India
India's air quality immediately improves under coronavirus lockdown
Indians breathed easier on Monday as lockdowns ordered to combat the spread of the coronavirus in India's megacities kept cars off the road and closed factories, improving air quality and letting people see blue skies instead of heavy grey smog. Last year, India accounted for around half of the world's 50 most polluted cities, according to Swiss firm IQAir, with emissions caused partly by industry, vehicle exhaust and coal-fired plants. Now, however, New Delhi and at least 75 Indian districts
India's slowing economy led to record drop in car sales in 2019
Car sales in India fell by a record 19% last year as a slowing economy made consumers reluctant to spend on big-ticket items and demand is likely to be flat this year, the Society of Indian Automobile Manufacturers (SIAM) said on Friday. Passenger car sales fell to 1.81 million in 2019 from 2.24 million in 2018. Sales of sport-utility vehicles (SUVs), however, rose 5% helped by the launch of new models, data released by SIAM showed.
