Auto Industry Updates and Reviews
As part of 2009 pulsar series, Bajaj will launch a new upgraded version of pulsar 150cc. The changes are cosmetic and it comes with the same 150cc engine.
The new pulsar gets tank scoops borrowed from the pulsar 200cc and all black theme. Also the headlight now gets power directly from the battery.
[Via: Vicky]
Volkswagen India has started the pre-series production of its new small car - Polo at its new plant in Pune. The German Federal Minister for Economics, Labour and Transportation Dr. Philipp Rösler, visited the plant at Chakan in Maharashtra to start off the event.
The first body of the Polo took shape at the pre-series production, viz a pre-run/a trial to the official production of the Polo that will begin at the same plant this year end.
VW’s Pune plant which was inaugurated on 31st March ‘09, is to be a major stepping stone for the company to achieve its ambitious goals in the Indian subcontinent. The Pune plant will begin building the Skoda Fabia in May 2009 and the Volkswagen Polo by year end.
This plant, considered one of the most modern in the Volkswagen Group, has a high level of vertical integration and a large share of local suppliers. The facility has a maximum annual production capacity of 110,000 vehicles for delivery to the Indian market. In order to keep up with the demand, the company plans to employ some 2,500 people by the end of 2010.
[Via: indianautosblog]
Hero Motors Limited, part of the US$ 4.5 billion Hero Group today signed a five year Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) worth US$250 MN with BRP-Powertrain for manufacturing transmissions.
This MoU will strengthen the strategic alliance between BRP-Powertrain and Hero Motors Limited while establishing the latter as the hub for manufacturing transmissions.
Hero Motors also announced its new design outsourcing vertical “Hero Innovation Centre” imbibing “Design to Cost” concept and supporting the BRP-Powertrain manufacturing base.
Commenting on the MoU, Pankaj Munjal, MD, Hero Motors said “This MoU is a significant step in expanding the existing long term strategic alliance with BRP-Powertrain. This gives us an opportunity to showcase our expertise in engineering design and deliverance of end- to-end solutions to customers.”
Mr. Munjal added, “The Hero Innovation Center with strong R&D team and excellent product design ability will map out knowledge and techniques to provide customers with flawless service, higher efficiencies and lower cost production.”
“We envisage innovative breakthroughs and operational efficiencies as direct benefits of our collaboration with Hero Motors. We have derived exceptional value in the past and we are now happy to extend our strategic partnership. This alliance will further strengthen our global position and scale up our transmission equipments range for our products” said Michael Mayringer Ing, Director Purchase, BRP-Powertrain.
The Recreational Transmission division of Hero Motors was commissioned as a Strategic Business Unit in 2005. Since its inception, it has grown to become one of the foremost entities in the manufacturing and supply chain management of transmission assemblies for Fun and Sports vehicles to the European markets. Currently, Hero Motors has orders from companies like BMW, Harley Davidson, Getrag catapulting the company globally.
[Via: cartradeindia]
Mahindra and Mahindra has witnessed an overwhelming response for its multi-utility vehicle (MUV), the Xylo. The newly launched Xylo has bagged 15,000 orders in the last three months.
Mr. Vivek Nayer, Senior Vice President, (marketing-automotive sector) of M&M said, “In the last three months, 15,000 Xylo were booked. In the last month alone, we have sold 2,954 units.”
At the same venue, Mr. Vivek Nayer unveiled a customized Scorpio, their leading SUV model and handed over the keys to start footballer Bhaichung Bhutia. M&M had sold 3,200 Scorpio across the country in the month of March.
When asked to predict the current fiscal year for M&M, Mr. Nayer said that it is difficult to give prediction for the whole year. But Mahindra and Mahindra is looking at month wise targets. Right now all our major passenger car models the Bolero, Scorpio, and the Xylo are doing fine.
But as there is a slowdown, M&M holds only 57 percent of the total SUV market in India. M&M’s share has seen an upward trend this year compared to last year when it was only 51 percent. He also suggests that the Indian SUV market is growing at a fast pace with Mahindra & Mahindra being the flag bearer.
Xylo has been one among the top sellers in India after the Maruti Suzuki Swift hatchback, Swift Dzire sedan, and Hyundai i20. The company had earlier stated that many customers who came to look for the Scorpio or the Bolero ended up booking the Xylo.
[Via: Carazoo]
The gas-guzzling machine is set to die an untimely death. General Motors in the US is ready to close down its four factories and dispose of its HUMMER brand.
The company has undertaken a strategic review of the brand after the company’s annual meeting, CEO Rick Wagoner revealed that the brand may be strengthened but is more likely to be disposed of. “HUMMER’s lineup could be strengthened, the brand could go the way of Oldsmobile, or it may be sold “in whole or in part,” added GM Spokesperson Joanne Krell.
General Motors in the US is also ready to close down its manufacturing units at four other locations viz., Janesville, Wisconsin; Oshawa, Ontario; Moraine, Ohio; and Toluca, Mexico which will be effected till 2010 and will affect nearly ten thousand workers. The workers will be offered to take advantage of current buyouts or will be transferred to other plants where available.
However, it is a not totally a sad story after all. The company has also approved production of a new small Delta platform car at the Lordstown in Ohio next year. The company has also approved production of Chevrolet Volt in 2010 Detroit-Hamtramck assembly plant.
[Via: cartradeinida]
Shah Rukh Khan, the brand ambassador for Hyundai India will now be seen travelling in Hyundai vehicles for the whole of IPL season. At a ceremony in Cape Town, Alan Ross, MD, Hyundai Motor, South Africa, handed over the car keys to Shah Rukh Khan. He will be using the Hyundai Tucson for himself and his entourage in South Africa throughout the IPL season.
Commenting on the occasion Arvind Saxena, Sr. Vice President, Marketing & Sales, HMIL said, “Shah Rukh Khan has been the face of Hyundai ever since the Korean Auto Major made its entry into India with the launch of its flagship brand Santro.”
In CY 2008, Hyundai Motor India exported around 10,000 units of Santro and the i10 to South Africa. SRK and his guest will use the Hyundai cars throughout their stay in South Africa.
[Via: CW]
Hyundai, which currently manufactures the i20 hatchback only in India, may soon start manufacturing this car in Europe as well. This would allow Hyundai to save on shipping and logistics costs and also deal with various problems like the ongoing volatility of the Indian Rupee, erratic power availability, lack of adequate export incentives and occasionally, labour problems at Hyundai’s plant in Chennai.
Hyundai exported around 17,000 units of the i20 from India to Europe during January-March 2009. However, the company may not be able to achieve its exports target of 120,000 units for this car, which it had previously set for 2009.
The i20 is also proving to be quite popular in India. The car, which initially had a waiting period of two months, is priced at Rs 4.80 lakh - a bit on the higher side for a hatchback, in a market where the more expensive hatchbacks don’t usually do well. Still, Hyundai expects to sell more than 40,000 units of the i20 in India by the end of 2009.
[Via: indiaautomotive]
At a time when Tata Motors is looking at increasing production capacity for the Ace, and Piaggio and M&M are also looking at getting into the mini-truck segment in a big way by the end of this year, Bajaj Auto seems to be having second thoughts about entering the small commercial vehicles segment. The company is, in fact, said to be looking at postponing its entry into this segment to mid-2011.
According to reports in the media, Bajaj Auto now believes that doing an ‘Ace-type’ product will not work unless the Bajaj vehicle is offered at a significant cost advantage. Since the Ace has the first mover advantage and since Tata Motors is anyway a dominant player in the commercial vehicles segment in India, Bajaj Auto wants to make sure its small LCV has a clearly defined USP, which would allow it to take on similar vehicles from Tata, Piaggio, M&M and possibly others, including a few Chinese manufacturers.
[Via: indiaautomotive]
Bajaj Auto has stated that it will be ahead of its arch rival TVS Motor, despite the sales gap narrowing between the two. Bajaj Auto is the country’s second largest two-wheeler maker by sales and will launch 7-8 new models or upgrades this year in the two-wheeler segment.
“If you see figures of the total year the distance is very large. But, it was only in a couple of months where the distance went down. If you see the whole year, we were far ahead of TVS and we expect to be far ahead this year also,” Bajaj Auto Vice Chairman, Madhur Bajaj said. “This year we expect the position to become better. We are coming out with 7-8 new models or upgrades and expect to generate a lot of interest through these,” Mr Bajaj added.
Recent data released by the Society of Indian Automobile Manufacturers (Siam), suggested that while TVS and Bajaj reported a fall in sales in 2008-2009, the fall was steeper in Bajaj’s case, where sales dropped by nearly a quarter, as opposed to TVS, which lost sales by more than a percent. This contrast made TVS inch closer to Bajaj.
[Via: Motorbeam]
Apollo Tyres has posted a net profit of Rs 108 crore for FY 2008-09, an almost 50% decline over the Rs 219 crore net profit which the company posted in FY 2007-08. Increased input costs and a slowdown in demand are the two reasons quoted by the company, for the drop in profit.
Despite the drop in profit, Apollo Tyres has announced that it would be investing Rs 700 crore in FY 2009-10, about 90% of which would go towards the completion of its new manufacturing facility near Chennai. This new plant would have an initial capacity of 150 tonnes per day, expandable up to 450 tonnes per day.
[Via: indiaautomotive]