TMS Ep246: Hybrid cars, China's property crisis, RIL AGM, Benami law

Amid the ongoing push to introduce electric vehicles on Indian roads, one important factor seems to have taken a backseat. The fact that electric vehicles are way more expensive than the traditional combustion engine vehicles. Maruti Suzuki Chairman R C Bhargava has now appealed to the government to incentivise alternative technology such as hybrid, CNG, biogas, and ethanol for small and affordable cars. He has made a strong pitch to the government with the belief that a sizeable proportion of Indian consumers need an alternative to the costly electric vehicles. So, as India tries to meet ambitious clean-mobility goals, are low-cost hybrids the solution that the Indian car market needs? 

While India is still testing the waters, in neighbouring China, the electric vehicle market is booming. China is the largest EV market in the world, accounting for 53 percent of global sales last year. But, its real estate bubble is finally bursting. People are hitting the roads in protests while the government is trying hard to douse the flames -- using a mixture of crackdown and incentives. Here's an insight into the brewing crisis in China.

China is ramping up financing support for its troubled real estate sector, and another bailout may also be on the cards. Meanwhile, back home, a slew of big announcements may be on the cards as Mukesh Ambani-controlled Reliance Industries is set to hold its 45th annual general meeting on Monday. The company may announce its plans for 5G rollout, green hydrogen, solar power, and the retail business. Our next report takes a stock  

Markets, meanwhile, nosedived on Thursday ahead of US Federal Reserve’s Jackson Hole conference. Let us move on to a law which was in the news recently. The Supreme Court on Tuesday struck down a provision of the Benami Transactions (Prohibition) Act 1988 as unconstitutional. It entailed punishment for any ‘Benami’ transaction. This episode of the podcast tells more about the ‘Benami’ law