Video: 2009 Nissan 370Z
Thursday, November 20th, 2008
Apollo Tyres Plan to Tap European Markets
Friday, November 14th, 2008Apollo Tyres, one of the major automobile tyre makers in India, plan to tap the European market as they plan to start their operation in Europe. They will open up their first sales, marketing and technical office in Germany in January 2009. They will also be giving final touches to their 7-million Greenfield project in East Europe.
“We would be opening our first branch office here in Germany by January to cater to our European operations. We are also seeking greenfield projects in either Hungary or Slovakia, where operations to produce seven million tyres annually would start within two years,” Apollo Tyres European Operations Head (Marketing) Hemant Kaul said.
Till date the company had marked its presence in Europe by selling around 7000 tyres in North Ireland with a local partnership with Phillip White Tyres. The new office in Germany will be company’s second overseas after the first one existing in South Africa.
[Via: cartardeindia]
Bajaj to launch XCD Sprint 150 soon….
Wednesday, November 12th, 2008 
Bajaj is working on a new variant of its XCD Sprint - XCD Sprint 150 , which would be fitted with the 150cc engine from the Pulsar 150 DTS-i. With its new 150, Bajaj hopes to take on bikes like the Suzuki GS150R , Hero Honda Hunk, TVS Apache RTR and Yamaha FZ16 . The new XCD Sprint is expected to be launched by the end of this year.
In the meanwhile, in response to the ongoing slump in demand in the Indian two-wheeler market, Bajaj has scaled back production at its Aurangabad plant in Maharashtra. This initiative is aimed at reducing inventory at the plant, which is currently said to be at around 18,000 units. Bajaj has also, in the recent past, cut down on production at its plants in Chakan and Pantnagar.
Auto exports from China likely to slow down
Tuesday, November 11th, 2008Growth of China’s auto exports is likely to slow down to 20 percent this year, down from around 80 percent last year, according to an estimate from the China Association of Automobile Manufacturers.
Chinese auto exports’ growth rate was about 35 percent in the January-September period this year, when Chinese carmakers exported a total of 557,736 vehicles. Since then, growth has slowed to around 20 percent. With the current liquidity crunch, Chinese consumers are curbing expenditure on buying new vehicles, and the country’s carmakers are getting hit hard because of that.
To offset the slump in domestic demand, some Chinese car/SUV/truck manufacturers are now looking at exploring new markets in Africa, Eastern Europe and various parts of Asia.
Low Sale in October
Tuesday, November 4th, 2008Car and two wheeler sales in India took a dip in the month of October. Although the companies had been eyeing the festive season to move their stocks and clear their inventories, but the ongoing economic scenario compelled the small car segment buyer away from the market. The auspicious day of “Dhanteras” marked sales of 15000 units across the country which was lesser than last year’s sales of 17000 units on the same day.
Maruti Suzuki and Tata Motors have already reported a drop in sales in the month of October 2008. These two car manufacturers have stated that the market is seriously hurt by the rising interest rates and the overall credit crunch in the market. Maruti reported sale of 64,490 units in October 2008 as against 69,415 units last year.
On the other hand, the major two-wheeler manufacturers, Hero Honda, Bajaj and TVS Motors have also reported a decline in their sales in the month of October 2008. On the brighter side, the exports figures have lent a serious support to the sales figures of especially Bajaj and TVS Motors.
[Via: cartradeindia]
Mahindra Xylo all set to beat Innova and Indicruz
Monday, November 3rd, 2008Mahindra and Mahindra announced that it is ready to launch Xylo in India. According to the press release from the company, “The much awaited Mahindra Xylo has been co-created with customers for developing a vehicle around the lifestyle and luxury aspirations of its end customer. This is further testimony to Mahindra’s customer centric vision of co-creating products and services based on the feedback and latent needs of its consumers.”
The vehicle has already undergone thorough testing in India and other countries. It is expected to be priced around Rs. 6.5 lakh to Rs. 7.5 lakh and will be pitted against Toyota Innova and upcoming Tata Indicruz Crossover.
“Xylo has been developed by a team consisting of 160 experts who have created new benchmarks in styling, technology and performance,” said Pawan Goenka, Mahindra Auto President. The car may be launched by end of December 2008.
[Via: cartradeindia]
