Autoliv India has been presented with the Maruti Suzuki Overall Excellence Gold Award. This award was presented to Autoliv India for the successful launch of the first airbag project in India in Maruti Suzuki A-Star. The award was given in recognition of supplier excellence during the annual supplier conference.
Maruti-Suzuki is India’s largest passenger car manufacturer and A-Star is the first Indian car to have domestically produced airbags (Front & Side) in it. Autoliv supplies all 6 airbags and the steering wheel for A-Star.
“It is a great honor for Autoliv to be recognized with such a prestigious award”, said Jan Carlson, Autoliv’s President and CEO, after the award-winning ceremony in India. “It acknowledges the hard work of our Indian team and the importance of safety for automakers in emerging markets.”
Autoliv has four manufacturing facilities in India Bangalore, Gurgaon, Chennai, and Uttaranchal. Apart from manufacturing airbags and seatbelts, it has testing & development facilities for seatbelts and airbags. Started in early 90s, the company is the leader in the Indian seatbelt and airbag markets, with a market share of more than 50%. Major customers include Maruti-Suzuki, Hyundai, Tata, Mahindra, Toyota, GM, Ford, & Nissan and sales totaled approximately $50 million in 2008.
A team from Auto Bild set a new record for navigating the Golden Quadrilateral highway network. Three teams of two journalists from the magazine drove a new, unmodified Skoda Laura 2.0 TDI PD L&K for over 5941km, non-stop.
The drive was flagged off from Hotel Trident, Gurgaon at 0318hrs on the 6th of June. The car passed through Delhi, Agra, Allahabad, Varanasi, Kolkata, Bhubaneshwar, Vishakapatnam, Chennai, Bangalore, Pune, Mumbai, Ahmedabad and Jaipur before finishing in Gurgaon, again at the Trident Hotel.
The drive was certified by the FMSCI (Federation of Motorsports Clubs of India) and the partners participating in this journey were Shell (Oil & Lubricants), Map my India (Navigation) and Trident Hotels (Hospitality). The Shell Helix Ultra engine oil lived up to its reputation with the engine of the car started at the flag-off and switched-off only at the flag-in after 75 hours and 32 minutes, giving no problems throughout the trip.
The drive broke the existing national record of driving the Golden Quadrilateral set in a Toyota Corolla which stood at 87 hours and 50 minutes. Observers from FMSCI, the official motorsport body of India and affiliated to the FIA, were in the car at all times to monitor times, fuel and route.
A high frequency GPS tracking system employed in the car that mapped the journey, while another touch screen based GPS navigation system ensured the drivers stayed on the correct route. The drive also set the record for the most fuel efficient drive around the Golden Quadrilateral consuming a total of 586.46 litres of fuel. This gave an average of 10.26kms per litre at an average speed of 78.65kms.
According to reports in the media, Hyundai Motor India suffered a loss last year – the first such occurrence in its 10-year existence – and continued to make a loss during the first quarter of CY 2009. According to HMIL, the losses are due to higher input costs and currency fluctuations, with the Indian Rupee dropping by 11.5% against the Korean Won during 2008.
Though Hyundai India’s profits have not, supposedly, declined on the operating level, the company posted a loss on the non-operating level due to the weakening Indian Rupee. HMIL is said to have lost Rs 55.9 crore in India during 2008, when the Indian Rupee went down from 22.6 to 25.2 against the Korean Won.
This made it more expensive for HMIL to import components from Korea. However, analysts believe that the worst is over for HMIL and that the company will return to profitability during the second half of this year.
The Cannes Lions International Advertising Festival has awarded Volkswagen the Advertiser of the Year award. The festival organisers give the award to advertisers that have distinguished themselves for inspiring innovative marketing of their products and who embrace and encourage the creative work produced by their agencies.
After winning its first Cannes Lion in 1961, Volkswagen ads have gone on to win nearly 150 Lions across all disciplines, including 2 Film Grand Prix, the first in the cinema category back in 1970 followed by the Launch II commercial in 1988; 2 Press Grand Prix, one in 1998 for a Beetle campaign and the other in 2004 for the Polo Cops ad; a Promo Grand Prix in 2006 and a Cyber Grand Prix, in the interactive category, also in 2006 for the GTI campaign.
Volkswagen and Porsche have announced plans to merge. In a move that would relieve the sports carmaker from its debt burden and bring the 3½ year takeover saga surrounding Europe’s largest carmaker to an end. After a meeting of the Porsche family owners and VW and Porsche executives in Salzburg, the family clan agreed to create an “integrated car-manufacturing group” with 10 marques united under one roof.
The move would in effect set Porsche aside from the nine existing brands of the VW group and bring the sports carmaker’s hopes of a domination of Europe’s largest carmaker to an end. Porsche said a task force of Porsche and VW managers, works council representatives from both companies and the state of Lower Saxony aimed to devise final details of the company structure in the next four weeks. Lower Saxony owns just over 20% in VW and has the right to block crucial decisions such as a merger.
The headstrong family managers had clashed over how to bail out Porsche, which is ailing under a €9bn debt load from its stake-building at VW. Mr Porsche had rebuffed an idea by Mr Piëch for VW to take over Porsche AG, the automotive business that is owned by the indebted holding company.
Porsche has used a contentious options strategy and spent about €23bn to gain control of a nearly 51% stake in VW. It had initially aimed to increase that stake to more than 75% to control the carmaker through a domination agreement.
oadblocks continue to dog GM – the latest news is that the Chinese government may well oppose the Hummer sale valued at $100 million. Chinese state radio, in a broadcast, said that the sale may be blocked for environmental reasons as the Hummer is a gas guzzling car.
Sichuan Tengzhong Heavy Industrial Machinery, the purported buyer, however disputed the reports saying, “The fact that it is from an article from a state media organisation does not mean it is government policy.”
“Some people may have views and speculation, but the Chinese government has a process that we respect.” But the fact remains that the purchase needs governmental approval which may not come because China is on a spree to clean up its environment.
The National Development and Reform Commission (NDRC) may also obstruct the sale because the Chinese construction equipment maker lacks expertise in car production, the state radio added.
Once again GM is facing problems. The sale would have helped GM in its efforts to reorganize and reinvent the company. If this sale does not go through, then it will have to look for another buyer.
Tata Motors has announced that it may have to cut jobs at Jaguar as demand for this luxury car has fallen along with the recession. Jaguar already faces a pre-tax loss of ₤281 million. Globally sales of Land Rover fell by 35 percent while Jaguar’s new XF model rose by 1 percent.
Jaguar Land Rover has 14,500 employees on its rolls and has already cut 2,000 jobs. Now Tata Motors warns of further job cuts and even plant shut downs. The company is attempting to secure jobs by winning guarantees from the UK Government on a £340m European Investment Bank loan.
However, the negotiations have been lengthy, with the state demanding strict terms for any financial support. On the 29th of June, six models of the Jaguar and Land Rover are going to launch in India. Though India’s premium car market is small, the potential for the sale of luxury brands is huge.
But currently the cars would be imported into India and not made there. This is the first time in eight years that Tata Motors has reported a loss thanks to its huge losses due to its acquisition of JLR.
Jaguar and Land Rover are now officially present in India, with their first showroom having been opened today at Ceejay House in Worli, Mumbai. The inauguration ceremony was presided over by Ratan N Tata, Chairman of Tata Sons and Tata Motors, which bought JLR last year.
‘We are extremely pleased and proud to introduce the Jaguar Land Rover brands in the Indian market and give the discerning Indian customer direct access to these prestigious brands, accompanied by a parts and service network. We hope that they will delight customers in India just as they have done in markets the world over,’ said Ratan Tata.
‘Jaguar Land Rover is delighted to have officially opened our first showroom in India. It is an exciting time to be entering the Indian market, a country with increasing affluence and an economy which is still growing. We believe that the Indian market holds significant growth potential in the long term, and we hope to tap the demand for premium vehicles from discerning customers,’ said David Smith, CEO of Jaguar Land Rover.
JLR vehicles available in India will include the Jaguar XF, XFR and XKR cars and Land Rover Discovery 3, Range Rover Sport and Range Rover SUVs. Prices will range between Rs 65 lakh to one crore and above.
