Automotive Updates - 11th and 12th October 2014

• The two-wheeler scene in India is one of the most competitive and profitable businesses to be found anywhere in the world. There are millions of them sold in the country every year and the number only rises as each annum goes by. And according to the Indian Credit Ratings Agency (ICRA), the industry will bear witness to a 9% increase in growth for the year 2014-15. According to ICRA, the industry is expected to report a Compounded Aggregate Growth Rate (CAGR) volume of 9% and will touch 23-million units which includes domestic and export sales over a medium term (2016-17).The industry also noticed a strong increase in growth during the previous 5 months of this fiscal, with sales volumes booming by an impressive 14.8%, and that by a long shot, is the industry’s quickest growth since 2010-11.(motoroids.com)

• Organised by the India Trade Promotion Organisation (ITPO) along with the Auto Cluster Development & Research Institute (ACDRI), Pune and Auto Component Manufacturers’ Association (ACMA), the third edition of the Auto Ancillary Show 2014 (AAS) has begun on a high note in Pune on October 10. The show was inaugurated by Rajeev Jadhav, IAS, Commissioner PCMC; Malay Shrivastava, ED, ITPO; Rita Menon, IAS, CMD, ITPO; Rajeev Dashputre, MD, ACDRI; Sandeep Balooja, VP, ACMA; SK Dudani, secretary, AIADA, and Vinnie Mehta, DG, ACMA. (Autocarpro.in)

• Tata group's Land Rover has forayed into an elite club of world's 100 most valuable brands as the only Indian-owned entity, while iconic Apple has retained its top slot with nearly USD 119 billion valuation.Land Rover, an iconic British car brand owned by Indian conglomerate Tatas, has been ranked 91st with a brand value of $ 4.47 billion and is one of the five new entrants on this annual list compiled by leading brand consultancy Interbrand.(ETauto.com)

• Mahindra & Mahindra Ltd, India’s largest tractor and sports utility vehicle (SUV) maker, would be observing the so-called ‘no production days’ at its tractor plants located at Rudrapur and Jaipur for four days during the remaining period of October, to align production with sales requirements, the company informed the Bombay Stock Exchange (BSE) on Friday. The management, it said, does not envisage any adverse impact on availability of tractors in the market due as a result.(livemint.com)

• If the Renault Duster AWD has caught your fancy and have booked one for yourself, make sure to check the driver’s seat belt direction before accepting delivery. The seat belt lock on the Duster AWD has been fitted in the wrong direction facing the B-pillar instead of the seat. While the issue may not catch one’s eye at first glance, the occupant will certainly find out later due to the discomfort of a twisted belt. A manufacturing glitch we assume, the seat belt lock needs to change direction and we are pretty sure Renault dealers will oblige to change the same free of cost. (motorbeam.com)

• After over 20 years of successful cooperation between the Volkswagen Group and the Chinese JV partner First Automotive Works (FAW), the two companies have extended the existing partnership for another 25 years until the year 2041. In addition, the Volkswagen Group and the Chinese JV partner SAIC plan to invest in a testing and proving ground of Shanghai Volkswagen (SVW) in the western Chinese province of Xinjiang.  (Autocarpro.in)

• Hyundai has launched the ix25 compact SUV in China. The SUV gets two engine options, six variants, 4WD and loads of goodies. It is priced between Rs. 11.96-17.95 lakhs in China. Hyundai has finally launched its new ix25 compact SUV in the Chinese market. (motorbeam.com)

• Scania Commercial Vehicles India Pvt Ltd, has delivered 150th Scania P 410 8x4 Tipper to one of India's largest mining contract companies, BGR Mining and Infra Private Limited of Hyderabad.Scania's partner for off-road truck segment - Larsen & Toubro (L&T) facilitated this transaction. The Scania tipper is fitted with an 18.8 cubic meter, rock body and come equipped with two pedal Opticruise, a fully automated gear-changing system for improved fuel efficiency which helps in driving.(ETauto.com)

• Nissan India Operation’s new president Mr. Guillaume Sicard revealed that the Nissan Terrano AWD is slated to launch in India next year. The Renault Duster AWD has just been launched in the country and its cousin from Nissan will feature the same hardware. The i-DriveTech shift-on-the-fly 4×4 system, a creation of Nissan, features three driving modes – 2WD, Auto and AWD.(indianautoblogs.com)

• Delhi government has decided to provide the buyers of these vehicles (either electric scooters or cars) a 15% subsidy off the MRP of the vehicle on their purchase. The amount is to be credited back to the customer’s bank account within a span of two months from the date of purchase of the electric vehicle.The buyers will not only benefit from a reduced MRP on the initial purchase, but will also see other bright sides of opting an EV. These include niceties such as zero VAT and a mouth-watering (probably) 50% off on road-tax for the buyer.(motoroids.com)

• It is reported that country’s leading car manufacturer MSIL is going to bring the facelift version of its most popular hatchback Alto K10 sometimes during this month. Earlier it was reported that company would be bringing the facelift of Alto K10 earlier next year, but now with festive season commencing company is planning to bring the refreshed version of hatchback by mid of this month. According to sources the facelift will include cosmetic changes and also some greasy changes.  (carkhabri.com)

• MAI Carbon Cluster Management GmBH, a research effort funded by the German government, is making steady progress to cut the costs of carbon fibre by a whopping 90 percent. The head of the 80 million Euro project (INR 618.5 crore project), Klaus Dreschler, is reported to have said that the research team has reached a ‘halfway point’ towards its ultimate objective. (indianautoblogs.com)