Automotive Updates - 15th September 2015

• Ford Figo with a Blue interior trim launched at INR 3.87 lakhs it Has no mechanical or drastic cosmetic changes.Ford India has launched a mildly revised Figo with cosmetic revisions. With this refresh, the company hopes to increase sales of the hatchback during the oncoming festive season.(indianautoblogs.com)

• Hero MotoCorp, India's top maker of motorcycles and scooters , plans to invest Rs 1,600 crore ($262 million) to set up a new manufacturing plant in southern India, a source directly involved in the matter said.Hero has signed a preliminary agreement with the Andhra Pradesh state government to set up the plant, to be spread across 600 acres, which can produce upto 1.8 million vehicles annually, the source said.( businesstoday.in)

•  Honda Motorcycle and Scooter India (HMSI) today said the operationalisation of its fourth plant in Gujarat will be delayed by about a quarter and will start production in the beginning of 2016."Due to the elections earlier this year, there has been a delay in the start of work at the Gujarat plant. We expect to start production at the plant in first quarter of 2016 instead of last quarter of 2015 as planned earlier," HMSI Keita Muramatsu told PTI here on the sidelines of SIAM annual convention.(ETauto.com)

• World’s largest two wheeler manufacturer Hero MotoCorp is upbeat about the festive season as the company has placed an optimistic sales target of 6 lakh units till Diwali. The company recently refreshed its product portfolio with the updated Karizma ZMR, Karizma R and CBZ.The company has increased its output with the commissioning of its Rajasthan plant.It further plans to expand the output with two upcoming production facilities. Pawan Munjal, vice-chairman and managing director of Hero MotoCorp, in an interview to ET Auto, said, “Our new plant based in Gujarat will start operating from the third quarter of the next financial year, while we have reached advanced stage of talks over the finalization of a new plant in south India.”(motroids.com)

• Renault’s upcoming small car will be launched below the Rs. 4 lakh mark and will help the company realise its dream of becoming a mass market player in the country. Underpinned by the low cost CMF-A platform, Nissan will also use the platform for its I2 small car to be sold under the Datsun brand. (motorbeam.com)

• Stefan Jacoby, GM executive vice-president & president, GM International, addressed a gathering of captains of industry from the global automotive space, Indian ministers and industry captains at SIAM’s 54th Annual Convention 2014 held in New Delhi on 12 September, 2014.Speaking on the topic ‘Auto Industry and its Economic Linkages’, Jacoby was joined by other automotive leaders such as Fumihiko Ike, chairman of JAMA (Japan Automobile Manufacturers Association) and chairman of Honda Motor Co Japan apart from Ravi Pisharody, executive director – Commercial Vehicles Business Unit, Tata Motors and Kenichi Ayukawa, managing director and CEO, Maruti Suzuki India. (Autocarpro.in)

• The Uno Minda Group plans to invest Rs 700-800 crore over the next three years and is working on an acquisition worth Rs 200 crore in Europe, as the component manufacturer expands capacity to cash in on a turnaround in the automotive market. "We cannot divulge details of the acquisition right now," Chairman and Managing Director NK Minda said. (ETauto.com)

• The Indian automobile industry is set to miss the ambitious targets set forth by the Automotive Mission Plan 2016. The unexpected recent slowdown, coupled with almost 3 years of demand slump, will eventually result in the industry failing to achieve the targets.(indianautoblogs.com)

• he Suzuki Gixxer is off to a good start with dealers having received more than 1000 bookings for this 150cc bike. The Gixxer rivals the FZ and CB Trigger in the domestic market.(motorbeam.com)

• Dongfeng Nissan Passenger Vehicle Company (DFL-PV) has launched its first pure-electric vehicle model, called ‘e30’, from its local Venucia brand. With a five million kilometre pilot run across China completed prior to launch, the e30 is trusted to bring Chinese consumers an enjoyable EV experience at affordable running costs. Its starting price is set at RMB 267,800 (Rs  26.56 lakh). (Autocarpro.in)