automotive Updates - 15th October 2014

• Leading bus maker Wrightbus International, which is setting up its bus body manufacturing facility near here, would commence operations early next year, a company official said today. North Ireland-based Wrightbus has partnered with Daimler India, subsidiary of German commercial vehicle maker Daimler for manufacturing bus body for its Bharat Benz range of buses. The bus body building facility will be part of the new bus plant proposed by Daimler India Commercial Vehicle. (ETauto.com)

• Volkswagen barely edged out General Motors for second place in the global auto sales race during the first three quarters of the year, but Toyota was expected to keep its lead to stay in first place.GM said today that is sold 7.372 million cars and trucks worldwide from January through September. Volkswagen said that its global light vehicle sales totaled 7.40 million for the period, but a spokesman in Germany would not provide a more precise figure.(financialexpress.com)

• Taiwan-based tyre manufacturing Maxxis Group will set up its plant near Sanand in Gujarat. The announcement came after a high-level Maxxis Group delegation led by company president Wally Chen met Gujarat chief minister Anandiben Patel and discussed the roadmap for the project, the Gujarat government said in a press release issued here on Wednesday.(livemint.com)

• After the successful run in the UK,Hinduja Group flagship companyAshok Leyland will introduce an electric version of Optare buses in India early next year and plans to make them here, a top official said today. The company holds a majority stake in Optare PLC, UK. "The UK government with its green fund scheme really supported Optare and that has allowed Optare to innovate more and come up with newer technologies. (ETauto.com)

• International automotive supplier Continental is having the world premiere of its Continental new water-cooled turbocharger with an aluminium turbine housing for global vehicle production at the ongoing 8th International Suppliers Fair (IZB) at Wolfsburg, Germany from October 14 to 16. The Continental turbocharger is characterised by its optimized response behaviour. Furthermore, its lightweight design supports the automotive industry in its efforts to meet highly ambitious consumption and emission targets.  (autocarpro.in)

• While Fiat India is prepping itself to launch the Avventura next week, a report suggests the Indian arm of the Italian auto giant will be launching the Abarth 500 hatchback in November. With the launch of the 500 Abarth, Fiat India will be having 5 products in its line up next month. The Fiat 500 Abarth was showcased the Auto Expo 2014 this February. The company also showcased the 500 Abarth at Fiat outlets all over the country for customers and car enthusiasts in the month of March this year. Fiat will be selling the car in India via the CBU route.(motoroids.com)

• Toyota Motor Corp said on Wednesday it would recall a total 1.67 million vehicles globally in a voluntary move to address three separate defects including a faulty brake master cylinder that could hinder the brake's performance.Toyota said in an email it was not aware of any crashes, injuries or deaths resulting from the defects. Some 1.05 million vehicles will be recalled in Japan and 615,000 overseas.(businesstoday.in)

• Maruti launched its Ciaz sedan last week at a starting price of INR 6.99 lakh while the top-end variant is priced at INR 9.8 lakh (both prices ex-showroom, Delhi). But come January 2015, the current ZXi (O) and ZDi (O) will be superseded by the ZXi+ and ZDi+ as the new top-end trims.(motorbash.com)

• Hungary-based navigation developer NNG, which calls itself a ‘one-stop shop’, has revealed plans to expand aggressively in the India market. On October 13, the company showcased some of its top global navigation solutions in Mumbai and said that excellence in in-car HMI (Human Machine Interface) is its topmost priority.   NNG and its local Haryana-based strategic partner Ayana Navigation Solutions (ANS) exhibited their VIP Technology Showroom which comprised a collection of the customised navigation solutions that NNG provides in India and other countries like Germany, China, Japan, United States and Hungary. (autocarpro.in)

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