Automotive updates 17th November 2014

• In a bid to keep pace with economic growth and to further strengthen its position in the construction equipment sector, JCB India has opened two new manufacturing facilities in Jaipur.The company has invested Rs 500 crore in the two new facilities. Speaking at the inauguration on November 14, Lord Bamford, chairman of JCB Group, said: “The inauguration of the two Jaipur facilities is a significant milestone for JCB, which has been making in India for 35 years and has grown to become one of India’s most respected manufacturers. (autocarpro.in)

• Hyundai and group company Kia have set new efficiency targets for 2020. The Korean carmakers have announced that they will increase efficiency of their cars by 25 percent within the next 6 years. The group, plan to achieve this by developing new engines, reducing the vehicle’s weight and introducing eco-friendly cars. .(indianautoblogs.com)

• Baba N Kalyani, chairman and managing director, Bharat Forge, has been conferred with the prestigious ‘IIM-JRD Tata Award for Excellence in Corporate Leadership in Metallurgical industries – 2014’. On the occasion of 68th Annual Technical Meeting of The Indian Institute of Metals, Narendra Singh Tomar, Union Minister of Steel & Mines honored Mr Kalyani with this award. The award ceremony was organised at the College of Engineering, Pune on November 14. Many distinguished industrialists, academicians, and researchers were present in this award ceremony. (autocarpro.in)

• South Korean automaker, Hyundai seems aggressive with its product strategies for the Indian car market. Buoyed by the overwhelming response for the new generation Elite i20, Hyundai is now aiming to enter into the growing compact SUV and crossover segments. The company will launch the much-awaited ix25 compact SUV in the country in the second half of 2015. (cartrade.com)

• Tata Motors Zest now commands a waiting period of up to six months on select variants. In this case it seems like Tata has been caught off-guard by the demand for the new compact sedan. In an interview with a publication Mayank Pareek, president, passenger vehicles business unit said they haven’t been able to meet demand for the car.  Pareek also said the company has sold about 10,000 units of the car since its launch. While this number is not commendable for a product priced between Rs 4.65 - 7 lakh that was launched three months ago, it is strictly a decent figure considering an average of 3,300 units a month for a newly launched product that was introduced just in time for the festive season. (carwale.com)

• Expanding its retail parts service offerings and truck servicing, TVS & Sons has introduced TVS Hypermart, an integrated automotive service centre. To implement this initiative, the company has signed an agreement with one of the largest fleet associations in Tamil Nadu, the Sankagiri Urimaiyalargal Sangam (SLUS) in order to cater to the requirements of 2,300 members and those who have a cumulative ownership of over 12,000 vehicles. The company hopes this business can touch Rs 100 crore in a few years. (autocarpro.in)

• The United States of America is a market, which promotes big displacement motorcycles and bikes. For years, it has been dominated by the likes of Harley-Davidson, the BMW and the Ducati. However, in the last couple of years, the country has shown interest in some lesser displacement bikes, which has paved the path for KTM to export its bikes to the US. The Austrian manufacturer is trying its best to make USA its biggest market after Europe and Asia. Last year, KTM had launched Duke 690 successfully, which got a great response. The Austrian bike manufacturer is planning to go ahead with its Duke 390 and RC390 sometime soon.(cartrade.com)

• Mahindra has revealed that it plans to launch three new vehicles next year. Two of these vehicles will be sub-4 meter SUVs and one will be a LCV.Pawan Goenka, the company's Executive Director told PTI, "We were slow on launches in 2013 and 2014. Now we are back with new launches. In 2015, we will launch two sub-4 meter compact SUVs and one light commercial vehicle. All the three would come on completely new platforms."(teambhp.com)

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