Mint TOTM: Tata Motors PV wants to make hatchbacks great again

Tata Motors Passenger Vehicles Ltd. thinks India’s hatchback slump has been badly misunderstood. Buyers, it says, didn’t abandon small cars, but carmakers abandoned small-car buyers by turning hatchbacks into dull, bare-bones machines. All this, while SUVs got all the attention, technology and glamour.

Now, the maker of India’s first home-grown hatchback wants to reverse that trend. After refreshing the Tiago and Altroz in quick succession, Tata Motors PV is betting that Indian buyers still want affordable small cars, provided they feel aspirational again. CEO Shailesh Chandra says hatchbacks lost appeal because the segment stopped evolving, even though millions still begin their car-buying journey there.

The strategy comes as hatchbacks shrink from nearly half of India’s car market to just one-fifth. Industry experts say rising SUV demand, fewer launches, and narrowing price gaps between hatchbacks and compact SUVs all contributed to the decline.

Experts believe the current environment, marked by fuel-price hikes and economic uncertainty, could actually favour smaller, fuel-efficient cars again.

Meanwhile, Tata Motors PV is pushing hatchbacks with premium features, multiple powertrains and stronger safety credentials, hoping to make small cars exciting instead of merely practical. Read more.

In today's edition of Mint TOTM newsletter:

• India’s power problem begins after sunset
• Nickel nerves hit India’s EV dreams
• India’s deep-fried dependence

THE MAIN STUFF

India’s power problem begins after sunset

India’s electricity grid is facing a new challenge: evenings. While solar energy is helping meet soaring daytime demand during the heatwave, power shortages are rising sharply after sunset, when demand stays high, but solar supply disappears.

The critical 6:00-10:00 pm window is now the grid’s weakest point.

Analysts say affordable large-scale battery storage and stronger long-term power contracts are becoming essential as renewable energy’s rapid growth reshapes India’s electricity system. Read more.

Nickel nerves hit India’s EV dreams

India’s electric-vehicle, battery-storage and stainless-steel industries are growing anxious as the conflict in West Asia disrupts supplies linked to nickel refining in Indonesia.

Shortages of sulphur and phosphates—critical for nickel processing—are pushing up costs and creating supply uncertainty across clean-energy supply chains. The Nickel prices have already risen sharply in tandem, squeezing manufacturers of premium EV battery and stainless steel.

Industry experts say India’s heavy dependence on imported processed nickel exposes vulnerabilities, making supply diversification and domestic refining increasingly crucial for the country’s energy-transition ambitions. Read more.

India’s deep-fried dependence

India’s love affair with deep-fried food is becoming a serious economic and health problem. The country now imports nearly 60% of its edible oil needs, spending a staggering ₹1.72 trillion last year alone, with the bill expected to cross ₹2 trillion soon as global prices surge amid the West Asia conflict.

Higher freight costs, a weak rupee and Indonesia diverting palm oil toward biodiesel have pushed retail oil prices sharply higher. Experts say India’s dependence stems from decades of neglecting domestic oilseed production after briefly achieving self-sufficiency in the early 1990s through NDDB’s iconic Dhara brand and Operation Golden Flow. Read more.

Google’s AI pitch aims at India’s cloud wars

Google Cloud is betting big on AI to win India’s fast-growing enterprise cloud market. India head Sashikumar Sreedharan told Mint that businesses are increasingly signing long-term cloud deals powered by Gemini AI models, especially for automation, Agentic AI and data-driven workflows.

Google Cloud currently holds 14% of India’s cloud market, trailing Amazon Web Services and Microsoft Azure. Analysts say Google’s edge lies in bundling AI with workplace tools, though breaking existing long-term enterprise cloud relationships remains a tough challenge in India. Read more.

GMR pulls ahead of Adani Airports

GMR Airports Ltd. raced ahead of rival Adani Airports in FY26, clocking 40% revenue growth versus Adani’s 28%, helped largely by higher international passenger tariffs at the Delhi airport. The operator is now accelerating expansion, with the Bhogapuram airport in Andhra Pradesh set to open earlier than planned and Nagpur operations likely to begin this year.

Despite modest passenger growth industry-wide, both airport giants are betting on future traffic recovery and expansion-led gains. Read more.

🔢 NEWS IN NUMBERS

• 40%: The revenue growth reported by GMR Airports for FY26, outpacing rival Adani Airports’ 28% growth, aided by revised tariffs for international passengers at the Delhi airport.
• ₹1,404.7 crore: The standalone net profit reported by commercial vehicle manufacturer Ashok Leyland Ltd. in Q4 FY26, up 12.7% from the same period last year.
• 62%: The share of equity mutual fund schemes that outperformed their respective benchmarks during Q4 FY26, according to a Ventura Securities report.
• ₹138 crore: The value of development projects launched in Almora district by Uttarakhand’s chief minister, covering roads, water supply, education, healthcare, irrigation, urban and rural infrastructure.
• ₹113 crore: The standalone net profit reported by Bharat Dynamics Ltd. for Q4 FY26, down 59% from the same period last year.
• $250 million: The settlement reached by Activision Blizzard shareholders over allegations that former executives and Microsoft Corp. shortchanged them during the $75.4 billion acquisition in 2023.
• 1,077: The number of suspected Ebola cases in the Democratic Republic of Congo as of 26 May, as the country seeks experimental antibody treatments amid rising infections.

AROUND THE WORLD

• China is exporting its factories and spooking the world
• Why the US Federal Reserve’s balance sheet needs to shrink
• Kevin Warsh’s troublesome inflation in-tray
• One million new-car buyers are gone and not coming back soon
• Ukraine’s latest challenge is how to deal with hope

CHART OF THE DAY

LOUNGE RECOMMENDS

A culinary adventure in Lithuania: Explore Vilnius through its Pink Soup Fest in May, and walk into the many women-run canteens for a taste of home-style dishes like potato dumplings, deep-fried bread, and a cake that is baked on a rotating spit and looks like a tree. Read more.

WHAT THE FACT

Chasing the first win

At the upcoming 2026 FIFA World Cup, nine teams will enter the tournament having never won a single match at the men’s World Cup finals. Five of them—Canada, Haiti, Iraq, New Zealand and Qatar—have appeared before but remain winless. The other four—Cape Verde, Curaçao, Jordan and Uzbekistan—will be making their World Cup debuts. By the end of the tournament, at least one of them is almost certain to finally break the drought.

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