Automotive Updates - 16th and 17th October 2014

• , Kawasaki Z250 was launched in India. Apart from this, over 10 months, Kawasaki ZX-10R, Ninja 1000, Z800, ZX-14R and Ninja 300 have been launched in India. Alongside, the company has opened 4 dealerships in Pune, Delhi, Bangalore and Chennai. Kawasaki ER-6n was launched in India today, strengthening its portfolio here. The naked streetbike from India Kawasaki Motors is priced at Rs 4.78 lakhs.(rushlane.com)

• In an effort to bring the renowned Italian motorcycle brand Benelli to India, DSK Motowheels will assemble and launch a portfolio of five bikes by December 2014. DSK Motowheels has formed another entity called DSK Benelli (it also sells Hyosung bikes under DSK Hyosung brand), which it will use to assemble and distribute the Italian bikes in India. The company will have to initially assemble these bikes at its Wai assembly plant, where it currently assembles the Hyosung bikes imported in the form of CKD kits from South Korea. According to Shirish Kulkarni, chairman, DSK Benelli, the Wai facility currently has an assembly capacity of 10 bikes per day, which translates into 250 bikes per month in a single workshift. (autocarpro.in)

• Maruti’s new launch, the Ciaz, has a waiting period of nearly 3 months in major metros like Delhi, Mumbai and Chennai. The news is no different in smaller Tier II cities where the sedan has a minimum waiting period of a month. ealers of Maruti-Suzuki are first delivering cars to customers who pre-ordered it. According to the company, the Ciaz received more than 10,000 bookings even before its market launch on October 6. However, Maruti anticipated this demand and started production of the car as early as August this year.(indiaautoblogs.com)

• The all-new Mini will be launched in India in early 2015. The company has released a teaser indicating that the new range of Mini vehicles will be here shortly. Through a promotional campaign, the company is giving a chance to contestants to drive the all-new Mini.(teambhp.com)

• Japanese pick-up manufacturer Isuzu Motors India has opened its first dealership in Noida – Fahrenheit Isuzu – which is also its first outlet in the state of Uttar Pradesh (UP). Based on the 3S model of spares, service and sales, this is Isuzu’s 11th outlet in India and will cater to the NCR and UP region. The company’s long-term target is to reach 60 outlets by end FY’2016. The Noida dealership will push sales of its two locally assembled vehicles – the MU7 and the D-MAX pickup – available in three variants. Isuzu is optimistic of garnering sales of 20-25 units every month from this outlet to start with. (autocarpro.in0

• Fiat India is bracing up to launch the Avventura crossover on October 21. This is an important launch for the Italian carmaker as they begin to expand their lineup in India which so far included only the Punto and the Linea.The Avventura is based on the Punto hatchback and will share the same powertrain and mechanicals, but has quite a few distinguishing factors over its hatchback form. It gets a tailgate mounted spare tyre, body cladding and a higher ground clearance of 205 mm which is a segment best for hatchback-based crossovers. (carwale.com)

• Honda Motorcycle and Scooters India pvt ltd (HMSI) today laid the foundation for its fourth plant in India. The manufacturing plant, set to come up in Vithalapur, 80 km away from Ahmedabad, will be dedicated solely for the production of scooters.Spread over 250 acres, the plant will have an annual capacity of 12 lakh units (1.2 million units), making it the world’s largest scooter-only manufacturing facility.( indianautoblogs.com)

• Hella India Automotive, the wholly owned Indian subsidiary of German automotive parts supplier Hella, has announced the expansion of its production facility in Dhankot, Haryana, with the start of production of its Body Control Module (BCM)  and Remote Keyless Entry (RKE) systems for the Indian market. With this, the company has expanded its Dhankot plant to cater to growth in its Electronics business division. As part of its aggressive growth strategy, with plans to harness its global technologies and customise them for OEMs in India, the supplier has introduced state-of-the-art SMT lines for its key focus products – Body Control Module and Remote Key Entry for Indian customers. (autocarpro.in)

•  Honda Cars India will increase their dealership number to 230 in around 150 cities by the end of 2014-15 financial year. This is nearly 35 per cent increment in dealership network says Jnaneswar Sen, Sr. Vice President, Marketing &Sales, Honda Cars India Ltd. The company at present has 195 dealerships in 127 cities across the country.(cardekho.com)