Tata Motors on Friday unveiled more than 50 next-generation vehicles, visionary concepts and intelligent solutions at the ‘Bharat Mobility Global Expo 2025’ here, including 32 future-ready passenger and commercial vehicles.

N. Chandrasekaran, Executive Chairman, Tata Sons and Chairman, Tata Motors, said that for eight decades, Tata Motors has been at the forefront of shaping the future of mobility, pioneering advancements in safety, design, connectivity, and sustainability.

“The rapid shift toward green energy and mobility, an irreversible global megatrend, has made the need for clean, zero-emission vehicles more urgent than ever. We are leading this revolution in India with smart, holistic solutions delivering exceptional performance, reliability, and convenience,” Chandrasekaran said in a statement.

The Centre is closely monitoring the prices and availability of essential food commodities to ensure affordability to the consumers and to maintain a stable price regime, the Ministry of Consumer Affairs, Food and Public Distribution said in a statement issued on Friday.

Measures like incentivising domestic production and calibrating import and export policies to ensure overall availability and affordability of essential food commodities are being taken up, the Centre stated in the statement.

The production of pulses and onion in 2024-25 is estimated to increase over last year due to good monsoon rains and favourable weather conditions. Tur production is estimated to be 35.02 LMT which is 2.5 per cent higher than last year’s production of 34.17 LMT, the statement pointed out.

IT software major Wipro Ltd reported a 4.5 per cent sequential increase in consolidated net profit to Rs 3,354 crore for the October-December quarter of the current financial year compared to the preceding quarter.

The company has declared an interim dividend of Rs 6 per share.

The total revenue of the company remained flat at Rs 22,319 crore during the third quarter while the IT services revenue for the quarter declined 1.2 per cent sequentially to $2.63 billion.

IT and digital solutions provider Tech Mahindra on Friday reported 21.4 per cent drop in net profit at Rs 988 crore (quarter-on-quarter) in the October-December period of FY25, from Rs 1,257 crore in the same quarter last fiscal.

The company also reported 3.8 per cent decline (quarter-on-quarter) in revenue at Rs 13,300 crore, from Rs 13,835 crore in the same period last fiscal, according to its filing with stock exchanges.

Total headcount at the end of the quarter was 150,488, down 3,785 on the quarterly basis.

According to Mohit Joshi, CEO and Managing Director, Tech Mahindra, “we see an improved rate of deal wins in our key verticals and priortised markets”.

“This coupled with consistent expansion in operating margins, despite cross-currency headwinds during the quarter, reaffirms that we are on track to achieve our long-term goals,” said Joshi.

BMW India on Friday launched its first-ever ‘Made in India’ BMW X1 Long Wheelbase All Electric at the ‘Bharat Mobility Global Expo 2025’ here.

The introductory ex-showroom price of the BMW X1 Long Wheelbase All Electric eDrive20L M Sport is Rs 49,00,000, the company said in a statement.

The BMW X1 Long Wheelbase All Electric becomes the first electric vehicle by BMW to be ‘Made in India’. Locally produced at BMW Group Plant Chennai, the BMW X1 Long Wheelbase All Electric is available exclusively in the eDrive20L drivetrain.

A panel of industry experts and retired bureaucrats has called for urgent policy intervention to raise import duties on primary and downstream aluminium products to 10 per cent and impose a 7.5 per cent duty on aluminium scrap to check the surge in cheap imports coming into the country.

The step is seen in keeping with the approach adopted towards other key non-ferrous metals such as zinc, tin and lead.

Speaking at the webinar, 'Advancing Aluminium for Atmanirbhar Bharat: Key Imperatives', organised by Bureaucrats India, the panel said these measures are seen as critical for mitigating the surge in imports, which currently account for 56 per cent of domestic demand, and addressing the growing threat of India becoming a dumping ground for low-quality aluminium.

LTIMindtree posted a 7.1 per cent year-on-year increase in revenue to Rs 9,661 crore but the company's net profit fell during the October-December quarter of the current financial year amid rising expenses.

The IT major announced a net profit of Rs 1,087 crore which was 7.1 per cent lower than the corresponding figure for the same quarter of the previous year. It also represented a 13.2 per cent decline over the net profit in the preceding quarter.

LTIMindtree said it has 742 active clients as of December 31, 2024, and added 5 big clients in the $5 million to $50 million category on a year-on-year basis.

The IT major now has 86,800 professionals on its rolls as of December 31, 2024, of which 2,362 were added in Q3 (October-December). The trailing 12 months attrition of the company stands at 14.3 per cent.

The company's banking and financial services segment grew 7.5 per cent on-year, on the back of new deals with clients.

Apple, with its aspirational image and rising footprint, has entered the top 5 smartphone players in India for the first time, garnering nearly 10 per cent market share by volume in the October-December quarter (Q4) of 2024, industry data showed on Thursday.

According to Counterpoint Research, which analysed Apple's strategic approach, the implementation of a comprehensive three-dimensional (3D) strategy, centred around key pillars of domestic manufacturing, distribution and driving premiumisation, has helped the brand break into the top 5 smartphone players in the country.

“This multi-faceted approach reflects Apple's commitment to staying ahead in the market and catering to the evolving needs of consumers. There is a significant rise in the premium segment as we are witnessing incremental purchase behaviour in rising middle class in India, especially youth,” Tarun Pathak, Research Director, Mobile Devices and Ecosystems at Counterpoint Research, told.

IT major Infosys on Thursday reported 11.5 per cent increase in net profit at Rs 6,806 crore in the third quarter (Q3) this fiscal, from Rs 6,106 crore in the year-ago period.

The digital services and consulting leader delivered strong and broad-based performance with $4,939 million in Q3 revenues, growth of 1.7 per cent sequentially and 6.1 per cent (year-on-year) in constant currency.

Operating margin for Q3 was at 21.3 per cent, an increase of 0.2 per cent sequentially. Free cash flow for Q3 was highest ever at $1,263 million, growing 90 per cent year on year, the company said in a statement.

“Our strong revenue growth sequentially in a seasonally weak quarter and broad-based year on year growth, along with robust operating parameters and margins, is a clear reflection of the success of our differentiated digital offerings, market positioning, and key strategic initiatives,” said Salil Parekh, CEO and MD.

Indian tourists visiting the United Arab Emirates (UAE) will be able to use Unified Payments Interface (UPI) to make payments over a wider range of merchant locations with NPCI International Payments Limited (NIPL) announcing that it has entered into a partnership with Magnati, a payment solutions provider in the Middle East.

The collaboration aims to expand the QR-based merchant payment network in the UAE by enabling more merchants to provide UPI as a payment method to Indian travellers.

The partnership will be initially enabled at Dubai Duty-Free, catering specifically to Indian tourists. It will later be expanded to other sectors such as retail, hospitality, transport, and supermarkets, according to an NIPL statement.

NIPL, the international arm of the National Payments Corporation of India (NPCI), said this partnership would provide seamless payment options to more than 12 million Indians travelling to Dubai and the UAE annually.