Thursday, November 12th, 2009
MUMBAI: Three brands of Super Hyper Cars (SHCs), including the world’s fastest car, Ultimate Aero, are all set to storm Indian roads by the end of this year. Dubai-based Ultimate Motors, one of the leading distibutors of exotic and luxury sports cars in the world, will be launching the three brands of commercial SHCs – Shelby, Zenvo and Arash, by December. The three will be SSC Utimate Aero , Arash AF-10 and Zenvo ST1 .
“The demand for luxury cars in India is increasing of late and people are now keen to have customised cars. We are in touch with four leading dealers in India and expect to launch the commercial SHCs by the end of this year,” Ultimate Motors’ President, Nasser Al-Hai, told PTI here on the sidelines of a luxury lifestyle event here. Expect price of all three cars in range of 4.5 to 7 crores.
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Tuesday, November 3rd, 2009
According to the latest statement in London from Tata Motors MD, Ravi Kant, the company may allow Tata Nano to be assembled and sold under a different brand name by other manufacturers. Ravi Kant was spaaking at an award function in London where he indicated that Tata Motors will allow micro-assembly units that can produce 10,000 units a year.
“Tata Motors was always toying with the idea of outsourcing a small batch of Nano to third-part automakers. However, it is just in its embryonic stages and the company will take a final call in due course,” well-informed sourced from the industry were quoted saying about Tata Motors.
It is presumed that Nano under different brand name will be sold in the Indian market only as it has yet not made its foray into the overseas market. So far Tata Motors has delivered 7506 units from its Uttrakhand plant in Pantnagar. Tata Motors also has a joint venture with Fiat Auto India Limited and Fiat will be looking after the overseas marketing of Tata Nano. It is quite speculative that Fiat may assemble additional units of Tata Nano under a different brand name.
[Via: cartradeindia]
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Wednesday, October 21st, 2009
Tata Motors which had a 21% stake in Hispano Carrocera has now acquired the remaining 79% shares by the way of exercise of the existing call option through mutual agreement with the other share holder Investalia S.A Spain.
The agreement cements Tata Motor’s ongoing commitment to Hispano Carrocera. The company will now further strengthen the ongoing initiatives to improve operational efficiencies such as productivity improvement, cost reduction, and new product development, to improve market share of the company and enhance brand value. Tata Motors is confident that Hispano will now emerge as an even stronger force in the Spanish as well as Global bus and coach markets.
[Via: cubiccapacity]
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Wednesday, October 21st, 2009
By around 2011, Wuling’ N200 and N300 series vans will be sold in India, which marks GM’s entry into the LCV segment in India. The LCV segment is populated with names like Force, Tata Motors, Mahindra, Piaggio etc. But as GM is going to sell minivans initially, they would have to compete with the likes of Maruti’s Omni and Tata’s Ace Magic. GM will equip the vans with fuel efficient diesel engines.
Wuling , which operates under directions of GM, is also said to be secretly developing a small car that will be slotted under the Chevrolet Spark in the future in India. Though there is no official confirmation of such a launch, GM officials overseas have spoken about the strategy adopted for the low-cost product which will use a lot of tried and test components from previous generation models.
Wuling’s vans are already sold in North Africa, South America and the Middle East as Chevrolets. GM could use the same ploy in India as it enjoys a good status among utility vehicle buyers through the Tavera. GM China sells about 80,000 Wuling minivans every month and cornered a market share of 43 per cent in the Chinese minivan segment. It will look to repeat the same with the Indian market as well.
[Via: BS-Motoring]
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Friday, October 9th, 2009
Tata owned Jaguar Land Rover (JLR) has managed to secure a 175 million pound ($277.7 million) loan from the State Bank of India. JLR recently agreed a new $90 million committed export financing facility with ABC International Bank. Both are part of 500 million pounds of new facilities the company has completed this year as part of a plan to enhance its funding.
JLR’s sales have fallen about 52 % in the previous quarter compared to 2008 leading to a pretax loss of 62 million pounds. JLR announced last month it was planning to merge two of its three auto plants in England by 2014 as part of a business plan to tackle the impact of the economic downturn.
[Via: motorbeam]
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Wednesday, September 30th, 2009
The new Tata Indigo will be unveiled in Mumbai on October 14th by Ratan Tata, Chairman, Tata Motors. The new Indigo will be christened ‘ Manza ‘ and is essentially the saloon version of the Indica Vista. The Manza comes with a huge boot and promises best in class interior space. Typical of Tata cars, the Manza promises to offer good value for money as it is expected to be packed with equipment. Some of the features that can be expected are projector headlamps and steering mounted audio controls. The dashboard design is similar to the Vista’s but will embellish with superior trim.
The Manza is expected with two engine options, the same that powers the Fiat Linea. The mainstay is expected to be the 1.3 litre, 90 bhp diesel while the 1.4 litre 95 bhp petrol will be the entry level model. Prices are not yet announced but we estimate the base version of the Manza petrol to cost Rs 5.8 lakh while the top-end diesel should be in the region of Rs 7.4 lakh (on road, Mumbai).
[Via: AutocarINDIA]
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Friday, September 25th, 2009
Ultra Motor Company has launched two new electric scooters in the Indian market. The Scooters Ultra Fun and Ultra Shakti are low speed models, which do not require any licence to run and are fitted with 250W motors and are priced between Rs 28,300 and Rs 31,900 (ex-showroom, Delhi).
While Ultra Shakti is designed for hilly terrains, Ultra Fun is easy to ride because of its height, size and weight and targetted at women among others. UMC has a retail network of over 175 exclusive dealerships across 17 states and in over 130 cities in the country.
[Via: motorbeam]
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Wednesday, September 23rd, 2009
Ford has unveiled its new small car Figo today in New Delhi with Alan Roger Mulally, Ford’s president and chief executive, making a lightening visit to the country for the unveiling. It is expected that Figo will be priced in the range of 3.5-5 lakh rupees and will compete with the likes of Maruti Ritz, Hyundai i20, Honda Jazz & Skoda Fabia.
Today’s press conference in Delhi was the first public preview of the exterior design of the new Ford Figo. Ford is reserving further details about the vehicle until closer to its production launch early in 2010. Design-conscious Italy inspired the new Ford Figo’s name. Figo is colloquial Italian for “cool.”
Sharing key elements of Ford’s kinetic design language with vehicles like the globally renowned Ford Focus, Ford Mondeo and the Ford Fiesta, Ford Figo features a fresh, contemporary shape that will be a distinctive alternative to traditional brands in this segment. The design language conveys a dynamic spirit of energy in motion.
Quality, substance and generous proportions are clearly evident in the design of the new Ford Figo, which features a solid stance, an invitingly large interior and a vibrant, youthful character. Its package is right-sized for the market, which is predominated by congested urban driving conditions.
From its modern headlamps, grille shapes and sculpted bonnet of its distinctive face to the subtle integrated spoiler and chamfered window shape at the rear, Ford Figo is filled with kinetic design touches. These also include sculpted shapes to the body side – chiseled front fenders, a “comet tail” undercut in the doors and additional light-catching sculpting in the lower bodyside – which combine to communicate the solidity, substance and protective safety of its design.
The bold graphic of Ford Figo’s large side window shape is another key kinetic design feature hinting at the comfort and spaciousness awaiting occupants’ front and rear. The side window graphic is executed with a blacked-out B-pillar, an elegant design touch that unifies the side windows into one shape visually.
With its wheels positioned at the four corners of the vehicle with minimal overhang, Ford Figo’s bold wheel arches self-assuredly signal its agility and solidity.
New Ford Regional Production Centre
The introduction of the new Ford Figo marks a significant shift for India’s role in Ford’s strategy. Transformed with a production capacity of 200,000 units, the integrated Chennai manufacturing facility is now positioned as a Ford regional centre of excellence for small-car engineering and production.
Ford Figo models will be produced at the plant for export to international markets. The plant is also being groomed to produce diesel and petrol engines for local vehicle production and export within Ford’s Asia Pacific and Africa region.
With more automation and high-tech new facilities, the new site reflects the latest Ford manufacturing processes globally and pioneers new technologies for Ford and India. Created with a “best of the best” approach, it has been benchmarked against other competitive facilities globally, as well as the current volume manufacturers in the Indian market, for quality and production efficiency.
The transformed plant introduces eco-friendly production techniques like its new Three-Wet High-Solids paint process. This approach produces beautifully painted vehicles with three wet coats – primer, base coat and clear coat – of high solids-content paint applied one after the other without oven curing between coats. A first for India, it produces fewer carbon dioxide emissions and reduces volatile organic compounds emissions by about 20 percent compared to current medium-solids solvent-borne paints. Use of high-solids content results in a paint finish with high levels of gloss and depth ofcolour which is more resistant to scratches and stone chips.
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Wednesday, September 23rd, 2009
Press Release Mumbai: Land Rover today launched the highly acclaimed Freelander 2 in India. The Freelander 2 joins the acclaimed Discovery 4, the quintessential sports tourer, the Range Rover Sport and the ultimate luxury 4×4, the Range Rover, all of which were launched earlier in India in June this year.
The Freelander 2 has redefined the compact premium 4×4 segment. It delivers outstanding on-road performance as well as class-leading off-road ability, the hallmark of Land Rovers. A dynamic design, purposeful stance, smart and spacious interior, and an abundance of advanced technologies complete the package.
The Freelander 2 is powered by a 2.2 litre common rail turbodiesel engine. The engine is transversely mounted to provide extra space for better crash protection, front end styling and allows a shorter bonnet for more cabin space. Land Rover’s unique Terrain Response system is standard on the vehicle.
The Freelander 2 boasts an exceptionally strong monocoque body and inner safety cell, with front and rear crumple zones which absorb energy on impact. It received a 5 star rating in the rigorous Euro NCAP tests for adult occupant protection – a first in its class. This, along with dynamic technology systems, airbags and command driving position complete the all-terrain, all weather package of the Freelander 2.
Commenting on the launch, Rohit Suri, head, premier car division, Tata Motors, said, “We are encouraged by the response to the Land Rover vehicles in India. The Freelander 2, Land Rover’s best-selling model globally, now complements the Land Rover range in the country. As we expand our reach across various cities in India, we will continuously enhance the Land Rover product portfolio and enable more and more customers to experience the benchmark in premium offroading vehicles.”
The Freelander 2 is available in 3 trim levels in India – S, SE and HSE – with a starting price of Rs33.79 lakh ex- Mumbai.
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Thursday, September 10th, 2009
In a bid to spice things up for the worlds cheapest sedan, Tata Motors will launch a Limited Edition variant of the of Indigo CS this festive season. The Tata Indigo CS Limited Edition will get new headlamps with blinkers, turn indicators on rear view mirrors, new wooden finish centre console, leather wrapped steering wheel, new door handle caps, sport pedals and six way power electric seats. The limited edition variant will be available in Procelain White with dark chrome coloured badges which seems quite similar to the Limited Edition Indica Vista.
[Via: motorbeam]
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