India's telecom sector has been through dizzying peaks, troughs, policy U-turns, court battles, brutal competition, and daily controversies.India could go back to a private sector duopoly with just Reliance Jio and Bharti Airtel surviving the mayhem. The third player, Vodafone Idea, could be history.

The company will, however, not bring its new 5G-enabled Pixel 5 and Pixel 4a (5G) to India and Singapore markets.

On the highway, it pulls along with ease and offers smooth commuter ride and drive experience, and also has little competition, says Pavan Lall.

Higher exports will also drive up volumes, as the company seeks to avail of the benefits under the government's recently announced production linked incentive scheme.

There are a whopping 10 sedans slated for a launch in India this year. Rajesh Karkera/Rediff.com gives the lowdown.

If the small cars and sedans are here, can the big boys be far behind? Rajesh Karkera offers a checklist of the SUVs and MUvs coming to India this year.

As part of the ritual, ''halwa'' is prepared in a big ''kadhai'' (large frying pot) and served to the entire staff involved in the Budget making exercise of the ministry.Halwa was served while maintaining COVID protocol with all present in mask and those distributing sweets were wearing gloves.

Automaker Jeep India on Wednesday launched a locally assembled version of its premium SUV Wrangler in the country with introductory prices starting at Rs 53.9 lakh (ex-showroom).The company had started the production of the model at its Ranjangaon plant near Pune in February and is now ready for retail across the country.The locally-assembled Jeep Wrangler is available in two variants - the Unlimited and Rubicon, priced at Rs 53.9 lakh and Rs 57.9 lakh, respectively.Both variants come with a BS-VI compliant 2-litre turbo petrol powertrain, which produces 268 horsepower and 400 Nm of torque and comes mated with an 8-speed automatic gearbox.

German premium carmaker Audi on Monday launched the facelift version of its mid-spec performance car S5 Sportback in the domestic market at a starting price of Rs 79.06 lakh (ex-showroom).The five-seater, four-door sports coupe, has been brought as a completely built unit, the company said in a release.Audi India has seen a growth in demand from Tier-II and Tier-III cities, which is expected to accelerate further going forward, it added.

Smooth engine, plush interiors, great suspension that handle dodgy roads with ease, futuristic design elements that have little by way of competition in the market -- it's all there, says Pavan Lall.

The country's largest carmaker Maruti Suzuki India on Tuesday said its models Swift, Baleno, WagonR, Alto and Dzire have emerged as best selling cars in 2020-21 and the top five models have come from its stable for the fourth consecutive year.Swift with over 1.72 lakh units was at the number one position followed by Baleno with 1.63 lakh units, the company said in a statement.Maruti Suzuki India's (MSI) tall boy WagonR was in the third spot with 1.60 lakh units while Alto and Dzire were at fourth and fifth with 1.59 lakh units and 1.28 lakh units respectively, it added.

'It says, we are not just an overseas player -- we are Kia India and here for good'

German luxury car maker Audi on Thursday launched three all-electric SUVs under its e-tron range with prices starting from Rs 99.99 lakh kicking off its electrification journey in the country.The three all-electric SUVs -- e-tron 50, e-tron 55 and e-tron Sportback 55 -- are priced at Rs 99.99 lakh, Rs 1.16 crore and Rs 1.18 crore respectively (all prices ex-showroom), Audi India said in a statement.Commenting on the launch of the e-tron brand in India, Audi India Head Balbir Singh Dhillon said, "we are launching not one, but three electric SUVs that begin our electrification journey."The three electric SUVs are "the perfect confluence of luxury, zero emissions, performance and everyday usability", he added.

The Battista hyper GT delivers a unique dynamic experience that can be tailored to suit every journey and the pure-electric model will accelerate from 0-100 km/h in less than two seconds - faster than a current Formula 1 car.

However, it has an auditory feature that throws up a soft but audible whirring sound like a spaceship while driving as well as a different tone on the outside to let bystanders know a car is on its way, says Pavan Lall.

Is the XUV700 just a facelifted XUV500 or is it a completely new breed in the vast range of SUVs available today? Rajesh Karkera takes the latest offering from the Mahindra stable for a spin to find out.

Mercedes-Benz, Ferrari, Porsche and Lamborghini are some marquee badges that have introduced track cars to excite hard-core customers who want to push their cars to the limit, says Pavan Lall.

For the longest time the Polo GT had no real competition in terms of its build quality and product positioning. Until now, says Pavan Lall.

And it feels entirely different when compared to all its earlier avatars, observes Pavan Lall.

Rajesh Karkera and Hitesh Harisinghani set out to test drive the new CNG versions of Tata Tiago and Tigor, and come away impressed.

So what's special about the Kaziranga range? Rajesh Karkera and Hitesh Harisinghani find out.

The move points to a growing need to cater to a younger customer base, one that wants designer clothes not just for big occasions but also wishes to make them a part of their day-to-day lives by interpreting individual pieces in individualistic manners.

Jeep India, a part of automotive group Stellantis, on Tuesday announced the opening of bookings for its upcoming SUV Meridian, the production of which has also commenced from its joint venture manufacturing facility at Ranjangaon, Maharashtra.Customers can book the Meridian either at Jeep India dealership network or through the company's website with a down payment of Rs 50,000.Deliveries of the vehicle will start in June, it said in a statement.