Automotive Updates - 18th and 19th October 2014

• Hero MotoCorp said on Monday that it will invest a total of Rs 5,000 crore across five manufacturing plants and its new R&D centre. The country's largest two wheeler maker aims to grow its market share in two-wheelers to over 50% at home, at a time when erstwhile partner Honda is gaining strength, and expand presence in overseas markets like South America, the US and Europe.While a plant is being built each in Colombia and Bangladesh, three of the new plants will come up in India, starting with Neemrana that will open this week and will be dedicated to premium bikes. Construction at Hero's fifth plant at Halol, Gujarat will also start next month, while a sixth domestic plant in Andhra Pradesh will be built starting next year. (financial express)

• Yamaha Motor India Sales Pvt. Ltd., today introduced its Blue core concept in the new SZ-RR Version 2.0, an upgrade to its SZ-RR bike launched in 2013. New Yamaha SZ-RR version 2.0 colour choices available are Red Dash, Ivory White, and Green Arrow at a price of Rs 65,300 (ex showroom Delhi), and Rs 66,461 (ex showroom Chennai).(rushlane.com)

• The Karnataka government has recently cleared two major auto projects in the state worth Rs 355 crore, involving two automotive suppliers – Toyota Kirloskar Auto Parts’ (TKAP) and  Cataler India Auto Parts. According to a statement released by the state government, the State High Level Clearance Committee (SHLCC) chaired by the chief minister has cleared 13 projects with an investment of over Rs 9,912 crore. These projects are expected to create 6,000 jobs in the nine districts of the state. The projects involved are Toyota Kirloskar Auto Parts’ (TKAP) new Rs 250 crore investment and Cataler India Auto Parts’ project for Rs 105 crore in the Bidadi Industrial Area, Ramanagara Karnataka. (autocarpro.in)

• A report on ZigWheels reads that Nissan has started production of the Datsun Go+ MPV at the Renault-Nissan alliance plant in Oragadam, Tamil Nadu. However, the market launch of the Go+ won’t come before early next year. The cars made this year will likely be used for dealership display, demos and roadshows, where the car is unveiled to prospective customers in places with high footfalls like shopping centers.(indianautoblogs.com)

• Magna International Inc has announced that 18 of its manufacturing divisions across six countries, including MPT Amtek in Delhi, have received the General Motors Supplier Quality Excellence Award for demonstrating the highest levels of quality performance over the past 12 months.  This is the third year GM Global Supplier Quality & Development has honored suppliers that made noteworthy contributions to GM. The award is given to specific manufacturing locations which have met or exceeded a stringent set of quality performance criteria and have achieved the cross-functional support of the entire GM organization. (autocarpro.in)

• Global launch of Fiat Avventura will take place in India this week. Benchmarked against Ford EcoSport, Fiat Avventura has already received over over 300 pre-launch bookings, our sources reveal. Fiat Avventura for India will come in two engine options – 1.4l FIRE petrol 4 cyl engine, generating 90 PS @6,000 rpm and 115 Nm @ 4,500 rpm. This variant will be offered in two trims – Active and Dynamic. Another engine option is in the form of a 1.3l MultiJet diesel 4 cyl unit.(rushlane.com)

• Ahead of any new car launch, automakers have to maintain a balance between strong sales and optimum production, failing in either can be upsetting for the brand. So after gauging the market response for the new XC90, Volvo has decided to boost the production capacity so as to meet the market demand.  The Swedish automaker reportedly will add 1,300 jobs and boost production at its manufacturing facility in Sweden in the first quarter. All of these efforts are being carried out to meet rising demand for the flagship XC90 SUV and a few other new models. (carwale.com)

• The new Force Gurkha was ‘launched’ in February 2013 at the Bus and Utility Vehicle Show in Noida. However, sales of the SUV did not start last year, or even this year for that matter. Now though, it seems that the Gurkha will see deliveries soon as dealers of Force Motors have started accepting bookings for the car. (indianautoblogs.com)