Friday, October 3rd, 2008
Tata Motors’ chairman Ratan Tata will meet West Bengal Chief Minister Buddhadev Bhattacharjee here tomorrow to discuss the fate of Nano project in the state which is in limbo.
Government sources said that the meeting would take place at Writers’ Buildings in the afternoon.
The proposed meeting, sources said, would try to find a solution to the impasse which has led to suspension of work at the Nano project at Singur due to political reasons since August 29.
While the state government has assured Tata that all help would be extended for resumption of work at Singur, Tatas have said that it was not possible for Tata Motors to work under police protection. Tata has also said that they would be forced to shift the Nano project from Singur if normalcy was not restored at the project area.
With the prospects of Nano rolling out from Singur now becoming bleak, Bhattacharjee had written to Tata asking him not to pull out and expressed his desire for a meeting on the issue.
[Via: ptinews]
Posted in Tata | No Comments »
Wednesday, September 24th, 2008
According to reports in the media, Fiat is said to be considering the possibility of using its manufacturing facility at Ranjangaon as a global production base for some of its cars. In fact, among others, Fiat may also build its low-cost hatchback for the European market, at Ranjangaon.
‘It eventually boils down to standardization of volumes. Perhaps our own low-cost car for Europe could even be made in India,’ said Sergio Marchionne, CEO, Fiat, speaking to a national newspaper recently. ‘This facility has the infrastructure to build the Fiat brand in India. It can be an integral part of the manufacturing footprint of Fiat worldwide, and that is a big issue for us,’ he added.
Fiat and Tata Motors have a tie-up - a 50:50 joint venture - under which the two companies aim to produce more than 200,000 cars and powertrain units at this plant, by 2010. Fiat will produce about 70,000 cars at the Ranjangaon plant, with the Linea and Grand Punto being the models that have been earmarked for India.
Posted in Fiat | No Comments »
Tuesday, September 2nd, 2008
Four years after the release of the Dacia Logan , the Renault Group released a facelift version of its successful low-cost sedan. Inspired from the 5door Dacia Sandero , the New Logan features a new front grille paired with a redesigned front bumper and larger headlights.
Likewise, the sedan’s rear-end features a new bumper, revised tail-lights and a more streamline design for the boot lid. Renault/Dacia’s designers also updated the Logan’s interior that features new door panels and a revised centre console with new controls
In terms of chassis upgrades, the front and rear tracks of New Dacia Logan have been widened 7mm either side, which reinforces the roadholding capabilities of the vehicle. On the passive safety front, the 2009 Logan features a new honeycomb structure for the dashboard which reduces the severity of impact to the knees.
[Via: Netautoshow]
Posted in Mahindra, Manufacturers | No Comments »
Thursday, August 28th, 2008
The new Skoda Superb has been awarded impressive insurance ratings, helping it to become one of the most competitively rated cars in the upper medium sector. An insurance rating of 6E is now carried by the entry diesel 1.9 TDI PD 105bhp engine on the S trim Superb, more than three positions better than the outgoing Superb, thereby cutting the cost of car insurance for its new owners. A lower rating has also been achieved by the entry petrol 1.4 TSI 125bhp which sits in insurance band 7E across all three trim levels.
Chris Horrell, product marketing manager at Skoda UK, said: “The new Superb has achieved much improved ratings thanks to enhanced vehicle security, competitive pricing and low cost of parts and repairs. All of these factors contribute to lower insurance premiums for our customers.”
Skoda’s latest addition has fared exceptionally well compared to other car brands. The car will be on sale in the UK from September 18th, with prices starting from just £15,490.
Posted in Manufacturers, Skoda | No Comments »
Sunday, August 24th, 2008
Mahindra Renault Pvt. Ltd. (MRPL), a joint venture between Mahindra & Mahindra Ltd. (M&M) and Renault SA of France, has launched the Logan passenger car in Nepal. Agni Incorporated Pvt. Ltd., the current distributor of Mahindra vehicles in Nepal, will be the local distributor for the Logan in that country. Two variants of the Logan, the 1.4 GLE (petrol) and the 1.5 DLS (diesel) will initially be available in Nepal, followed by other variants subsequently.
The automobile industry in Nepal is growing at a rapid rate, with major Indian, Japanese, Chinese and Korean automobile manufacturers present in that market. The auto industry is also of great importance to Nepal as it is a land locked country and road is the only means of transport. Agriculture, industry, trade and tourism all depend on land travel to a great extent.
Posted in Mahindra, Manufacturers | No Comments »
Wednesday, June 18th, 2008
Banks and other financial institutions have been given a sneak preview of Maruti Suzuki India’s upcoming low-cost car (possibly to work out financing deals?), which is expected to get a price tag of Rs 1.2 lakh to Rs 1.5 lakh. The car will not be a new car, but will be a stripped down version of the Maruti 800 hatchback.
The Maruti 800 is a rebadged Suzuki 800, and used to be India’s best selling car until it was overtaken by the newer Maruti Alto. The cheapest Maruti 800 is currently about Rs 0.75 lakh more expensive than the target price that Maruti has set for the new low cost stripped down version. The 5-door hatchback weighing around 650kg is powered by a 37 horsepower 796cc inline-3 engine engine, hence the 800 model name taken from an engine displacement rounded up to 800cc.
Posted in Maruti | No Comments »
Tuesday, May 27th, 2008
The Tata Nano is a no-frills car, but one of the more well-equipped, pricier versions of the Tata Nano will feature dual front airbags. And with luck, they’ll only increase the cost of the car by a minimum. Autoliv IFB India on the request of Tata is trying to develop a US$10 airbag for the Tata Nano, less than 10 times the price of airbags in other compact cars which cost around US$150 per airbag.
Posted in Manufacturers, Tata | No Comments »
Saturday, May 17th, 2008
The latest automaker to jump onto the low cost car bandwagon is Fiat. The company plans to reveal its low cost car somewhere in 2010. According to Fiat R&D Chief Harald Wester, the new low cost car will be slighty larger than the Fiat Panda, but did not quote any indicative price range for the car. The new low-cost Fiat will help with the company’s position in markets such as South America, Russia, India and China. It’s not known yet whether the new low cost car will be Fiat-badged or not, as there is a possiblity of a new brand being used. Fiat is still conducting internal studies on whether a low cost model could damage Fiat’s image.
Posted in Fiat, Manufacturers | No Comments »
Saturday, May 17th, 2008
General Motors may have been a little slow in capturing the India growth story but it is trying hard to make up for lost time. The company, which lays claim to barely 3 per cent of the domestic passenger car market, is pulling out many stops to script the growth saga: a second small car priced lower than the Spark is under development and if things work out well, low-cost commercial vehicles such as pick-ups and vans would also be sold in India.
Posted in Chevrolet, Manufacturers | No Comments »
