net cash surplus of ₹5,302 crore during the fiscal year, and its net cash position improved to ₹6,848 crore for FY25.


DLF’s annuity business, DLF Cyber City Developers Limited (DCCDL), stood at ₹6,448 crore; EBITDA stood at ₹4,949 crore, reflecting a y-o-y growth of 11%; consolidated profit for the year stood at ₹2,461 crore, a y-o-y growth of 46%.Published on May 19, 2025 The company generated a net cash surplus of ₹5,302 crore during the fiscal year, and its net cash position improved to ₹6,848 crore for FY25.“The Board has recommended a dividend of ₹6 per share for shareholders’ approval. This payout would signify a year-on-year growth of 20% in the dividend compared to the previous year,” the company said in a statement.For the full year, the company’s net profit stood at ₹4,357 crore, up 59 per cent y-o-y; while revenues (consolidated) stood at Rs 8996 crore. Revenue was driven by new sales bookings of ₹21,223 crore, up 44 per cent y-o-y.The other big-ticket launch, DLF Privana West, witnessed a complete sellout within a few days of the soft launch, clocking approximately ₹5,600 crore of new sales bookings.“The Dahlias, received encouraging demand and generated ₹13,744 crore in new sales bookings during the fiscal. This has resulted in the monetization of approximately 39 percent of the estimated total sales potential of this project within the first year of its launch,” the company said in a statement. The country’s largest realtor, DLF, reported a net profit of ₹1,268 crore, up 37 per cent y-o-y, for the quarter ending March 31, 2025. Revenue (consolidated) for the period stood at ₹3,348 crore.
Business
Editorial. Pressure tactics

Since April 8, when President Trump slapped his reciprocal tariffs on 57 countries with a 90-day deadline for them to take effect, his administration has gone overboard in ramping up the pressure on India. The gambit here is crudely simple — to force India to ink a deal in these 90 days, before July 8, in order to escape the 26 per cent tariffs that are expected to kick in after that. The same trick is being played out with the rest of the world as well, forcing quite a few countries to line up for talks with the US. In India’s case, Trump and his colleagues have cynically generated a lot of confusion. India has maintained a studied silence in the face of zero tariff claims. Its reticence was perhaps aimed at ensuring that the talks proceeded in good faith. But US’ actions have marred the process. Trump has proposed a ‘big beautiful Bill’ that may ‘tax’ 5 per cent of billion NRI remittance outflows. India should be circumspect in the face of pressure, without allowing the US to set the pace in the talks. A bad deal cobbled in haste is far worse than none at all. Meanwhile, India sent out another sharp message that it will look out for its interests. In a throwback to Trump 1.0, India has proposed retaliatory action on US’ tariffs on steel and aluminium. However, it needs to work out a plan with respect to other areas as well. At the outset, it should be clear that the US’ interests in India go beyond trade per se to persuading India to alter its regulatory systems with respect to GM food, e-commerce, big tech, pharma and other high tech sectors. It is also keen on access to India’s food (maize and soyabean) and dairy sector, besides selling defence equipment and oil. India has enough in its toolkit to squeeze a deal that does not hurt its interests. A levy on e-commerce monopolies, a cap on royalty payments, applying data localisation rules and compulsory licensing of patented drugs can be used to ward off an adverse outcome.


There is scope to bring down tariffs in products which are zero-rated with other FTAs. A deal that brings down tariffs on India’s goods to 10 per cent is possible without much sacrifice. But Trump’s bluff and bluster must be called out, whether it is over trade or matters of national security, even as we keep our ties with US on an even keel. Meanwhile, India sent out another sharp message that it will look out for its interests. In a throwback to Trump 1.0, India has proposed retaliatory action on US’ tariffs on steel and aluminium. However, it needs to work out a plan with respect to other areas as well. At the outset, it should be clear that the US’ interests in India go beyond trade per se to persuading India to alter its regulatory systems with respect to GM food, e-commerce, big tech, pharma and other high tech sectors. It is also keen on access to India’s food (maize and soyabean) and dairy sector, besides selling defence equipment and oil. India has enough in its toolkit to squeeze a deal that does not hurt its interests. A levy on e-commerce monopolies, a cap on royalty payments, applying data localisation rules and compulsory licensing of patented drugs can be used to ward off an adverse outcome. In a move that perhaps marks a shift in the way India is approaching trade talks with the US, the External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar has firmly refuted the US’ claim, made repeatedly in recent weeks, that India has agreed to nil tariffs on US imports. Jaishankar’s statement last week tersely and firmly clarifies that trade talks are in progress, and ‘nothing is decided until everything is decided’. India has cleared the air, and it was high time that it did so. It coincides with the upcoming trade talks between the two countries this week; Commerce and Industries Minister Piyush Goyal is in the US with his team of negotiators.
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