Automotive Updates - 31st July 2014

• Launched on 23rd of June 2014, within 7 days of launch, Honda has amassed a total of 8,800 bookings for their Mobilio MPV. Launched at a base price of INR 6.49 lakhs for the petrol variant and at INR 7.89 lakhs for its diesel counterpart, Mobilio competes with Maruti Ertiga and Toyota Innova in the segment.(rushlane.com)

• BMW India have launched a limited edition of their entry-level 1 Series hatchback. The BMW 1 Series M Performance Edition is limited to 111 units pan India, and sales of the car have already started at all dealerships. (indianautoblogs.com)

• As part of its plans to sell over 9,000 units during the current financial year, automaker Honda Cars India would consider exporting its latest mid-size multi purpose vehicle Mobilio to South Africa, a top company official said today. The Japanese carmaker had shipped about 6,000 units in the last financial year, Honda Cars India Senior Vice-President (Sales and Marketing), Jnaneswar Sen said. (economicstimes.com)

• The new Bajaj Discover 150 F (faired) and Discover 150 S motorcycles are scheduled to be launched on August 11, reports Overdrive.in. The duo have already started reaching dealerships across the country.(indianautoblogs.com)

• German automaker BMW will soon launch the updated model of its popular SUV X3 in the Indian market. The luxury crossover was first launched in 2004 and currently in its second generation. The new facelift model was unveiled at Geneva Motor Show this year and since then, it has been speculated that it would soon launch in the market. It is one of the most prestigious model in company’s portfolio, not the most exciting but holds a good reputation of being a fuel efficient and an excellent drivable car. If recent reports are to be believed, BMW India will launch X3 facelift in August. (financialexpress.com)

• M&M sells more than 1,00,000 units of XUV500 in less than 3 years of its launch in India. XUV 500 was launched in September 2011 and was designed entirely in-house at Mahindra Research Valley (MRV) in Chennai.With this, the XUV500 has become the only Indian SUV above Rs. 10 lacs ex-showroom, to cross the 1,00,000 sales mark within just 34 months of its launch. (ETauto.com)

• The UK car industry will take a lead role in the development of the autonomous car within six months, when three government-funded pilot schemes start across the country that will result in 'driverless' prototypes running in large-scale tests in and around our cities. Government Business Secretary Vince Cable has announced £10m of funding to be split between three bids, which will be identified via a bidding process administrated by the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills and the Technology Strategy Board. (autocarpro.in)

• Elon Musk led Tesla has announced a new agreement with Japan’s Panasonic for their $5 billion Gigafactory project. To be operational by 2020, this factory of Tesla will be the largest producer of lithium-ion batteries in the world .(rushlane.com)

• Renault India’s managing director, Mr. Sumit Sawhney, confirmed that the company will launch the Duster 4×4 by the end of this year. A tweet from Rohin Nagrani, Senior Editor of Motoring World, says that the launch is most likely to happen in September. (indianautoblogs.com)

• JK Tyre launched its new Steel Wheels showroom here. The Steel Wheels showroom is spread over an area of 1500 square feet, this showroom showcases JK Tyre's new retail identity for its exclusive stores and is located in Sector-16, Central Auto Market.The ambience of the store is designed in a manner that makes buying new tyres, alloys and accessories a convenient experience for consumers.(ETauto.com)

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Automotive Updates - 30th July 2014

•  Commercial vehicle-maker Ashok Leyland, flagship of the Hinduja Group, today handed over a fleet of 30 world's first front-engined fully flat low-floor single-step-entry buses to the West Bengal government. The formal handover of the 'JanBus' (people's bus) to state transport ministerMadan Mitra by the company constituted theglobal launch of the vehicle. (economicstimes.com)

• Volkswagen is closing in on Toyota Motor Corp as the global leader in vehicle sales, with a rapid expansion drive in China - the world's biggest auto market - while Toyota curbs growth to focus on shoring up quality.Toyota, reigning at the top spot in the auto industry for two years in a row, announced relatively robust global sales growth of 3.8 per cent for the first six months of the year to 5.097 million vehicles on Wednesday, a record first-half result.(businesstoday.in)

• But Volkswagen is growing faster and its half-year total could pull even with or even surpass the Japanese auto giant.The Volkswagen group sold 4.97 million vehicles in January-June, up 5.9 per cent from the same period a year ago, excluding figures from truck makers Scania and MAN that will be released on July 31.(businesstoday.in)

• The first pure electric buses with zero tailpipe emissions are all set to roll out on British roads, thanks to the Hinduja group.The mayor of London Boris Johnson officially welcomed the introduction of the four British built, Optare MetroCity single deck buses on Wednesday.The buses take around five hours to fully charge overnight, or two hours using fast charge technology and have a range of up to 100 miles depending on operating conditions. (ETauto.com)

• Honda Motor has started work on developing a small car and a compact sports utility vehicle (sub-4 metre) targeting India, as it aims to break into the country's mass market segment, people familiar with the company's plans said. Part of the development will be carried out in India with a focus on maximising the use of local products to keep costs low. The process has moved from consideration stage to real development work in the past couple of months, they said. Yoshiyuki Matsumoto, . (economicstimes.com). 

• Fiat India is getting serious this time around with its fleet of cars. the Italian automaker will launch Punto EVO on August 5 while the anticipated Avventura Crossover or as Fiat calls – CUV (Contemporary-Urban-Vehicle) will be launched in September. After the Expo this year, Fiat has launched the upgraded Linea while Punto EVO is just few days away; so by the festive season which is around the corner the company will have three new products added to its India portfolio.(cardekho.com)

• Component manufacturer Varroc Group is setting up a new plant in Chennai under its polymer division to supply parts to the two-wheeler, passenger car and commercial vehicle manufacturers located around the Chennai belt. Without disclosing the investments made so far, Arvinder Gill, vice-president, business development, Varroc Group, told Autocar Professional that “we plan to manufacture seats, body parts, air filter assembly, mirror assembly for the two-wheeler segment and body parts for the passenger car and commercial vehicle segments at the upcoming plant in Chennai. The facility, which is currently under construction, is scheduled to commence production by November 2014.” (autocarpro.in)

• Although there is no official launch date confirmed, dealers in Mumbai have confirmed that the Maruti Suzuki Ciaz will be launched in September with bookings beginning in early August. Expect the Ciaz to be priced between Rs 7-10 lakh (ex-showroom).(ETauto.com)

• Hyundai is recalling its popular Sonata midsize sedan to fix problems with the gear shift levers.The recall covers 883,000 cars from the 2011 through 2014 model years.The Korean automaker says the automatic transmission shift cable can separate from the shift lever. If that happens, the lever may not show the correct gear, increasing the risk of a crash.(ETauto.com)

• Tesla’s spokesman Simon Sproule confirmed on the 23rd of July that the company has temporarily paused their only production plant in California for the first time to increase the production capacity and make adjustments for the upcoming Model X (SUV).(indianautoblog.com)

• TRW Automotive has launched its latest-generation Electric Park Brake (EPB) technology with three major Japanese-based vehicle manufacturers and will begin production with a fourth automaker in the near future.  The EPB system functions as a conventional hydraulic brake for standard service brake applications, and as an electric brake for parking and emergency braking.  (autocarpro.in)

images from ashokleyland.com and rediff.com

Automotive Updates - 29th July 2014

• Chinese commercial vehicle major BeiBen Trucks, a unit of NORINCO Group, was born to assemble Mercedes-Benz trucks for the Chinese market. The grown-up truck maker is now looking to enter the Indian truck market, according to a report in Economic Times.(indianautoblogs.com)

• US Secretary of State, John Kerry has regaled both Tata Group and American motor company, Ford for job opportunities created both in the US and in India. Tata Group has created a vast number of job opportunities in the United States due to expansion of design and sales operations in the country.rushlane.com)

• Finally some good news for the masses and petrol heads alike. There will be a drop in the price of petrol and it could be to the tune of Re 1 per litre. A drop of Re 1 is considerable by what has been the trend of late and since April we haven’t seen such a significant drop. (carwale.com)

•  Suzuki is recalling nearly 26,000 midsize cars in the US because the daytime running light modules can overheat and could cause a fire.The recall covers the Verona from the 2004-2006 model years. It's an expansion of an earlier recall of the Forenza and Reno.(Etauto.com)

• A report on Autocar India says that Volvo India has introduced its all-new Drive-E engine in the S60 sedan and XC60 SUV. The D4 variants of these cars, which until now came with a five-cylinder 2.0-liter diesel engine, are offered with a newly developed four-cylinder 2.0-liter engine that launched at the Frankfurt Motor Show last year. .(indianautoblogs.com)

• Mahindra has silently launched a new variant of the e2o equipped with power steering. In fact, the e2o now comes in three variants – T01, T2 and T20. The T2 and T20 come with an electric power steering unit according to the company’s website. .(indianautoblogs.com)

• Tata Motors-owned Jaguar Land Rover will hold the global premiere of the new Jaguar XE luxury sedan in London on September 8 with which it is looking to bring new levels of aluminium-intensive lightweight construction expertise to the segment.(Businesstoday.com)

• Commercial vehicle major Ashok Leyland aims to reduce its debt by another Rs 700 crore to bring it down to around Rs 3,800 crore from Rs 4,500 crore. "We aim to reduce debt to Rs 3,800 crore from Rs 4,500 crore from now that will bring debt equity ratio to 1:1 by this fiscal," Managing Director VK Dasari said here today. (economicstimes.com)

• Japanese automaker Honda said Tuesday its latest quarterly net profit jumped 19.6 percent to $1.4 billion thanks to a weak yen and growth in global auto sales, as it boosted its full-year profit forecast.Honda said it earned 146.5 billion yen ($1.4 billion), up from 122.5 billion yen a year earlier, as sales rose 5.4 percent to 2.99 trillion yen. (Etauto.com)

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Automotive updates - 28th July 2014

• Globally, India is the largest consumer and exporter of three wheelers, having registered growth in both domestic sales and exports in the last decade. India exports three wheelers to Sri Lanka, Bangladesh, Egypt, Nigeria, Tanzania, Kenya, Ghana, Guatemala, Sudan, Botswana and Nepa. While not rampant, three wheelers market in India is faced with increased competition from light commercial vehicles (LCVs), Electric Rickshaws and Quadricycles, such as Bajaj RE. (rushlane.com)

• Daimler India Commercial Vehicles (DICV) which successfully made inroads in the Indian trucking segment with the BharatBenz brand is not resting on its laurels. The Hindu reports that DICV is working on a new truck platform which is codenamed Project Thunderbolt. (indianautoblog.com)

• Mercedes-Benz India has reported a 25 per cent growth in its sales for the first half of 2014 at 4,717 units.Significant contributor to this growth has been the flagship S-Class sedan and the ML-Class SUV and the NGC (new generation cars) portfolio comprising the A-Class and B-Class, the company said in a statement.( http://businesstoday.intoday.in/)

• Dealer Council of BMW Group India has objected to Managing Director, BMW Financial Services India, Dr. Stefan Schlipf’s arrest. He is closely associated with BMW India Dealers since his appointment in his current position since 14 April 2013, and has now has been released on bail.(rushlane.com)

• Daimler India Commercial Vehicles (DICV), the 100% wholly owned subsidiary of auto major Daimler AG, on Monday announced senior level changes in the light of progress of its Asian Business Model. Satyakam Arya, who was hitherto VP, procurement DICV, will move to MFTBC, Japan, as the VP, procurement, Daimler Trucks Asia, where he will also assume the role as the global commodity head of mechatronics for Daimler Trucks, effective September 1, 2014.Yasuhiko Kondo hitherto GM, life cycle management and governance & operations management procurement, MFTBC, will take over the role of vice-president, procurement at DICV.(Etauto.com)

• Ashok Leyland has recorded a 4.8 percent increase in turnover to Rs 2,477.80 crores for the quarter ended June 30, 2014, as against Rs 2,363.81 crores of the corresponding quarter in 2013. Sale of M&HCV in the quarter stood at 14,949 numbers (14,900 in the year-earlier quarter). Sales of LCVs stood at 5,032 units (as against 6,824 in the year-earlier period); the drop was primarily due to a correction in pipeline inventory.(autocarpro.in)

• Luxury car maker, Bentley Motors has become the first automotive manufacturer to be awarded the triple Carbon Trust Standard for carbon, water and waste reduction. The certification was completed by the Carbon Trust, one of the world’s leading independent authorities on delivering carbon reduction and achieving greater resource efficiency. (motoroids.com)

• Nissan Motor Co Ltd expects Takata Corp to pay back to the automaker all costs related to the recent air bag recall, Corporate Vice President Joji Tagawa said.Nissan, Japan's second-biggest automaker by global sales, recalled 755,500 vehicles globally in June over potentially explosive air bags, supplied by Takata. He declined to give the cost related to the recall. (Etauto.com)

• Jaguar Land Rover seems to be on a spending spree as the British luxury car maker has announced that it has purchased the largest privately owned collection of British cars. The collection assembled by British enthusiast James Hull, includes 543 cars, most of which are British classics and features many significant Jaguar models including XK SS, C, D and E-types. The cars in the collection will be actively used to support brand and experiential marketing to develop the brands and business in existing and emerging markets.(motoroids.com)

• Xavier Chardon has been appointed the new Head of Marketing at the Volkswagen Passenger Cars brand. He succeeds Simon Thomas, who will leave the company. Wolf-Stefan Specht takes over from Chardon as Head of Sales Europe at Volkswagen Passenger Cars. (Etauto.com)

• A report from Zig Wheels states that Suzuki India will launch the Gixxer on August 10. The 150 cc motorcycle had its world premiere in India a few days prior to the Auto Expo this year. Suzuki unveiled the Gixxer along with the Let’s scooter, which was launched in India in early May.(indianautoblog.com)

• India's steel production grew at nearly half the world's average in the first six months of this year, but the country still maintains the fourth position among top steel producers.From January-June, India produced 41.28 million tonne steel, up 1.4 per cent over 40.72 MT in the year-ago period, as per the World Steel Association data.In comparison, global production of the alloy stood at 821.34 MT in the first half of 2014, over 801.23 MT during H1 of last year, clocking a growth of 2.5 per cent. (Etauto.com)

• To be used as feeders to Transjakarta busway and as regular buses, a series of medium sized buses are being developed by Tata Motors for Kopaja. This has been confirmed by Biswadev Sengupta, President Director of PT Tata Motors Distribusi Indonesia, the sole agents of Tata Motors in Indonesia.(rushlane.com)

•  images from rushlane.com and thehindubusinessline.com

Automotive Update - 27th July 2014

• Country's largest carmaker Maruti Suzuki IndiaBSE 0.28 % (MSI) is looking to increase the supply of auto gear shift version of its latest compact hatchback Celerio to reduce the waiting period that currently stands at about four months. (economicstimes.com)

• Since its launch in February, the company has so far received bookings for over 57,800 units of Celerio, out of which 43 per cent (25,000) are units with automated manual transmission (AMT) technology."We continue to try and increase the supply of the auto gear shift (Celerio) cars," a spokesperson of MSI told PTI.  (economicstimes.com)

• A local court today granted bail to the Managing Director of BMW Financial Services, Stefan Schlipf, arrested in connection with a court-referred case filed against the German car-maker in 2010."Dr. Stefan Schlipf was arrested by Hyderabad Police in connection with a law suit filed by Delta Cars. He has been released on bail. As one of the most reputed global companies, the BMW Group has very strict compliance guidelines and processes.(ETauto.com)

• Ashok Leyland June quarter earnings were slightly better than expected. Revenue was marginally higher than Bloomberg’s forecast, while net loss narrowed. The commercial vehicle maker reported a 4.8% operating margin—about 80 basis points (bps) wider than analysts’ estimates. One basis point is one-hundredth of a percentage point. Though the firm posted a drop in sales volume, price hikes improved realization to aid revenue growth. Segments like the intermediate commercial vehicle (CV) range and the tippers and tractors segment fared well to post a net revenue of Rs.2,477.8 crore, 4.8% higher than the year-ago period.(fianancialexpress.com)

• Pune-based Shivang Technocrats today said it has entered into a strategic alliance with Swedish firm Lareda Mekan AB to manufacture a wide range of sophisticated automotive products.The major focus of the tie-up will be to develop and offer a broad portfolio of quality products to major automotive OEMs and other European clients present in the country and abroad as well, a release said here. (ETauto.com)

• Suzuki is all set to bring its flagship mass market motorcycle for the Indian market and has scheduled to launch the Gixxer 155 in the country on 10th August. First unveiled in January this year along with the Let’s scooter, the Gixxer is a very important product for the Japanese manufacturer and is expected to be priced around Rs. 75,000/- (ex-showroom). Suzuki claims that the engine and chassis have been developed by the engineers who designed the GSX-R series of motorcycles and going by the looks.(motorbeam.com)

• Mahindra may introduce a power steering variant for their electric car, the e2o in the next few months. The introduction of this new variant has come after few of its owners complained about the steering feeling heavy at low speeds.(car\wale.com)

• Ford launches the next-gen Ford Figo (known as 'KA' globally) in Brazil; The Ford KA starts at 35,390 BRL (INR 9.53 lakh) in the soccer crazy nation. But in India prices are expected to remain similar to the outgoing model. The next-gen Ford Figo will come along with a compact sedan that was showcased at the 2014 Indian Auto Expo. The duo will come early next year.(CARDEKHO.COM)

• After withdrawing the Chevrolet brand from Europe due to poor acceptance, American auto giant GM is planning to approach the old continent with an array of low-cost cars, reports Financial Times.The Euro crisis has left the automakers scrambling for a strategy to turnaround sales. The crisis also influenced the customers to resort to the low-cost cars. Renault’s Romanian subsidiary Dacia hit the jackpot with its affordable range of vehicles that include the Dacia Sandero, Logan and the Duster. The brand sold 430,000 vehicles worldwide and secured a market share of 31.6 percent.(indianautoblog.com)

• Steelbird, one of the most popular helmet manufacturers in the country, had introduced a new range of professional gear, which will be called as ARES. Now, adding further, another range of professional helmets has been launched, which is called “ARES- Flip up Helmet”. In a revolutionary design introduced by the firm, it is a one-of-a-kind product that has been made using technology from NASA. The manufacturer aims at taking the experience of bikers in India along with ensuring that all safety measures(cartrade.com)

• Maruti's powerful Gurgaon labour union has taken up the cudgels for workers arrested in 2012 for the unrest at the company's Manesar plant, which had resulted in the death of a senior manager and arrest of several workers. The July 2012 incident had seen the Haryana government ordering a probe by a Special Investigation Team (SIT) even as the company went ahead and sacked nearly 500 of the 1,500-odd permanent workers at the Manesar plant.(carkhabri.com)

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•  image from financialexpress.com

Automotive Updates - 26th July 2014

• BMW India has silently launched a new base variant for the X5 luxury SUV called xDrive x30d ‘Expedition’, priced at Rs. 64.9 lakhs (ex-showroom). The new base variant is a healthy Rs. 6 lakhs cheaper than the standard 2014 X5 that was launched earlier this year at a price of Rs. 70.9 lakhs (ex-showroom, Delhi). However, the Expedition variant does lose out on several features compared to the top end model (Design Pure Experience), but retains the same mechanicals and power outputs under the hood.(motorbeam.com)

• Truck and bus maker Ashok Leyland beat analyst expectations to post a much lower net loss for the first quarter ended June 2014. The company made a net loss of Rs 47.95 crore, significantly lower than the net loss of Rs 141.75 crore in the same period last year and nearly half of the street expectation of around Rs 76 crore.(Etauto.com)

• Hyundai i20 in an all new avatar will hit showrooms by 15th August 2014, confirms a source in Tamil Nadu. There are only about 21 units of Hyundai i20 hatchback in Tamil Nadu, out of which only one unit of diesel powered top end Asta variant is available and about 3 units of Asta petrol version is remaining.(rushlane.com)

• Hinduja Group flagship company Ashok Leyland is pinning hopes on exports and non-truck segment to sustain business as it struggles to overcome slump in the commercial vehicles category."Outside India we are growing very well. Exports to the Middle East and Bangladesh continue to perform very well. Sri Lanka in the first quarter... you saw last year it did very badly but now you can see there are very large orders from the Sri Lankan government", Ashok Leyland Managing Director Vinod K Dasari told reporters after the company's 65th AGM here. (Etauto.com)

• Maruti Suzuki has introduced a limited edition Ertiga to commemorate the sale of 1, 50,000 units of the MPV in India. The MPV has been spruced up with cosmetic upgrades as well as additional kit. Maruti Suzuki has equipped the limited edition Ertiga with visual upgrades such as 10-spoke alloy wheels, roof-mounted spoilers, a sleek chrome grille, chrome door handles as well as new body decals. (motoroid.com)

• Marking the arrest of the second high-profile global corporate head by the Indian police in recent weeks, the Telangana police took into custody German luxury car maker BMW's auto finance head Stefan David Schlipf following a complaint of cheating by a car dealer. (economicstimes.com)

• Force Motors today posted 35.87 percentage increase in its net profit at Rs 19.39 crore for the first quarter ended June 30.The company had posted a net profit of Rs 14.27 crore for the same period of previous fiscal. (Etauto.com)

• Tata Motors has started rolling out the Zest compact sedan from the Tata-Fiat Ranjangoan manufacturing facility.(teambhp.com)

• After withdrawing the Chevrolet brand from Europe due to poor acceptance, American auto giant GM is planning to approach the old continent with an array of low-cost cars, reports Financial Times.The Euro crisis has left the automakers scrambling for a strategy to turnaround sales. The crisis also influenced the customers to resort to the low-cost cars. Renault’s Romanian subsidiary Dacia hit the jackpot with its affordable range of vehicles that include the Dacia Sandero, Logan and the Duster. The brand sold 430,000 vehicles worldwide and secured a market share of 31.6 percent.(indianautoblog.com)

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• images from ashokleyland.com and autox.com

Automotive Updates - 25th July 2014

•  Mahindra & Mahindra’s Farm Equipment Sector (FES) has introduced a new 35hp tractor – the Mahindra 275 DI ECO – in the states of Gujarat, Rajasthan and Madhya Pradesh. The 275 DI ECO is powered by the Mahindra MKM engine which develops torque of 118.6 NM at 1900rpm, which makes it amongst the most powerful and fuel efficient tractors in its category. (autocarpro.in)
  

• After being spied for countless times in the recent past, Fiat has now officially announced that 2014 facelifted Punto aka Punto Evo will be launched on 5th August.The Punto Evo will be offered in total seven trims, with three engine options. The petrol variants will be powered by 67 bhp-1.2-litre and 90 bhp-1.4-litre petrol powerplants, while the same 75 bhp-1.3-litre diesel mill will be doing its duty under the hood of diesel variants. All engines, irrespective of petrol or diesel, will come with a 5-speed manual transmission.(cardekho.com)

• Hero Passion Pro TR, which Hero MotoCorp claims is built for both on and off road facilities is launched in India. A spiced up iteration of Passion Pro, the Passion Pro TR comes in with added features and a host of accessories, not seen on the Passion Pro, with a price tag of INR 53,531, almost INR 6,000 over the price of Passion Pro.(rushlane.com)

• As it works to reposition itself in the car market at home by launching new products, Tata Motors is not ignoring the overseas territory. In a first, the company is setting up a full-fledged car assembly plant overseas — in Venezuela — to penetrate the 4.5-million-unit South American market. Though Tata Motors has nine commercial vehicle (CV) plants overseas, so far it has none for the passenger cars.(financialexpress.com)

• Tractor maker Escorts has tied up with L&T Finance to provide loan for buying tractors. The company has inked a preferred financier agreement with L&T Finance to provide loans to tractor customers across the country, Escorts Ltd said in a statement. (economics times)

• Japan's Mazda Motor Corp will broaden a recall of cars sold in the United States because an air-bag inflator, supplied by Japan's Takata Corp, could rupture and seriously injure occupants.(ETauto.com)

• ZF Friedrichshafen AG is betting big on China and the Asia-Pacific market. From Shanghai, ZF coordinates business in China and APAC. Over the past few years, Asia-Pacific with China being the main market has developed into one of the most important market regions for the component supplier. In order to further extend research and development there and to reinforce its market presence in the Far East, the technology company is considerably expanding its headquarters for China and Asia-Pacific in Shanghai: the space for offices, laboratories, and test benches will almost be quadrupled from 11,000 to 54,000 square metres. - (autocarpro.in)

• Pune’s Shivang Technocrats has signed a strategic alliance with Sweden based Lareda Mekan AB to manufacture automotive products (pedal assemblies, Fuel filler necks, sheet metal components, integrated seat frames and more). Key focus will be on development of wide ranging products for automotive OEMs and other European clients present in India and overseas. (rushlane.com)

• BASF Shanghai Coatings Co has opened a new facility for automotive OEM coatings in the Shanghai Chemical Industry Park in Shanghai. The chemical major has invested around 50 million euros (Rs 404 crore) in expanding production capacity for automotive OEM coatings. (autocarpro.in)

• Apollo Tyres today said it has appointed Seshu Bhagavathula as the Chief Technology Officer (CTO) of the company.Bhagavathula, who will be based out of the company's Global R&D Centre in the Netherlands, will spearhead the global initiatives for the company for product development in both passenger and commercial vehicle tyres.(ETauto.com)

•  image from autocarpro.in and topgears.com

Automotive Updates - 24th July 2014

• German luxury carmaker BMW has launched an all-new hybrid version of its top-end 7 Series sedan, at a showroom price of Rs 1.35 crore. (economicstimes.com)

• The BMW S1000R has been launched in India through the CBU route. The street-naked motorcycle that looks like a stripped-down variant of the S1000RR (featured in the Bollywood movie Dhoom) is priced at INR 22.83 lakh (ex-showroom, Mumbai). (indianautoblogs.com)

• India Yamaha Motor’s upcoming new manufacturing plant at Chennai, that  will go on stream this November, will likely begin production with the Alpha scooter launched at the Auto Expo 2014 in February. The scooter is powered by a four-stroke, 113cc, single-cylinder, air-cooled engine which develops 7bhp at 7500rpm and maximum torque of 0.82kgm at 5000rpm. Yamaha is targeting sales of around 200,000 units of the Alpha which is currently being produced at the company’s Surajpur plant in Greater Noida.  It will subsequently be manufactured at both the Surajpur and Chennai plants. (autocarpro.in)

• Bajaj Holdings and Investment Ltd, the holding company of the Bajaj Group, has offloaded over 2 per cent stake in Pune-based Force Motors for Rs 13.29 crore.In a regulatory filing to the BSE today, Bajaj Holdings said it has sold 2,67,275 shares of Force Motors between July 14 and July 23, representing 2.03 per cent stake.(ETauto.com)

• After yesterday’s launch in Delhi, new Honda Mobilio was launched in Mumbai earlier today for a starting price of Rs 6,49,500. A runaway success, Honda Mobilio bookings have already crossed 6,500 units.(rushlane.com)

• BMW India will launch three M performance cars in India this calendar year.Mr. Philipp von Sahr, president of BMW India, told Indian Autos Blog at the launch of the ActiveHybrid 7 that the company intends on introducing the new M3, M4 and M5 LCI (Life Cycle Impulse) later this year. “In the next 2-3 months, the new M3 Sedan, the M4 coupe and the new M5 sedan will come”, he said.(indianautoblogs.com)

• Fiat will launch the 2014 Punto facelift christened as 'Punto EVO' in the second week of August, booking of the Italian beauty will start soon. While the world premier of the Made-for-India Fiat Avventura, which they call it -CUV 'Contemporary Urban Vehicle' will be made soon after the Punto EVO launch sometime in September. But one thing is for sure you can drive home both the vehicle before this Diwali! This has been confirmed by Nagesh Basavanahalli, President and MD Fiat India in an exclusive interview with CarDekho.(cardekho.com)

• Today, Ford India inaugurated its fourth parts distribution centre in India. After Chennai, Mumbai and Delhi, now Kolkata gets a new regional parts warehouse, which is expected to enable faster distribution of spare parts.(teambhp.com)

• Japan's Honda Motors plans to make India its manufacturing base for supply of manual transmissions to emerging markets across Asia and Latin America, joining the growing list of auto majors that are tapping the country's low-cost manufacturing advantage. The car maker, which lau-nched its multi-passenger vehicle 'Mobilio' in India on Wednesday, plans to use its unit in Rajasthan for manufacture and supply of manual gears to its overseas facilities.(economicstimes.com)

• The implementation of the government-backed pilot project to run battery-operated vehicles (including hybrid passenger cars) is now facing a clear delay of at least 3-5 months.The plan, wherein various carmakers including Maruti Suzuki, Mahindra & Mahindra (M&M), TVS Motor Company, Tata Motors and a few others are looking to supply battery-run vehicles to the government for a pilot run across 10 cities in India, was originally expected to get clearance from the Central government in Q1, FY2014-15. The delay in its implementation is due to various state governments failing to submit their reports in time to the central government. (autocarpro.in)

• Suzuki Motorcycle India Private Limited (SMIPL) is the official bike partner for the movie slated for a release on July 25, 2014.

• Salman endorses the Suzuki two-wheeler brand and his association with the two-wheeler major also reflects in the choice of bikes he prefers to ride in his movies. (ETauto.com)

• Tata Motors will be offering a 6 year warranty on the upcoming Tata Zest compact sedan, the Financial Express reports. The standard warranty will cover the first three years of the car, and an extended warranty will cover the next three years. The six year warranty, according to the report, will be included in the price of the car.(indianautoblogs.com)

images from bikesdoctor.com and houseofjapan.com

Automotive Updates - 23rd July 2014

• Honda launches their much awaited 7 seater - Mobilio, in India (link to our official review).The Mobilio is launched with a 1.5L petrol and a 1.5L diesel engine with claimed mileage figures of 17.3 kmpl and 24.2 kmpl respectively.(teambhp.com)

• The BMW 7 Series Active Hybrid luxury sedan (in long wheelbase specification) is now on sale in Delhi, Mumbai and Chennai at INR 1.35 crore (ex-showroom Pan-India). The limousine is the first hybrid offering in India by any in the German trio.(indianautoblog.com)

• Giving cosmetic changes to its bestseller in the executive commuter segment (125cc), the CB Shine, Honda Motorcycle & Scooter India (HMSI) has rolled out the 2014 edition of the model. The minor changes include new graphics and two new colour options – pearl amazing white and dual-tone red and black, in addition to the existing colour options of black, grey and red. According to the company, the cosmetically upgraded models will sell at the prevailing prices (across the CB Shine variants) without any additional costs. - (autocarpro.in)

• Renault is to supply Fiat with a light commercial vehicle based on a Renault platform, the French carmaker said in a statement on Tuesday.The Italian vehicle manufacturer will develop the styling, and the vans will be branded Fiat Professional, the statement said. It will be manufactured by Renault in France starting from the second quarter of 2016.(ETauto.com)

• While Honda was busy with the launch of its MPV Mobilio, the demand of Honda City surged to a new high. As per the latest information available, Honda City now attracts a waiting period of six to eight months (depending on the variant and city). Last month, Honda retailed more than 7700 units of City which is way more than its rivals Hyundai Verna, Fiat Linea and Skoda Rapid.(cardekho.com)

• The India unit of Honda Motor Co Ltd will account for 25 per cent of the Japanese carmaker's Asia Pacific sales target of 1.2 million units by March 2017, Managing Officer Yoshiyuki Matsumoto said on Wednesday. Honda plans to raise the number of dealers in India to 230 by March 2015 from 179 now, said Hironori Kanayama, president and chief executive officer, Honda Cars India Ltd. (ETauto.com)

• The Ford Fiesta was ranked as the UK’s best-selling vehicle ever. First launched in 1976, the car has registered a total sales of 4,115,000 units as of this month.(motoroid.com)

• After Mercedes-Benz, its close rival BMW is on a product offensive in India. While the German automaker already sells vehicles ranging from sedans to SUVs to coupes and convertibles in India, the company is aiming to improve its portfolio by launching even more products. BMW will be launching the M3, M4, M5, X3 and i8 .(motorbeam.com)

• Volkswagen's chief executive said on Wednesday that the multi-brand automotive group "urgently" needs higher profit to help fund future expansion."Over the short-term, we urgently need more efficiency and higher profit," CEO Martin Winterkorn told a staff gathering at VW's main factory in Wolfsburg, Germany. .(ETauto.com)

• The Society of Manufacturers of Electric Vehicles (SMEV) is in talks with the government for a pilot project for electric two-wheelers in Goa. The project is expected to commence in a few months. Goa has been zeroed down upon as the first Indian state for the project as it will have the infrastructure in terms of centrally-funded battery-swapping station network. According to Sohinder Gill, director, SMEV and CEO, Hero Electric, the pilot project envisages providing 300-500 electric two-wheelers without the batteries. These two-wheelers will be powered by lithium ion batteries made available at 16 battery-swapping stations. –(autocarpro.in)

• Chrysler on Tuesday said it would recall up to 792,300 sport utility vehicles to fix an ignition-switch problem, the same part involved in the massive General Motors recall. (ETauto.com)

•  image from wikipedia and ford website

Automotive Updates - 22nd July 2014

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• The performance car with the most powerful four-cylinder engine is here in India! Mercedes-Benz has launched the CLA 45 AMG in the Indian market for a price of Rs 68.50 lakh. The compact super saloon is the AMG version of the CLA sedan and the most affordable AMG car in India. The company has also announced that the regular CLA model will come to India in the next six months.(carwale.com)

• Porsche has launched the Macan compact SUV in India, priced at an exorbitant Rs. 1 crore for the Macan S Diesel, while the Macan Turbo costs Rs. 1.11 crore (ex-showroom, Delhi). The price is ridiculously high because the Cayenne which is a bigger vehicle that sits higher in the Porsche line-up is priced from Rs. 79 lakhs in the country. 

• Porsche is taking advantage of the fact that the Macan is completely sold out in global markets while all units allocated to India for 2014 have already been booked. The annual production capacity of the Porsche Macan is 50,000 units. The vehicle is a cousin of the Audi Q5 and is based on VW Group’s MLB platform.Read more at http://www.motorbeam.com/cars/porsche-macan/porsche-macan-launched-india-priced-rs-1-crore/#yDUWB0bZqsjrfmxo.99

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• Commercial vehicle major Ashok Leyland has proposed to sell three of its subsidiaries, including two overseas arms — Albonair GmbH in Germany, Avia Ashok Leyland Motors in the Czech Republic — and Albonair (India) — in the next 12 months. The move to sell all the loss-making companies is aimed at consolidating its operations further as well as cut mounting costs, said ALL sources.(financialexpress.com)

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• In a bid to take advantage of the growing luxury car market in India, Nissan’s premium luxury brand Infiniti would be foraying into the country in the future.Talking to Times Of India, Mr. Andy Palmer, chief planning officer, Nissan, said that it is “inevitable” for Infiniti to venture into India but the timing and product bandwidth need to be right.

•  He added that local assembly of Infiniti cars, preferably at the Renault-Nissan Alliance’s Orgadam plant near Chennai, would be the viable business model since import duty on CBUs (Completely Built Units) is high . Read more: http://indianautosblog.com/2014/07/infiniti-india-q30-qx30-138336#ixzz38Cg8uWp7 

•  Mercedes-Benz opened its new Shanghai Training Center, its largest passenger car training site globally. The facility is capable of providing 140,000 Participant Training Days every year. The strengthening of Mercedes-Benz’ Chinese training infrastructure goes hand-in-hand with the company’s fast-pace network initiative in the country: 100 new dealership outlets will be opened through 2014, of which 65 percent will be in fast-growing lower tier cities. . - See more at: http://www.autocarpro.in/news-international/mercedes-benz-largest-passenger-car-training-centre-china-6046#sthash.vPQDsupA.dpuf

• With lack of any product in the segment between Etios and Corolla, Japanese automakers Toyota, along with their Indian counterparts Kirloskar Motors will be introducing the Vios sedan in India.It was reported earlier that Toyota will not be bringing Vios to India as they plan to produce a new car on the Etios platform. But, Japan’s Nikkei now reveals that they are in fact going to bring the Vios sedan to India.Read more at http://www.rushlane.com/toyota-etios-production-end-vios-launch-plans-12125732.html#OdJmTYPTkZF7ugDh.99

• Battery maker Exide Industries today reported 16.68 per cent increase in net profit at Rs 185.3 crore for the first quarter ended June 30, 2014.The company had posted a net profit of Rs 158.8 crore in the same period of previous fiscal.(etauto.com)

• In what is an interesting announcement, Mr. Manoj Arora, head of sales and marketing, PT Tata Motors Indonesia, told Otonity.com that the company will launch the Tata Vista automatic in the country later this year.Read more: http://indianautosblog.com/2014/07/tata-vista-automatic-indonesia-138308#ixzz38CfzKINP

• Infosys has completed successful transition to begin operations in FY 2015 Q1 of Daimler’s European data centres. Infosys will manage Daimler’s daily data center operations while looking to innovate and improve.Infosys and Daimler AG’s collaboration strengthens optimizing data center operations using secure cloud technologies to support continuous improvement and implementation of best practices. Read more at http://www.rushlane.com/infosys-daimler-enterprise-operations-office-india-12125789.html#RmCMBLWw4gy6dGzP.99

• Earlier this month Faurecia, the world’s seventh-largest automotive supplier, inaugurated its new North American headquarters and Automotive Seating TechCenter in Auburn Hills, Michigan (US), in the presence of Rick Snyder, governor of the state of Michigan, Kevin McDaniel, mayor of Auburn Hills and Yann Delabrière, chairman and CEO of Faurecia. 

• The new facility, spread across over 25,000 square metres, includes a full-fledged Seating TechCenter with prototype metal shop; trim development lab; just-in-time (JIT) manufacturing lab; structural testing lab; environmental testing chambers; noise, vibration and harshness (NVH) and electrical lab; and semi-anechoic chamber for sound testing. More than 700 people are now based in the new building. - See more at: http://www.autocarpro.in/news-international/faurecia-inaugurates-american-hq-seating-tech-centre-6041#sthash.qZb2w3dn.dpuf

• Eyeing rural and semi-urban buyers, Honda Motorcycle and Scooter India (HMSI) Monday entered into a retail finance tie-up with Sarva Haryana Gramin Bank.According to the two-wheeler manufacturer, the memorandum of understanding (MoU) on retail finance was entered at a special ceremony in Gurgaon.(etauto.com)

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• images from paultan.com and ashokleyland.com

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Automotive Updates - 21st July 2014

• German auto major Volkswagen today crossed the milestone of producing 4 lakh cars from its Pune plant just after five years of becoming operational. "Since the start of production at Volkswagen Pune Plant in March 2009, more than four lakh cars have been produced for the domestic as well as over 32 export markets across three continents," the company said in a statement. Read more at economics times

• Jaguar’s ethereal beauty, the locally produced XJ premium sedan has been finally launched in India. This announcement comes in around a month after the media was informed about it.It will be locally assembled at the Pune facility which will aid in reducing the prices to make it more competitive against the German rivals. This is the JRL group’s third car to be locally assembled in India after the Jaguar XF sedan and Land Rover Freelander SUV. This allows for a sharp price drop of good 24 lakhs, making it an interesting option in the flagship luxury sedan range.(Motorbash.com)

• Swiss engineering group ABB and Swedish car and bus maker Volvo said they were setting up a global partnership to co-develop and commercialise electric and hybrid buses with fast charging systems.The partnership will help pave the way for the rapid deployment of urban e-mobility with a first joint project being planned for next year, the groups said in a statement on Monday.(ETAuto.com)

• TVS Automobile Solutions Ltd (TASL), a subsidiary of TVS & Sons and one of the largest players in the automotive aftermarket segment, is entering the Middle East market by foraying into the commercial vehicle fleet maintenance business. It will handle the servicing and maintenance requirements of a large vehicle fleet belonging to a Saudi Arabia-based group. - See more at: http://www.autocarpro.in/news-national/mytvs-enter-middle-east-plans-foray-cv-service-business-6037#sthash.G35RnpzB.dpuf

• Buses and trucks manufacturer Scania Commercial Vehicles India Pvt. Ltd. is targeting to sell 650 vehicles this year and is looking at sourcing smaller engines from the domestic market, a top company official said."End of this year we will be selling 150 buses and 500 trucks. Next year we will be selling around 500 buses," managing director Anders Grundstromer told reporters here.(ETAuto.com)

• Already spotted on test in India, near Renault Nissan Chennai plant, the new Lodgy MPV will be launched in India by January 2015. Production is set to commence at their Chennai plant later this year. Once launched, Lodgy will compete with Maruti Ertiga, Honda Mobilio, Toyota Innova, Nissan Evalia, and Chevrolet Enjoy. Read more at http://www.rushlane.com/renault-lodgy-india-launch-date-12125644.html#CJ4tzVTyfbLrmwo1.99

• While Tata Motors aspires to bolster its Australian operations, it will not be introducing the Nano or Safari in that market. Speaking to Motoring, Tata’s head of international business, R T Wasan, and Fusion Automotive’s (Tata’s Australian distributor) Managing Director, Darren Bowler, ruled out these cars for the Australian market.Read more: http://indianautosblog.com/2014/07/tata-nano-tata-safari-ruled-out-australia-138251#ixzz387Mc7NAM 

• The Kolhapur Municipal Transport (KMT) has received lowest bid from Ashok Leyland Ltd for supplying buses.The KMT will now invite the officials of the company for further negotiations before moving the proposal to the transport committee of the Kolhapur Municipal Corporation for finalization.The KMT had issued a tender for purchasing 106 buses under the Jawaharlal Nehru National Urban Renewal Mission (JNNURM), funded by the central government.(ETAuto.com)

• Earlier report of Skoda India planning to launch the new Octavia vRS, a more powerful variant of the existing Octavia, has been rubbished by the company. The Indian subsidiary of Czech car maker has no such plans.Read more at http://www.rushlane.com/skoda-octavia-vrs-india-plans-12125276.html#UyWsuPI87M5LdYTd.99

• Furthering their corporate social responsibilities, two wheeler majors, Bajaj Auto Limited has signed a Memorandum of Understanding with College of Engineering, Pune. Bajaj Auto will be donating an amount of INR 4.5 crores towards modernization and renovation of mechanical engineering department building.Read more at http://www.rushlane.com/bajaj-auto-donates-coep-12125670.html#MCEAVxiSkvKJdqeO.99

• German carmaker Daimler does not plan to increase its stake in Russian truckmaker Kamaz, it said on Thursday, renouncing a long-considered deal amid rising tension between Moscow and the West over Ukraine.(ETAuto.com)

• After the controversy over the vehicle import tax structure was cleared and a new taxation was put into play, Bhutan has lifted the ban on import of automobiles that was imposed last year, with immediate effect.According to Bhutanese auto dealers, buyers have already started queuing up at their showrooms to order new vehicles. The customers are particularly keen on made-in-India vehicles.Read more: http://indianautosblog.com/2014/07/bhutan-vehicle-import-ban-lifted-138211#ixzz387SLtOta 

• The Delhi government is mulling offering a subsidy to car owners choosing to go electric. The move comes after the Centre offered a subsidy in this year's budget under the National Mission on Electric Mobility. These, however, are not aimed at e-rickshaws."As part of the pilot project, the government will offer a substantial subsidy to those who want to switch to electric mode using a specialized conversion kit," said Kuldeep Gangar, special commissioner, transport department. The modalities of the amount of subsidy are still being worked out. These retrofitted hybrid-electric kits can be used on any vehicle not more than two or three years old.(ETAuto.com)

image - inautonews.com and motorstown.com