Friday, February 10, 2012, AutomotiveWorld.com
Tesla Motors launched its new Model X electric SUV design prototype in a webinar on 9 February, and ...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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Friday, February 10, 2012, AutomotiveWorld.com
Nissan’s Infiniti brand has officially launched its flagship sales and service facility in Singapo...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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23 November, 2011 Automobile major Hyundai Motor Tuesday launched a liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) powered variant of its hatchback i10 priced between Rs.416,144 and Rs.430,659 (ex-showroom Delhi).
“The LPG version of our next-gen i10 is a viable alternative for customers looking at low running cost,” said H.W. Park, managing director and chief executive, Hyundai Motor India Ltd.
The new variant is powered by a 1.1 litre iRDE2 engine which can run on both LPG and petrol. The car has a factory-fitted LPG kit.
“With separate petrol (35 litre) and LPG (34 litre) tanks, the customers have an option to choose from LPG and petrol modes,” the company said in a statement.
The car sports a special LPG tank which offers larger boot space than other LPG-fitted cars.
“The LPG kit in i10 blue drive is impact resistant and is approved by the department of explosives,” the statement said.
The car has been fitted with an alternator management system which controls delivery of power to the battery, which extends the battery life and improves mileage.
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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25 November, 2011 German luxury car maker BMW launched its pre-owned car business in India that can make customers own a product of the brand for as low as Rs 16 lakh.
The company said it is looking at the business, BMW Premium Selection, to account for up to 10 per cent of its total new car sales. “Till October this year we have sold a total of 8,042 cars in India, accounting for 40 per cent of the luxury car market. With the BMW Premium Selection, we are looking to enhance position,” BMW India President Andreas Schaaf told reporters in Gurgoan.
The pre-owned car business will play an important role in the success of the company in India, he added. “We expect the used car business to be about 10 per cent of new car sales,” he said.
Asked how much would be the price differential between the new and used BMWs, Schaaf said : “For example, a 3Series sedan with three years of usage, can be available for up to Rs 16 lakh as against Rs 24 lakh for a brand new one.”
He said pre-owned BMWs will be available in seven exclusive BMW Premium Selection dealerships across India.
“The number of dealerships will be increased gradually as we go along in the next one to one-half years,” he said.
In order to push sales, BMW is offering 13 per cent finance rate on purchase of its pre-owned cars through its financial services arm, BMW Financial Services.
“These cars are less than five years and would have clocked under 120,000 kms,” he said adding the company is offering warranty of 24 months or up to 200,000 kms whichever is earlier.
Commenting on the market condition, Schaaf said the luxury segment was growing well till October.
“Since then it is getting much more difficult and the market has changed. We had set a target of selling 10,000 units this year, which is becoming difficult now.”
BMW’s rival Mercedes had already forayed into the used car market last year with ‘Proven Exclusivity’.
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09 November, 2011 South Korean car maker Hyundai has lined up 10-15 launches in India in the next four to five years, in an attempt to protect and boost its market share that is under pressure due to increasing competition.
The firm, whose market share in India has fallen to 18.3 percent from 21 percent in the past 12-18 months, plans to overhaul its portfolio with stylish so-called “fluidic” designs and enter categories where it has no presence.
“The excitement in the market is derived out of only new models and the facelifts, so you have to be continuously working towards it,” said Arvind Saxena, vice-president sales and marketing, Hyundai India. The company plans to launch a cost-saving LPG variant of Eon prompted by rising petrol prices.
Also on cards from Hyundai stable are an executive sedan positioned above Verna to take on likes of Chevrolet Cruze and Honda Civic, in addition to variants and facelifts of i10 and i20 in the next few years. Hyundai recently launched its smallest car Eon, pitted against Maruti’s global top seller Alto.
Hyundai’s planned product onslaught comes at a time India’s largest car maker Maruti Suzuki has lined up 15-20 cars by 2015. Foreign car markers have also planned a parade of new cars, including 6-8 from General Motors, eight from Ford, and 10-15 from Renault-Nissan.
Backed by the strong economic growth and low penetration of cars, the passenger car market in India has witnessed a strong double digit growth over the last few years and it is expected to maintain a growth of 12-14 percent in the next five years.
However in the first six month of this fiscal, passenger vehicle sales have remained sluggish, growing at 1.84 percent as rising interest rates, firmer commodity prices and stubbornly high inflation dented demand in one of the fastest growing car markets.
“Experts said it is not surprising to see a barrage of new launches as product lifecycles get shorter and competition intensifies.” The basic genesis has to be that it has to offer value and it has to be differentiated from other products.
With Eon at the bottom end and Santa Fe at the top, Hyundai will study all segments within this range that could make sense for the Indian market, Saxena said. With widening price differential between diesel and petrol, Hyundai has not ruled out compact diesel cars in future.
07 November, 2011 The iconic British marquee Jaguar Land Rover owned by the Tatas on Friday launched its popular Range Rover Evoque in Mumbai.
The premium SUV will be available in four versions including three in diesel and one in petrol, and is priced upwards of Rs 44.75 lakh (ex-showroom Mumbai).
“The Range Rover Evoque is a very important addition to the Land Rover and Range Rover portfolio. This car has excited audiences across the world and we expect the same from the discerning customers here,” Tata Motors managing director PM Telang told reporters at the launch.
“A lot of enquiry has been coming for this product. We think it will be well accepted and become popular,” he said.
The Evoque will be available in both five-door and coupe body styles. While the coupe is available in a petrol variant, the five door version will be in diesel.
“The response to the Evoque has been phenomenal across the world. We have seen a lot of interest and excitement around this car in the country. Globally, we have received 30,000 bookings for this and we expect to see a significant number of bookings here as well,” Jaguar Land Rover India head of Preier Car Division Rohit Suri said.
Friday, September 30, 2011, AutomotiveWorld.com
Indian vehicle manufacturer Mahindra & Mahindra has launched its first global SUV platform, the ...*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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21 September, 2011 Japanese automobile manufacturer Nissan’s Indian subsidiary on Tuesday launched its sedan car Sunny priced between Rs.5.75 lakh and Rs.7.68 lakh (ex-showroom).
“We are certain that Nissan Sunny will redefine the dynamics of the Sedan segment in India,” said Gilles Normand, corporate vice president, Africa, Middle East and India, Nissan Motor Co. The new car would compete with other mid-size sedans like Verna Fluidic, Ford Fiesta, Honda City, SX4 and Fiat Linea.
The company said the car would be produced at its Oragadam plant near Chennai with 85 percent localized parts.“We have been able to aggressively position it thanks to localization in excess of 85 percent, which also reiterates our commitment to India,” said Normand.
The company further said that bookings for the new sedan would be accepted from Sep 21 and the deliveries would be made in October.
“Sunny with a 16.95 km per litre of fuel economy will be available to customers across the country without any waiting period for delivery,” the company said in a statement.
The sedan is powered by a four-cylinder, 1.5-liter double overhead camshaft petrol engine, which can churn out a power of 99 PS at the rate of 6,000 rpm. The car boost of a large rear knee room for rear seat passengers, large centre armrest with cup holders in the rear seat.
The 10th generation of car launched Tuesday traces its lineage back to 1966 and till date has sold more than 16 million units in 140 countries.
Friday, September 23, 2011, AutomotiveWorld.com
Delphi Automotive reports that it is developing air conditioning technology for start-stop micro-hyb...*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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20 September, 2011 French car-maker Renault on Monday launched its premium SUV Koleos and said it will launch its small car and two other new models in the domestic market by early next year.
The two-litre, 4x4 diesel Koleos comes at Rs 24.1 lakh (ex-showroom Mumbai).
“We will launch our small car in India by next January. Besides, we will also launch an SUV and a mid-segment sedan in the same year,” Renault India Sales & Marketing Vice President Len Curran told reporters on the sidelines of the launch of the Koleos.
The French car major, which came to the country through a tie-up with the Mahindras earlier had exited from the JV in April 2010, and made its solo debut in the domestic market with the premium sedan Fluence in May.
The launch of the Koleos is a step forward in Renault India’s plans to introduce five cars here by the end of 2012, Curran said.
The Koleos made its international debut in 2008 and this is the first face-lift the vehicle has received since its launch, and being sold across five continents.
“The new Koleos made its world debut last week at the Frankfurt Motor Show. We are highly optimistic about the product and we are confident it will cater to the needs of all the customers who are looking for a premium SUV, which combines both style and dynamic abilities,” Curran said.
Curran also said the company will launch a mini SUV, the Duster by May-June next year and a mid-size sedan by next year-end. By 2015, Renault is hoping to be among the top three brands, he said.
Curran said that the company’s strategy for India is to first consolidate position in the premium segment and then to go in for volumes. Renault has also plans to expand its dealership network to 40 from the existing 14 by this December, he said adding by December 2012, “we aim to have 100 dealerships”.
Going by the enquiries and on-going festival season, we are confident of selling a good number of the Koleos.
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26 August, 2011 German luxury car maker BMW on Thursday said it has increased annual output from its Chennai plant to 11,000 units with the start of second shift from June.
The company, which is present in India through a wholly owned subsidiary, today launched its sports utility vehicle X3 priced between Rs 41.2 lakh and Rs 47.9 lakh (ex-showroom, across India).
“We have expanded our production facility by starting the second shift of production. The production has been expanded to 11,000 units annually from 10,000 units,” BMW India President Andreas Schaaf told reporters in Pune.
Earlier in March, the company had ramped up production capacity from 8,000 to 10,000 units per year in single shift operations.
“If needed we can add another assembly line, if needed we can increase the output of the second shift and if needed we can add another production site. Everything is possible on our strategy for the next 10 years,” Schaaf said. He said the company was targeting to sell one lakh units every year in India, but declined to share any timeline.
In March, BMW India had said it is targeting sales of up to 60,000 units in the next 10 years and will invest an additional Rs 70 crore by 2012. Last year, BMW retained its number one position in the Indian luxury car segment with sales of 6,246 units, which was up 73 per cent from the previous year.
To expand its product portfolio in the country, BMW India today introduced its SUV X3 in diesel options. The vehicle will be produced at its Chennai plant as a completely knocked down unit. The sales of the car will start from next month.
Commenting on the new model, Schaaf said: “The launch of the new BMW X3 is a significant milestone in our growth strategy in India... It will be a volume car for us.” The company has recently increased the number of employees in to over 650.
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11 August, 2011 German luxury car maker Mercedes Benz on Wednesday announced the launch of ‘SLK 350’ in the country, priced at Rs 61.9 lakh (ex showroom New Delhi).
Commenting on the sales expectations from the new model, Mercedes Benz India Director (Sales and Marketing) Debashis Mitra said: “Last year, we were selling 3-4 cars a month. We hope with the new SLK we will be improving that number”.
The new car will come to India as a completely built unit (CBU) and will be available in petrol version, Mitra said, adding that the company sold around 3-4 cars a month of SLK 200 last year.
Speaking about affect of the recent interest rate hikes and increase in cost of petrol on the luxury car segment, Mitra said the impact would not be substantial.
“..the luxury car industry will be impacted, we cannot say it won’t be impacted. But the growth rates are extremely impressive now. It will come down to impressive. But I don’t think it won’t go to low or something like that because its now growing at 50-55 per cent,” Mitra said.
Mercedes-Benz India sold 5,819 cars between January and December, 2010, the highest-ever sales figure registered by the company in the country.
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04 August, 2011 German automobile major BMW on Wednesday said it will start an unique initiative in Mumbai and cities around the world to address the problems arising out of increasing population and inadequate facilities and come up with solutions to create sustainable metros.
The BMW-Guggenheim initiative is designed as a mobile laboratory, which will explore new ideas and help in the creation of solutions to make city life easier.
“We wanted one venue of the first cycle of the lab to be in Asia and after careful deliberation, we selected Mumbai. A vibrant, diverse city, it is the most populous city in India and the world,” said Richard Armstrong, director of Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum which will conduct the research with the automobile major.
“It will be an endlessly rewarding place to explore and create dialogue around a range of urban issues,” he added.
The six-year project aims to cover nine major cities worldwide on a mobile lab which will travel three cities in phases. The first phase will cover New York, Berlin and Mumbai.
“The theme for cycle 1 is confronting comfort. Will explore how urban environments can be made more responsive to people’s needs, how people can feel at ease in an urban environment,” BMW said in a statement.
