Automotive Updates - 6th and 7th September 2014

• Tractor maker Sonalika Group is investing Rs 500 crore to more than double production capacity of its plant at Hoshiarpur in Punjab to 2 lakh units annually. Sonalika Group Vice-Chairman A S Mittal said currently the plant in Hoshiarpur has a capacity to produce 90,000 tractors of 18-90 horse power (HP) range annually. When asked about the investment for the expansion, he said it would be Rs 500 crore. (economicstimes.com)

• A report on the Economic Times states that Maruti-Suzuki, India’s largest car maker, has received over 3,000 bookings for the upcoming Ciaz sedan. The company started accepting orders on September 3 for INR 21,000 at all 1,370 sales outlets in the country. Maruti has also received between 10,000 – 12,000 enquiries for the car.(indianautoblogs.com)

• Minda Furukawa Electric Pvt. Ltd (MFE), a Joint Venture Company between, Spark Minda, Ashok Minda Group of India and Furukawa of Japan has set up an Automotive Component manufacturing unit at Tihar Jail, New Delhi under the PPP model for its Customer Maruti Suzuki India Limited. The inauguration of the facility was made on 5th September, 2014 by the Tihar Jail Management. (motoroids.com)

• Revealed through its official Facebook page, Mercedes-Benz India will launch its much awaited GLA-Class on the September 30th. Dealers have already started taking the pre-bookings for the vehicle.(cardekho.com)

• To expand cooperation in manufacturing of automobile parts and enhance investment, a delegation of Taiwan-based traders and investors will visit Delhi, said the department of investment services Taiwan."In response to Prime Minister Narendra Modi's vision of 'Come and Make in India' inviting manufacturers from across the world to invest in India and help boost India's industrial growth, Taiwanese automobile manufacturers are looking forward to exploring the possibilities of business cooperation for the Taiwanese auto parts and automobile electronics makers in India," Ambassador Chung Kwang Tien, representative of Taipei Economic and Cultural Center in India said. (ETauto.com)

• Autocar India reports that the updated 2015 Rapid will be launched as soon as this month on 30th September. They had spotted a Rapid mule under tests some time back and they say they have the confirmation that this is how the new 2015 Rapid will look like ie not without any significant changes to its looks.(motorbash.com)

• Fiat is going all aggressive to promote the Avventura ahead of the launch in the coming weeks. With the festive season commenced, vehicle sales are going to witness a high and the Italian automaker surely does not want to lose out on the demand. As Fiat the calls it, the Compact Utility Vehicle or CUV will be put up on display on the 6th and 7th September across three major cities including Mumbai, Bangalore and Delhi that for prospective customers to witness the car before the official launch.(motorbeam.com)

• Volkswagen plans to invest 1 billion euros ($1.30 billion) to build a new manufacturing plant to produce fuel efficient cars in Thailand, a German magazine said on Saturday.The Thai government is expected to grant Volkswagen approval for the plant on Tuesday, Wirtschaftswoche magazine reported, without citing sources.(ETauto.com)

• As part of its social responsibility, Ford India announced the launch of its Happy School program in 21 schools across Chennai. The Happy Schools program will work towards improving access to holistic education in primary schools by addressing identified gaps in academic support, health, nutrition and infrastructure. The event marked the beginning of ninth annual Global Week of Caring in India.(motoroids.com)

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