Automotive updates - 26th June 2014

• BMW India’s plant near Chennai has rolled out a new, locally-assembled BMW X5 SUV today. Initial deliveries of the vehicle, for which bookings began at the end of May, will commence by the end of the month. According to the company, demand for the new X5, which was launched about a month ago in Pune, has pushed the waiting period to three months. The X5 xDrive30d being locally produced at the Chennai plant is a diesel variant.

• Luxury car maker Mercedes-Benz would start manufacturing at its second plant shortly, which would help the company double its production capacity in India, an official of the company said. "The second plant is in the final stage and in the process of getting all the approvals. The plant will be ready for use very soon," Boris Fitz, VP (sales and network development) of Mercedes-Benz India said. 

• Nissan and Daimler have given the go-ahead to invest in joint production of a future generation of Mercedes and Infiniti compact cars in Mexico, sources with knowledge of the plan said on Thursday.The two companies announced a news conference on Friday to unveil what Daimler described as the largest collaboration yet in its alliance with Nissan and French partner Renault.

•  Garmin Ltd, part of the Garmin Corp of the USA and a satellite navigation product developer, is in talks with carmakers like Maruti Suzuki India, Honda Cars India, Hyundai Motors India and Tata Motors for introducing its 2014 PND product portfolio as an accessory in their existing and new cars and mini SUV models.

• Toyota Motor Corporation has revealed the exterior design and Japan pricing of its hydrogen fuel cell sedan, first unveiled as a concept at the Tokyo Motor Show last year. The car will be launched in Japan before April 2015, and preparations are underway for launches in the US and European markets in mid-2015. In Japan, the fuel cell sedan will go on sale at Toyota and Toyopet dealerships, priced at approximately 7 million yen (Rs 40.6 lakh) excluding consumption tax. Initially, sales will be limited to regions where hydrogen refueling infrastructure is being developed. US and Europe prices have not yet been decided

• South Korea's transport ministry on Thursday said it plans to fine Hyundai Motor Co an estimated 1 billion won ($1 million) for overstating the fuel economy of its Santa Fe sport utility vehicle (SUV).

• Ford’s 1.0-litre EcoBoost engine has been voted the 2014 International Engine of the Year, winning the award for the third consecutive year. A panel of 82 automotive journalists from 35 countries – including Hormazd Sorabjee, editor of Autocar India – also named the engine ‘Best Engine Under 1.0-litre’ again for the third year in a row, at the Engine Expo 2014 in Stuttgart, Germany.

• General Motors Co is preparing to recall about 33,000 Chevrolet Cruze sedans with potentially defective air bags made by troubled Japanese supplier Takata Corp, the automaker said late Wednesday.In a crash, the driver-side air bag on the 2013-2014 Cruze could fail to inflate, GM said.

• A new £24 million (Rs 245 crore) government fund is set to give UK-based automotive suppliers a welcome boost as they look to grow their businesses. Announced today by business minister Michael Fallon at the Automotive Council’s Meet the Buyer event at ExCeL London, the Tooling Funding Programme will help component manufacturers design, develop and manufacture new tooling where they would otherwise fail to acquire funds.

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