Tata Motors has announced the launch of an all-new Starbus range of buses in the state of Maharashtra. These buses are being manufactured at the state-of-the art fully automated Tata Marcopolo Motors Limited (TMML) plant which is a joint venture between Tata Motors Limited and Marcopolo of Brazil, the world leader in body building for buses and coaches, located in Dharwad, Karnataka. The Starbus will be sold to customers as fully built buses and coaches.
The all new stylish Starbus range of buses has been ergonomically designed giving the external body a round shape, while the internal styling has been given detailed attention with superior fittings, wider seats and comfortable back rests. These buses come with a new chassis and new body, to give best-in-class rides that offers enhanced passenger comfort.
The longer chassis ensures extra leg room including those occupying the last row of seats. The length and the wheelbase of these buses have been extended and their low NVH levels contribute to smoother rides. The bus bodies are made from high grade, high strength steel, to give them the robustness needed to undertake journeys day after day. The Starbus has taken the space factor to the next level in the bus segment.
These buses are ideal for all applications including transportation of school children, company staff, route bus and as a transport to route destinations. The introduction of the Starbus range of buses is yet another important milestone in Tata Motor‘s efforts to continually refresh its product portfolio with the introduction of newer products with superior technologies.
Capitalizing on the popularity of its bestseller mini-car Chevrolet Spark, General Motors had entered into a tie-up with Future Generali (an insurance joint venture between the Future Group of India and Generali Group of Italy) as part of a joint campaign titled, Aaja Meri Gaadi Mein Baith Ja.
Retail shoppers at Future Group outlets were given an opportunity to win two Chevrolet Sparks by participating in a contest by filling an entry form and answering two simple questions on the Future Group and General Motors brands.
As part of the initiative, Future Generali also offered free vehicle inspection facility for 4-wheeler owners, thereby providing instant competitive motor insurance solutions catering to the need of the customer. The two winners of the contest were announced today in Mumbai in a lucky draw.
The contest was conducted across 60 cities nationwide in over 200 Future Group retail formats including Big Bazaar, Food Bazaar, Pantaloons, Home Town, E-Zone, Brand Factory, KB Fair price shop & Furniture Bazaar. The Chevrolet Spark was also displayed in select stores and malls across the main cities.
This tie-up ensured increased awareness and interest in the MallAssurance™ channel wherein select Insurance options of Life and General Insurance are provided through Future Group retail outlets across the country. Future Group retail outlets across the country, register 2 crore unique footfalls in a year.
Porsche has launched the online configurator for the Porsche Panamera. The U.S. will get three different trim levels including the $89,8000 Panamera S, which will be available with 400-hp and rear-wheel-drive. If you’re looking for all-wheel-drive, you can move up a level to the $93,800 Panamera 4S.
For those of you looking to go harder and faster can opt for the $132,600 Panamera Turbo, which will feature a twin-turbocharged 500 Bhp engine mated to an all-wheel-drive system.
For Chrysler, the cornerstone of its proposed alliance with Fiat is for the Italian automaker to supply its domestic partner with smaller, more fuel efficient platforms and drivetrains.
It’s been assumed that the Fiat 500 would be one of the vehicles Chrysler plans to market in the U.S., but according to a the Wall Street Journal, it may have more than a subcompact up its sleeve.
According to the report, Chrysler showed its (troubled) dealers the automaker’s future products today in Auburn Hills, Michigan, and along with the all-new 2011 Jeep Grand Cherokee and a revised Chrysler 300, a “sporty little sedan” produced by Fiat was in attendance.
Chrysler’s head of design, Ralph Gilles, told dealers that the automaker intends to have its own version of the car, with Fiat providing the chassis and Chrysler designing the exterior.
Although the WSJ’s source didn’t specify which Fiat was shown, informed speculation says that it was likely the Fiat Bravo, which would make a killer Dodge Caliber replacement and would finally provide Chrysler with a true successor to the Neon after its demise in 2006.
The SEAT Ibiza will be available from June with the 90 hp 1.6 TDI CR engine in both its 5-door and SC versions. For the first time, this the Spanish brand’s car is equipped with the common rail system, which gives the engine better performance and significantly reduces all levels of noise, consumption and emissions.
Without a doubt, the 90 hp 1.6 TDI CR engine is an attractive option midway between the current 80 hp 1.4 TDI and 105 hp 1.9 TDI engines, replacing the 90 hp 1.9 TDI engine, and signals the gradual start of including the common rail system to the Ibiza range.
Mated to a five-speed manual gearbox, the new engine features the DPF particulate filter and fully complies with EU5 emissions legislation which will become mandatory in 2010.
The magnificent performance figures speak for themselves, and combine with increasingly low emissions and consumption levels that make the Ibiza one of the most ecological models of its segment.
With an engine torque of 230 Nm at 1,500 – 2,500 rpm, average combined consumption registered at only 4.2 l/100 km and emission level of 109 g/km, mean that buyers in Spain of the new 90 hp Ibiza 1.6 TDI CR avoid paying any registration tax. Equipped with this engine, the car is available with the same standard equipment level and optional elements as on the rest of the range.
Despite the economic crisis, the Audi Group posted a clearly positive operating profit in the first quarter of 2009. From January through March of the current year, the Audi brand grew its market share in Western Europe to 4.6 percent (2008: 4.1 percent), putting it at the top of the premium segment.
Despite the difficult overall economic environment with falling sales worldwide, the Audi Group made a successful start to the year in several markets and maintained its profitability in the first three months with a positive operating profit.
The Group generated revenue of €6.7 billion from January through March (2008: €8.3 billion), 19.2 percent less than in the previous year. Operating profit in this period totaled €363 million (2008: €514 million), a downturn of 29.4 percent.
“The first quarter developed much as we expected and provides us with a solid basis for reaching our target for 2009, namely of posting a significantly positive result,” explained Axel Strotbek, Member of the Board of Management for Finance and Organization at AUDI AG.
Audi is continuing its model initiative in the current year with models such as the A5 Cabriolet, the A4 allroad quattro and the A5 Sportback. The market share figures recently published by the European carmakers’ association ACEA for the months January through March confirm just how successful the brand with the four rings is.
According to these figures, Audi has taken the top spot in the premium segment in Western Europe with a market share of 4.6 percent (2008: 4.1 percent), clearly ahead of its competitors.
149,650 new Audi cars were registered in the Western European region in the first quarter, 4.6 percent fewer than in the prior-year period. Audi thus developed significantly better than its core competitors and the overall market, the latter slumping by 16.3 percent in the months January through March.
“This success shows that we have the right products on the market and ones that are popular with customers. We are therefore continuing our model initiative at unabated speed in 2009 and investing around €2 billion in new, innovative products and efficient engines,” added Strotbek.
The latest example is the A4 2.0 TDIe with 136 hp which will be in dealers’ showrooms at the start of June: With an average fuel consumption of 4.6 liters of diesel per 100 kilometers (51.13 US mpg) and CO2 emissions of 119 grams per kilometer, this Audi is currently the most efficient midsize model on the market.
The government cleared 22 foreign direct investment proposals worth Rs. 541.25 crore recommended by the Foreign Investment Promotion Board (FIPB). This includes proposal from Yamaha that included transferring of its Indian sales business to a new entity – India Yamaha Pvt. Ltd.
The Indian subsidiary of Japanese two-wheeler manufacturer Yamaha Motor India Sales Pvt. Ltd. has sought approval of the government to shift its sales operations to a new company which will be a wholly owned subsidiary of Yamaha Motor Co. Japan.
Earlier this proposal was deferred by the Foreign Investment Promotion Board stating that the new company shall promote retail trading. The company later stated that it will not do any retail trading of bikes which helped to clear the proposal from the board.
The FDI proposal cleared by the government also includes proposal from Delhi-based Anant Raj Industries that has been given ex-post facto approval for issuance of warrants converted into equity shares worth Rs. 90.24 crore and Nokia to set up the first single-brand retail joint venture with HCL Infosystems to sell handsets and accessories.
With the commercial vehicle segment showing very little signs of a revival, Ashok Leyland, India’s second largest truck maker, is “reviewing” its collaboration with Nissan Motor of Japan to manufacture light commercial vehicles.
Hinduja group sources told ET NOW that the review process is currently on and the two partners will work out the revised investment and capacity programme over the next few weeks. Industry insiders feel that the project, which was scheduled to go on stream over the next two years, could get delayed as a result.
Last year, Ashok Leyland struck a deal with Nissan to form three joint venture companies to manufacture light commercial vehicles, powertrains and for technology development for a total investment of Rs 2,400 crore. The project was supposed to have a debt-equity ratio of 1:1 with each partner bringing in about Rs 600 crore each. Under the revised plan, which is currently at the works, the capital investments are likely to be downsized sharply.
While 51% of the vehicle manufacturing joint venture will be owned by Ashok Leyland, Nissan is set to have a 51% shareholding in the powertrain joint venture. Nissan Ashok Leyland Technologies, which will be involved in technology development, will be equally owned by Ashok Leyland and Nissan.
However, R Seshasayee, managing director of Ashok Leyland, told ET NOW that the joint venture plans are very much on track. “There is no truth in the rumours that we are shelving our joint venture with Nissan,” he said.
The buzz that Ashok Leyland is in two minds about going ahead with its joint venture with Nissan has been gaining ground since the Hero group announced earlier this month that it was exiting its truck joint venture with Daimler. The Hero-Daimler break-up was clearly due to the sharp slowdown in commercial vehicle segment, and industry insiders fear that the current demand situation could force other alliances to review their truck plans in India.
The domestic commercial vehicle industry has been struggling in recent months with volumes down by almost 23% in the last fiscal ended March 2009. Analysts expect the industry to report a modest growth of 6-7% in the current financial year.
There are also reports that Bajaj Auto and Renault are also reviewing their collaboration for developing the ultra-low cost car for India, although Rajiv Bajaj, managing director of Bajaj Auto, maintains that the car joint venture is very much on track.
Mahindra & Mahindra, which has joined hands with US-based Navistar, to tap the commercial vehicle segment in India, has also made it clear that their plans for the domestic track are intact. “We are rolling out brand new platforms for the domestic market and there are no plans to delay the rollout,” Pawan Goenka, president (automotive sector), M&M, recently told ET NOW.
Aston Martin One-77 concept made its world debut this weekend at the Villa d’Este in Italy. Earlier in Geneva Aston Martin showed the rolling chassis of this supercar. At Villa d’Este they brought out the first hand built car which won the Concorso d’Eleganza Design Award for Concept Cars and Prototypes on the shores of Lake Como, Italy.
The One-77 was shown complete with running powertrain and hand-crafted interior. Aston Martin Chief Executive, Dr Ulrich Bez said: “Embodying everything Aston Martin stands for; the One-77 has proven itself as the most desirable automotive art form at its premiere today.”
Power is rated above 700 horsepower from a 7.3-liter V12. Top speed is over 200 mph (320 km/h). 0-60 mph (0-96 km/h) comes in around 3.5 seconds. Only 77 units will be built with prices starting above one million euros.
