Automotive Updates - 11th September 2014

• Mercedes-Benz India today launched the top-end Mercedes E350 CDI variant at the Pune plant for a price of INR 57.42 lakhs (ex-showroom, Pune) . The E Class is India’s best selling luxury saloon with over 25,000 units delivered. The E350, like other variants in its brand, is assembled in India. It is powered by a 3.0-liter V6 diesel engine that outputs 261.4 bhp and 620 Nm of torque, with a 0-100 kph time of 6.6 seconds. The car is driven via a 7-speed (7G-TRONIC) automatic gearbox..(indianautoblogs.com)

• German luxury car maker Audi today launched Audi Q3 Dynamic with Audi drive select in the Indian market priced at Rs 38,40,000 (ex-showroom Mumbai). The Audi Q3 is the largest selling luxury SUV in India and this new addition will further strengthen the brand's dominance in the luxury SUV segment, the company said in a statement. (economicstimes.com)

• General Motors Co plans to launch 40 new cars in India and in other international markets excluding China, north America and Europe, Chief Executive Mary Barra said on Thursday.The U.S. carmaker "sees a lot of opportunities in India from a market perspective," Barra told reporters in the Indian capital. The company has started exporting cars from India to Chile, she added.(financialexpress.com)

• Swedish commercial vehicle major Scania has got orders to supply 300 buses in India.   According to Anders Grundstromer, managing director of Scania Commercial Vehicles India (SVCI) and senior vice-president, Scania Group, said the company has so far supplied 38 Scania Metrolink coach buses in India, primarily in South and Western region like Karnataka, Tamil Nadu, Kerala, Andhra Pradesh, Maharashtra and Gujarat. (autocarpro.in)

• Auto-parts maker Visteon Corp is exploring a plan to split into two companies focused on electronics and climate controls, Bloomberg reported, citing people familiar with the matter. Visteon, once a part of Ford Motor Co may consider selling or spinning off the electronics business, the report said.(ETauto.com)

• Expressing confidence for M&M's growth prospects, Pawan Goenka told ET Now that the automobile major will launch two Compact Utility Vehicle platforms and one Commercial vehicle platform next year. "We have several refreshes happening over the next 15 months. We are counting on the three primary new platforms that we are launching next year to give us much higher volume growth than that seen in the last 12 to 18 months," Goenka told ET Now. (economicstimes.com)

• Being a huge name in the passenger sector, it was a bold step on the part of Maruti to launch itself in the commercial vehicle segment. It has been developing Light Commercial Vehicle (LCV) with the codename Y9T, which will be the first launch of the brand in this segment. This machine will be powered by a new diesel engine and will be launched by the end of this financial year. However, some issues might have cropped up during the launch of this product and Maruti has decided to delay the process. If things are exactly the same as it seems, the product will be launched in the market by the next financial year.(cartrade.com)

• A while ago Competition Commission of India (CCI) had imposed a heavy total penalty amount of about Rs. 2,545 crore on 14 popular car brands in India stating ignorance of these car-makers to make available genuine spare markets in the open market. The Society of Indian Automobile Manufacturers (SIAM) has opposed this decision and indeed have stated that government department work with narrow mandates and work in isolation.(cartrade.com)

• Tata Technologies today announced Warren Harris  will be promoted to CEO and managing director. Harris, formerly the company’s president and COO, succeeds the retiring Patrick McGoldrick, who spent over 20 years leading the global engineering services and product development company. McGoldrick is retiring at age 65 as per Tata group policy. (autocarpro.in)

• Suzuki might discontinue the Grand Vitara and the Alto in the European markets. A report in a publication claims that this might happen by year end.  While it is certain that the Alto will be replaced by the new Celerio when it goes on sale in Europe, replacement for the Grand Vitara is not yet confirmed. The report also claims that Suzuki has nothing in the pipeline to replace the Grand Vitara with. This also means that Suzuki will concentrate more on the SX4 S-Cross. (carwale.com)

•  Auto major Tata Motors has joined hands with UK-based Microlise to launch advanced telematics and fleet management services in the Indian market.Under the partnership, which is for an initial period of five years, both sides intend to utilise their respective strengths to deliver services through Tata Fleetman platform, a vehicle management and tracking system, which the Mumbai-based auto major had launched in 2012.(ETauto.com)

• On September 9, Ashok Leyland rolled out the 100,000th vehicle from its facility at Pantnagar, Uttarakhand. Housing the latest technology and processes, this fully-integrated plant which was set up in 2010 manufactures trucks and buses. Spread over 200 acres of land and with an annual capacity of 70,000 vehicles, the plant also produces aggregates such as engines, gearboxes and axles. (autocarpro.in)

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