Suzuki Motorcycle launches SlingShot in South Indian market

September 1st, 2010

Suzuki Motorcycle India Private Ltd, a subsidiary of Japanese two-wheeler manufacturer Suzuki Motor Corporation today launched Suzuki SlingShot in the South Indian market.

Suzuki Motorcycle India Vice President (Sales and Marketing) Atul Gupta said that in the initial stage the firm is aiming to sell 5000 unit per month across the country. More
Courtesy:economictimes.indiatimes.com

Amco Batteries targets 500 cr topline in two years, to invest 100 cr in three years

September 1st, 2010

Amco batteries a part of amalgamations group targets to double revenue, riding on the strong demand in the automobile sector. The company has unveiled a slew of marketing branding and customer focused strategies.

” The company is targeting to achieve a turnover of Rs 500 crore by 2012-13 against Rs 212.39 crore in 2009-10″, group chairman, A Sivasailam told ET in Chennai on Tuesday on the sidelines of a function got up to honour employees who have completed 25 years of service with Amco.

He said, “After a lot of research, Amco has unveiled a new brand logo which is young, contemporary and stylish. We have introduced a range of new batteries for the auto sector. We are also looking at serving the market with high quality imported lithium battery from the US and small batteries from Taiwan and Korean at the right price”.
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Courtesy:economictimes.indiatimes.com

Tata Motors may seek JLR tech for smarter cars

September 1st, 2010

Tata Motors is looking to seek help from British subsidiary Jaguar Land Rover?s engineers to build more refined passenger cars. According to a top Tata Motors official, the mother company will use expertise in design, noise and vibration and other aspects to build a portfolio of cars that are more sophisticated than its current range of Indica hatchback, Indigo sedan and the Nano ultra low-cost car.

Speaking to ET, PM Telang, MD of Tata Motors India operations said: ?We know we need to improve our car operations in terms of fits, finishes, noise, vibration and design elements. That?s where Jaguar Land Rover can help us.? Indeed, JLR engineers were invited to take a look at the Nano following complaints of the car catching fire.

?We invited a group of engineers from JLR to join 20 engineers from Tata Motors and forensic experts and examine the Nano closely. They did a thorough job and came to the conclusion that there’s no design problems or faulty components with the Nano and that the instances of the car catching fire are stray instances.?
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Courtesy:autonews.indiacar.com

Record Maruti sales drive August growth

September 1st, 2010

Indian carmakers maintained their high-speed sales growth in August despite heavy rains and water logging in several parts of the country, led by market leader Maruti Suzuki who reported its highest monthly sales ever.

Buoyed by availability of easy financing and several sleek models to choose from in a booming economy growing at a rate of 8.8%, Indian consumers are only expected to drive up car sales in the coming festival months.

Maruti Suzuki led the charge by selling close to 1.05 lakh vehicles including exports in August, a gain of 24% year-on-year, while Tata Motors reported a more impressive 45% jump in car sales at more than 25,000 units on the back of incremental sales of world’s cheapest car, the Nano. More
Courtesy:economictimes.indiatimes.com

Hyundai to bring Santa Fe to India in Oct

September 1st, 2010

Hoping to be third time lucky, country?s second-largest carmaker, Hyundai Motor India, is launching sports utility vehicle Santa Fe in an attempt to capture a slice of the highly competitive SUV market, said a senior company official. To be priced in the range of `22-24 lakh, Hyundai is targeting the festive season in October for the launch.

“We will launch Sante Fe in October-November, ahead of the festive season. If volumes pick up, then we will consider assembling the vehicle here,” said Arvind Saxena, director, (marketing & sales), Hyundai Motor India. The seven-seater SUV, as against the earlier five-seaters, will be powered by a 2.2-litre diesel engine, and initially the company plans to import it as completely-built units.

The Korean auto major had earlier launched its SUVs?Terracan and Tuscon?but withdrew them from the Indian market after the SUVs went in for a ?model change? globally. More
Courtesy:autonews.indiacar.com

Tata Motors to roll out entry-level JLR models to drive up volumes

September 1st, 2010

Jaguar Land Rover (JLR), the luxury car brands owned by Tata Motors, will launch a slew of entry-level cars including a station wagon and a roadster to boost volumes across markets.

The operations of JLR, which Tata Motors bought in 2008 from Ford Motor for $2.3 billion, have been profitable over the past two quarters, the company’s chairman said at its annual general meeting. “JLR’s performance has vindicated my confidence,” said chairman Ratan Tata at the company’s 65th annual general meeting. Tata Motors is looking at integrating platforms with JLR to bring in economies of scale.

Tata Motors is also ramping up commercial vehicle capacity at its Dharwad plant, especially for the Ace, a small truck, which is used as a passenger carrier, and bus models to meet the growing demand in the recent months. The auto maker plans to invest close to `2,880 crore for developing new products for the next three years. More
Courtesy:economictimes.indiatimes.com

Hyundai to bring Santa Fe to India in Oct

August 31st, 2010

Hoping to be third time lucky, country?s second-largest carmaker, Hyundai Motor India, is launching sports utility vehicle Santa Fe in an attempt to capture a slice of the highly competitive SUV market, said a senior company official. To be priced in the range of `22-24 lakh, Hyundai is targeting the festive season in October for the launch.

“We will launch Sante Fe in October-November, ahead of the festive season. If volumes pick up, then we will consider assembling the vehicle here,” said Arvind Saxena, director, (marketing & sales), Hyundai Motor India. The seven-seater SUV, as against the earlier five-seaters, will be powered by a 2.2-litre diesel engine, and initially the company plans to import it as completely-built units.
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Courtesy:autonews.indiacar.com

Maruti tops in customer satisfaction for new cars: JD Power

August 31st, 2010

Auto major Maruti Suzuki tops the chart for buyers’ satisfaction with newly launched cars, while Tata Motors found its berth at the bottom, says a study by JD Power.

According to the latest study — India Sales Satisfaction Index — by the market research firm, Maruti Suzuki India (MSI) topped the list of 11 auto-makers, garnering 819 points on a 1,000-point scale. It was followed by Honda and Skoda, with 816 and 812 points, respectively.

“The success of Maruti Suzuki is largely attributed to the enthusiasm of sales people at the dealership, as well as their ability to understand customer requirements and provide knowledgeable answers to queries,” JD Power Asia-Pacific Executive Director Mohit Arora said. More
Courtesy:economictimes.indiatimes.com

Toyota to start trial production of Etios in Sept

August 31st, 2010

The world’s largest car-maker Toyota today said it will start trial production of its much anticipated small car ‘Etios’ for the Indian market from next month, three months ahead of its proposed launch.

The Japanese car major, which is present in India through a joint venture with the Kirloskar Group, is investing Rs 3,200 crore to set up its second manufacturing facility in Bangalore to roll out its first small car in India by December.

“Before starting the commercial production in December, we will have two rounds of trial productions. While one will start in September, the next one will be in October,” Toyota Kirloskar Motor (TKM) Deputy Managing Director (Commercial) Shekar Viswanathan told PTI. More
Courtesy:autonews.indiacar.com

Suzuki to invest Rs 150 cr to double capacity by 2012

August 29th, 2010

Suzuki plans to invest Rs150 crore to double the production capacity at its wholly-owned two-wheeler company in India to 5.4 lakh units by 2012 and to foray into the high-volume 100 cc segment of motorcycles. The Japanese automaker is looking at generating volumes from the 100 cc bikes that currently account for 45% of the 9.3 million strong domestic two-wheeler market. Hero Honda leads the segment with its two products Splendor and Passion, while Bajaj Auto has gained huge numbers after re-entering the market last year with its Discover 100 cc bike.

“We are yet to make a strong beginning in the bike segment though we have cornered 26% of the automatic scooter market with our single offering Access 125,” said Atul Gupta VP (sales and marketing) Suzuki Motorcycle. He said the existing bikes with 125 cc and 150 cc engines have significant presence in their segments, but absence in the entry-level 100 cc has restricted Suzuki’s business from scaling up. So, the firm has decided to develop a new product to gain volumes. More
Courtesy:economictimes.indiatimes.com

Subros to set up new plant in Chennai

August 29th, 2010

Automobile air conditioning system maker Subros today said it is planning to set up a new facility in Chennai to cater to the demands of vehicle manufacturers in the region.

The company will also invest about Rs 100 crore in the next two years to expand its production capacities of the existing three facilities.

“We are looking for a site in Chennai and very soon, we will have a facility there. It will be mainly for the commercial vehicles,” Subros Chairman Ramesh Suri told reporters here on the sidelines of the ACMA summit. More
Courtesy:economictimes.indiatimes.com

Auto component sector to see 4-fold growth by 2020

August 29th, 2010

The Indian auto component industry expects to grow by over four-fold to $113 billion by 2020 as there have been projections of a similar jump in car manufacturing in the country in the next decade, said Automotive Component Manufacturers’ Association.

The total passenger car production in the country will jump four times to reach 9 million cars in the next ten years, the industry body said in its forecast report on Friday. Although a major chunk of this will come from the fast growing domestic market, exports are likely to form around 35% of the total market by 2020. More
Courtesy:economictimes.indiatimes.com

Tata Motors may seek JLR tech for smarter cars

August 29th, 2010

Tata Motors is looking to seek help from British subsidiary Jaguar Land Rover?s engineers to build more refined passenger cars. According to a top Tata Motors official, the mother company will use expertise in design, noise and vibration and other aspects to build a portfolio of cars that are more sophisticated than its current range of Indica hatchback, Indigo sedan and the Nano ultra low-cost car.

Speaking to ET, PM Telang, MD of Tata Motors India operations said: ?We know we need to improve our car operations in terms of fits, finishes, noise, vibration and design elements. That?s where Jaguar Land Rover can help us.? Indeed, JLR engineers were invited to take a look at the Nano following complaints of the car catching fire.

?We invited a group of engineers from JLR to join 20 engineers from Tata Motors and forensic experts and examine the Nano closely. They did a thorough job and came to the conclusion that there’s no design problems or faulty components with the Nano and that the instances of the car catching fire are stray instances.?
More
Courtesy:autonews.indiacar.com

Force Motors stops manufacture of 15-yr old Minidor

August 29th, 2010

Having pioneered the term ‘autorickshaw’, for a motorised rickshaw as against the cycle or hand-pulled one, Force Motors (earlier Bajaj Tempo) has discontinued manufacture of its 15-year old three-wheeler, the Minidor. Company chairman, AN Firodia, was categorical that this was not an exit from the three-wheeler segment — a segment which they carved out and even named decades ago.

In a move away from its traditional sector, of being a public transport carrier, it is aiming at the personal vehicle user. For its passenger car foray, it has chosen to enter via the Sports Utility Vehicle (SUV) segment, Mr Firodia said. More
Courtesy:economictimes.indiatimes.com

Toyota to start trial production of Etios in Sept

August 29th, 2010

The world’s largest car-maker Toyota today said it will start trial production of its much anticipated small car ‘Etios’ for the Indian market from next month, three months ahead of its proposed launch.

The Japanese car major, which is present in India through a joint venture with the Kirloskar Group, is investing Rs 3,200 crore to set up its second manufacturing facility in Bangalore to roll out its first small car in India by December.

“Before starting the commercial production in December, we will have two rounds of trial productions. While one will start in September, the next one will be in October,” Toyota Kirloskar Motor (TKM) Deputy Managing Director (Commercial) Shekar Viswanathan told PTI. More
Courtesy:autonews.indiacar.com