MAM
Ekovehicles to launch electric scooter in Bangalore
BANGALORE: After the electric car ‘Rewa’, Bangalore is going gaga for another battery run automobile. Set to hit the roads on 21 January, the Eco-Cosmic is a low cost battery operated electric scooter manufactured by Bangalore based Ekovehicles Pvt. Ltd.
The vehicle is expected to cost around Rs 29,000 (inclusive Rs 4,000 towards taxes and insurance). The scooter is designed to target the lower middle class segment.
The vehicle has a range of around 50 kms per battery charge. Each four-hour battery charge translates into an approximately 1KWh charge which means about Rs 3 to Rs 6 cost for the 50 kms range. The company says that the actual cost per km works out to about Re. 0.35 per km for their scooter as against the average cost of Re1 per km for the petrol driven scooters.
The company plans to manufacture 750 to 1000 units per month during the first year of operations and already have a three month backlog of bookings. They plan to appoint about 20 dealers in Bangalore initially.
The company is also in talks with colleges, petrol bunks, cinema theaters, hospitals and major institutions for setting up ‘Rapid Charging Points’ which will reduce the battery charging time to about 15 minutes and has received ‘in-principal’ approval from some institutions. Initially the company expects to set up around 55-60 such charging points in Bangalore.
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Wipro hires 7,500 freshers, withholds FY27 hiring outlook
Profit rises to Rs 3,522 crore, Rs 15,000 crore buyback announced.
MUMBAI- Hiring may be on, but visibility is off, Wipro is adding talent even as it pauses the crystal ball. The company hired 7,500 freshers in FY26 but stopped short of offering any hiring outlook for FY27, underscoring the uncertainty gripping the IT services sector as it pivots towards an AI-led operating model.
The disclosure came alongside its fourth-quarter earnings, where management flagged volatile demand conditions and refrained from committing to future workforce expansion. Chief human resources officer Saurabh Govil noted that over 3,000 of the total hires were onboarded in the March quarter alone, signalling continued intake despite a lack of clarity on deployment pipelines.
This divergence active hiring without forward guidance reflects a broader industry pattern where talent acquisition continues even as deal conversions remain uneven and client spending cycles stretch. Wipro expects its IT services revenue for the June quarter to range between a decline of 2 per cent and flat growth sequentially in constant currency terms, reinforcing near-term caution.
Chief executive officer Srini Pallia pointed to artificial intelligence as both a disruptor and an opportunity. He said evolving client priorities are pushing the company towards outcome-driven engagements, with Wipro increasingly focusing on a services-as-software model through its AI Native Business and Platforms unit. The shift marks a structural change from traditional headcount-led growth to AI-enabled delivery frameworks.
The company has already committed over $1 billion to its AI ecosystem, with investors closely watching how these investments translate into revenue. For now, the numbers present a mixed picture. Net profit rose sequentially to Rs 3,522 crore, while revenue grew 3 per cent to Rs 24,236 crore. However, core IT services performance remained under pressure, with full-year revenue declining 0.3 per cent in dollar terms and 1.6 per cent in constant currency.
Large deal bookings offered a counterpoint, rising 45.4 per cent year-on-year to $7.8 billion, highlighting a widening gap between deal wins and actual revenue realisation. On a quarterly basis, IT services revenue slipped 1.2 per cent sequentially, signalling continued softness in execution.
Margins, however, told a more optimistic story. Operating margins expanded to 17.3 per cent in the fourth quarter, up from 14.8 per cent in the previous quarter, reflecting improved cost discipline. That said, the company cautioned that upcoming wage hikes and the ramp-up of large deals could exert pressure going forward.
Attrition stood at 13.8 per cent in the March quarter, indicating stabilisation after periods of elevated churn. Alongside its earnings, Wipro also announced a Rs 15,000 crore share buyback, reinforcing its focus on shareholder returns, with a payout ratio of 88 per cent over the past three years.
Taken together, the numbers capture a company in transition investing in AI, maintaining hiring momentum, but navigating a demand environment where growth is uneven and visibility remains limited.
