Friday, November 25, 2011, AutomotiveWorld.com
Tata Motors has launched its low-floor air-conditioned buses in Bangladesh. The OEM is targeting th...Any questions? Email us or call our Member Services team on +44 29 2070 9302.Our free E-Newsletter service is an excellent way of staying up to date with news and features from around the global auto industry.
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24 November, 2011 Tata Motors, maker of the world’s cheapest car Nano, is producing it at less than half of the annual installed capacity of 2.5 lakh units, a senior company official said on Wednesday.
“Our installed capacity for Nano is 2.5 lakh units per annum and we are presently producing 10,000 cars per month,” R Ramakrishnan, VP (commercial), passenger car business head of Tata Motors Ltd, said.
Launching the new version of SUV Sumo in Kolkata, Ramakrishnan told reporters, however, that Nano sales are increasing every month.
To penetrate the rural markets more, the company is in the process of setting up exclusive Nano outlets with the target segment being those owning two-wheelers, he said.
Regarding market share in the SUV segment, he said the company is taking steps to arrest the decline. “At present, out market share in the overall SUV category is 14 per cent which is lower than previous years,” he said.
Tata Motors is introducing more fuel efficient models to buck the industry trend of sagging sales, owing to high fuel costs and increased interest rates, he added.
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23 November, 2011 Force Motors Ltd, the Pune-based maker of a range of commercial vehicles, plans to invest Rs 1,000 crore over the next two years for the development of new models.
Force Motors Managing Director Prasan Firodia told reporters in Hyderabad on Tuesday while inaugurating a showroom for its new sports utility vehicle (SUV) ‘Force One’.
The company, which has a manufacturing capacity of one lakh vehicles in Madhya Pradesh, expected an overall turnover of Rs 3,000 crore in this financial year, he said.
Talking about Force One, Firodia said that the turbo-charged heart of the SUV, the 2.2 FM tech Engine, beats faster than any other SUV in its segment.
9.1 / 12.8 km/l (city/highway), 1.8L I-4 Petrol
5-speed Manual Transmission (MT) * Estimated values may differ under various conditions.
Side indicator with Escutcheon. Power windows. Power steering. More spacious. Has a digital trip meter with multi-trip option. Malfunction indicator.
Hindustan Ambassador has launched a new version of its Ambassador car, without much fanfare in March 2011. Considered as the definitive Indian car and fondly referred to as "The King of Indian roads", the Amby, the oldest automobile company of India seems to "simply refuse to die". The company undertook a massively ambitious makeover, to pep up its declining popularity. Hindustan Motors plans to continue manufacturing the old Ambassador for the taxi segment and expects the new version to be well accepted by the buyers.
Ambassador cars, built on the Morris Oxford III (1956 to 1959) model, have been in production since 1954. In India, Ambassador cars are built in the Uttarpara plant of Hindustan Motors, near Kolkata, West Bengal. The plant has been manufacturing the old Ambassador 1500 and 2000 cc diesel, 1800 cc petrol and CNG and LPG Variants in the passenger vehicle segment along with the 1-tonne payload HM Shifeng Winner, the 1500 CC diesel car.
The car enjoyed immense popularity in the Indian market as it was considered ideal for the rugged Indian terrain with its good suspension. Ambassador attained an iconic status, ruling as the most preferred car for the Indian politicians. Some of the prominent politicians including Mrs Sonia Gandhi still prefer to use the Ambassador.
The new Ambassador has been launched in a petrol version and is a BS-IV compliant. Ambassador Grand is powered by a 1,817 CC engine which produces an output of 71 bhp of maximum power at 4,800 rpm and maximum torque of 13.7 kgm at 2,250 rpm. The engine, derived from Isuzu is mated with a 5-speed manual gearbox and independent suspension. The Ambassador Grand has an MPFI engine with ECU in the new retro and 1800 ISZ for easy cold start.
Ambassador Grand features side indicators with Escutcheon. The car has rear view mirror and headlamp with clear glass and features power steering, which facilitates easy maneuverability. Hindustan Motors has worked on the interiors of the car, making it more spacious. The car has been provided with power windows, a music system, moulded door pad and mobile charger. The car has a digital trip meter with multi-trip option along with a malfunction indicator which lights up when the engine needs a check up.
The new ambassador has a full-wheel hub cover and soft touch door handle and a diamond cut tail lamp. The car has been used as taxicab and as a government limousines, this fact alone speaks volumes about the build quality, sturdiness and luxury quotient of the car. Its dependability, spaciousness and comfort factor have made it the most preferred car for generations of Indians. Ambassador, the only automobile to ply Indian roads for more than five decades now, has carved a special niche for itself in the passenger car segment.
The improvements include improved suspension, smoother gears and ergonomically designed plush seats with wider tyres, contributing to high levels of driving comforts. Ample space in the boot also provides space for luggage. Front disc brakes for effective braking are also perfectly ideal for the Indian roads. The Ambassador stands tall on 15 inch radials. The Ambassador's time-tested, tough, accommodating and practical characteristics make it a truly Indianised car.
Hindustan Ambassador plans to follow the launch with a diesel and CNG variant along with a small car subsequently. The new ambassador comes in six colour options, Jet Black, Lunar Silver, Fire Brick Red, Oyster Blue, Ecru Beige and Crystal White.
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29 September, 2011 An Indian court on Wednesday ruled that the law enacted by West Bengal state government to return a piece of land to farmers from the present occupant India’s Tata Motors, was “constitutional and valid.”
Tata Motors had planned to build a plant at Singur in the eastern state, where it wanted to make Nano - the world’s cheapest car. However, following large-scale violent protests from local farmers against the plant, Tata Motors scrapped this project in 2008 and later moved it to the western state of Gujarat.
Early this year, the West Bengal government enacted the “Singur Land Rehabilitation and Development Act, 2011,” to return the acquired land to the original land owners. Tata Motors opposed this act and had moved the Calcutta High Court challenging the constitutional merits of the act as well as the land rehabilitation and development rules framed under the act. The company will study the judgement and decide its next course of action, Tata Motors said in a statement.
Land acquisition has long been a politically charged issue in India, where hundreds of millions of poor farmers are a vital voter base for political parties.
Protests by villagers have already stalled major projects such as a steel mill by South Korean firm POSCO and halted the development of key highways. The court dismissed the petitions filed by Tata Motors and ruled that any action taken under the act was also constitutional.
Tata Motors can claim compensation at a lower court which has to decide within six months, the judgement said. Incase, the state government admits the compensation claim, it has to immediately pay as it has taken possession of the land, it said.
The court has directed the government to compensate Tata Motors as per the provisions of the Land Acquisition Act, 1894, and has asked the state machinery to ensure a smooth transfer of the land back to farmers.
Tata Motors can challenge this decision and order in appeal, the judgement said.
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21 September, 2011 Carmakers have slashed production during the festival season for the first time in a decade as rising interest rates and fuel prices have led to a pileup of unsold vehicles.
While the domestic auto industry raced to a growth of more than 30 percent during September-October last year, the expectations are muted this time round as demand is slowing down in the auto sector, reflecting and exacerbating the larger economic malaise.
Three of the largest carmakers, Maruti Suzuki, Tata Motors and Hyundai Motor have scaled down production, top component suppliers were quoted.
Departing from its usual practice of ramping up production during the festival season, the country’s leading carmaker Maruti Suzuki has cut production by 10-20 percent depending on the models. The move comes even as the company faces a major downslide in production because of the ongoing labour unrest at its Manesar plant which has led to higher inventories than the industry average of 15,000-20,000 vehicles. Tata Motors, too, has realigned its production while Hyundai India has resorted to exporting cars produced for the domestic market.
A senior Maruti Suzuki official on the condition of anonymity has been quoted that the company is open to increasing production soon if it sees an uptick in demand. “Yes, we have corrected our production because we do not want inventories to pile up. We are meeting every fortnight and we will increase production depending on the demand,” the official said.
P Balendran, vice-president, General Motors India, said carmakers generally see a growth of 20 percent or more in volumes during the festival season. However, he added, “Now, with unprecedented hike in interest rates, hike in petrol prices, high inflation, and negative market sentiments we are not expecting incremental volume of more than 5 percent during this festival season.”
Nearly 70 percent of cars are sold on credit and interest rates have soared nearly 300 basis points over the past year and a half. Petrol cars comprise a whopping 90 percent of unsold vehicles as the price gap between petrol and diesel has widened to almost Rs 25 per litre. Even as the demand for diesel cars is growing, carmakers are finding it difficult to sell petrol models despite offering attractive freebies.
It is a double whammy for Maruti Suzuki, which is facing a pile up of unsold cars even as it is being forced to keep 90,000 customers on hold for its hatchback Swift. The company’s functional Gurgaon plant is churning out mainly petrol models which are not selling while the Manesar plant, which manufactures the Swift, is in the grip of labour unrest.
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03 August, 2011 Homegrown auto major Tata Motors on Tuesday said it is looking to set up assembly operations for its small car Nano in overseas locations, including ASEAN region and Latin America.
While the company has already started exports of completely built units (CBU) of the Nano to Sri Lanka and Nepal earlier this year, it is considering the option of assembling the Nano abroad through export of completely knocked down units (CKD).
“There are many important markets for the Nano, like the SAARC countries, ASEAN nations and Latin American region. So we are studying those markets,” Tata Motors Managing Director, India Operations, P M Telang told reporters in New Delhi.
He was responding to a query on whether the company is planning to set up manufacturing plants overseas for Nano.
“Looking at the potential, we can think of the CBU route at first and later we may think of CKD operations...At present we are considering many countries for CKD for Nano but there is no timeline,” Telang added.
Tata Motors had started exporting the Nano in April this year with the shipment of 498 units to Sri Lanka, the first overseas destination, at a price of 9.25 lakh Sri Lankan rupees. Later in June, the company launched the Nano in Nepal at a price tag starting from 7.98 lakh Nepal rupees (about Rs 5.01 lakh).
In April, Tata Industries Managing Director Kishor A Chaukar had said Tata Motors was “at a very high stage” of finalising a production site for its small car Nano at an overseas location, which could be either in Latin America, Southeast Asia or Africa.
He had said the automobile major was exploring various options at different places and looking at uninterrupted supply chain for the components.
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07 July, 2011 Toyota Kirloskar Motors will expand the capacity of its second plant in Karnataka, which manufactures models like the Etios and Liva, a company official said.
The capacity of the second plant would be increased from 70,000 units per annum to 1.20 lakh units per annum, Toyota Kirloskar Motors VP (Sales) S Shetty said.
The investment required for the expansion would be Rs 215 crore and it would be completed by the second quarter of next year, he said.
Launching the Liva (the hatchback version of the Etios) here today, Shetty said that the company has sold 21,000 units of the Etios so far. The expected combined sales of Etios and Liva this year would be around 60,000, he told reporters.
Toyota Kirloskar Motors’ dealership network would also be expanded to 175 by the year-end from 150 at present, he said.
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03 August, 2011 Tata Motors on Tuesday said it is rejigging its dealerships with plans to open product category-specific outlets as it looks to increase sales volumes of passenger vehicles. The company, which currently has 250 full-range dealerships, will open 300 Nano-specific and 100 utility vehicle-specific showrooms by the end of this fiscal.
“There are few corrections needed to be done in few areas... There is a need for rethinking and rejigging of the product portfolio. We are also looking at some alternative dealership route,” Tata Motors Managing Director India Operations P M Telang told reporters in New Delhi. He was responding to query on why the company’s passenger vehicles sales have been dropping, although the commercial vehicles segment is doing well.
Explaining the “alternative dealership” route, company Vice-President (Commercial) Passenger Car Business Unit R Ramakrishnan said: “We are moving away from full range of dealerships to product specific dealerships.”
There will be three kinds of dealerships, Nano-specific, utility vehicle (UV), specific and passenger car-specific, although some could remain full-range dealerships. “At the starting of this fiscal, we had 250 full-range dealerships. By the end of this fiscal, we will have 300 Nano-specific, 100 UV-specific (dealerships),” he said.
Passenger car-specific dealerships will also be started this year, Ramakrishnan said, but did not provide the exact numbers. “In the course of this fiscal, we will transform some UV-specific dealerships to passenger car dealerships and also some full-scale dealerships will also become passenger car dealerships. No numbers have been finalised,” he added.
The homegrown firm’s total passenger vehicles sales in the domestic market fell by 38.30 per cent in July to 17,192 units from 27,865 units in the same month last year. Nano sales also crashed by 64 per cent to 3,260 units in July.
Tata Motors, however, posted a 14.30 per cent increase in commercial vehicle sales to 40,798 units in the domestic market during the month.
Commenting on the poor Nano sales, Ramakrishnan said: “We are still at the early stages of understanding the market. We are going through a learning curve and are trying a lot of different things in marketing activities, like selling the car through Big Bazaar outlets.”
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24 June, 2011 Commercial vehicles maker Force Motors Ltd plans to foray into the passenger vehicle segment by launching sports utility vehicles (SUVs) under Force One brand in July, a top official said on Thursday.
The plan is to sell 4,000 SUVs in the first year of operations, Managing Director Prasan Firodia told reporters. “Our core business remains commercial vehicles, that is our bread and butter. This is another vertical being created as the market is growing,” Firodia said.
He sees long term potential in the segment though economic factors are not showing very positive indications at present. “Growth in the automotive industry is going to be tremendous. We are not looking at this segment for short-term gains,” Firodia said.
India’s auto sales in 2010 had grown at a breakneck pace of 30 percent, but are showing signs of a slowdown as consistently rising interest rates are forcing the middle class to tighten their purse strings.
Car sales rose 7 percent in May, their slowest pace in two years, while sales of commercial vehicles such as trucks and buses rose 16.16 percent from a year earlier.
Force Motors, known for its light commercial vehicles brand Tempo, Matador and Traveller, has already invested about 1.5 billion rupees, over the last 12-18 months, in its plant to manufacture SUVs in Pithampur, Madhya Pradesh.
The plant has an installed capacity of 12,000 SUVs, which can be ramped up further, Firodia said. The production for the vehicle will be 75-80 percent localised, while other materials like the interiors and sheet metal stampings will be imported. In the short term, the company expects SUV sales to constitute 25-30 percent of the total, Firodia said without giving details.
For the fiscal year ended March 31, the company posted a 55 percent jump in net sales to 14.8 billion rupees while its profit dipped marginally to 586.2 million rupees.
Friday, June 24, 2011, AutomotiveWorld.com
Indian commercial vehicle manufacturer Force Motors is on the verge of entering the passenger vehicl...*All prices are based on a 12-month membership period.Our free E-Newsletter service is an excellent way of staying up to date with news and features from around the global auto industry.
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By: Colin Whitbread, Wednesday, June 15, 2011, AutomotiveWorld.com
The Tata Motors Group has reported global wholesales, including Jaguar Land Rover, of 88,251 in May ...*All prices are based on a 12-month membership period.Our free E-Newsletter service is an excellent way of staying up to date with news and features from around the global auto industry.
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Greaves Cotton, an Engineering company has announced that it has won a 10 year contract from Tata Motors to supply small diesel engine for its new 1/2-tonne truck Ace Zip which is expected to be launched in the Q1 of 2011.
Mr. Prabhakar Dev MD and CEO of Greaves Cotton said that “Greaves has developed a 600cc engine for TATA Motors’ new truck. It will also supply CNG engines for the truck.”
Greaves Cotton is supplying engines to Piaggio for its four-wheeler truck Ape as part of an eight-year contract. The company also meets the diesel engine needs of three wheeler makers including Piaggio, Mahindra & Mahindra, Atul Auto and Scooters India.
Greaves Cotton plans to build a new engine manufacturing plant at Aurangabad in Maharashtra at an investment of INR 100 crore to meet the growing demand for engines.
The statement said that this will take the company’s total automotive engine manufacturing capacity to 400,000 units per annum.
Greaves Cotton, an Engineering company has announced that it has won a 10 year contract from Tata Motors to supply small diesel engine for its new 1/2-tonne truck Ace Zip which is expected to be launched in the Q1 of 2011.
Mr. Prabhakar Dev MD and CEO of Greaves Cotton said that “Greaves has developed a 600cc engine for TATA Motors’ new truck. It will also supply CNG engines for the truck.”
Greaves Cotton is supplying engines to Piaggio for its four-wheeler truck Ape as part of an eight-year contract. The company also meets the diesel engine needs of three wheeler makers including Piaggio, Mahindra & Mahindra, Atul Auto and Scooters India.
Greaves Cotton plans to build a new engine manufacturing plant at Aurangabad in Maharashtra at an investment of INR 100 crore to meet the growing demand for engines.
The statement said that this will take the company’s total automotive engine manufacturing capacity to 400,000 units per annum.
Singur Locals has assured to Tata Motors for full cooperating for setting up a plant, prompting the industrial giant to consider meeting the representatives in this regard.
Tata Motors has indicated it will meet Representatives of landlosers who had given land for Tata’s Nano manufacturing plant before the company withdrew from the state in 2009 following violent local protests.
The locals were offering higher land price besides other demands from Tata’s.
“I can call on you during one of my visits to Kolkata”, Tata Motors Vice President (Govt Affairs and Collaborations) A S Puri said in his response on December 9.
He had said that “while the company’s assessment that the situation at Singur was not favourable as yet for industrial activity was true, “this was correct to some extent till December 2009.”
“We never thought that inspite of completion of 85 per cent of total project work, you would take such a painful decision to close the (Nano) project”, he wrote.
Tata Nano Pictures:
Source: ET
Tata Motor recently has funded research projects and working toward on the use of hydrogen from water as an alternative fuel to drive cars.
The research at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology will definitely put India on the global map for an eco friendly move.
Speaking on the launch, noted scientist C N R Rao said, “Tata has given $15 million to fund the research being conducted by MIT professor Daniel Nocera on using water as auto fuel. The project involves generating hydrogen by splitting water and storing it in a safe can to drive an automobile.”
He added, “As it is Tata’s dream to run his cars on water ultimately, he is funding the project so that he will have control on the innovative technology. He will also be associated with the start-up to develop the prototype, which will have a catalyst to warm up the water and create hydrogen as a fuel.”
Tata and Nocera, own the patent and plan to set up a start-up building a prototype that can store hydrogen in a compressed form. The compressed hydrogen is then fit into the car for using as an alternative fuel which is not only eco friendly but also cost effective.
