Automotive Updates - 26th and 27th November 2014

• Hero MotoCorp has begun retail sales in Colombia as six of its motorcycles went on sales in 120 outlets spread across the country. The company plans to expand its distribution network to over 150 outlets in a year’s time. The products include the 100cc Splendor iSmart, Eco Deluxe, and Passion-Pro, the 125cc Glamour, the 150cc Hunk and the 225c Karizma ZMR.  The company also became the first two-wheeler company in Colombia to offer a four-year warranty on all its models.  This July, Hero MotoCorp formed a wholly-owned subsidiary in Colombia and commenced construction of a state-of-the-art manufacturing plant in the country. The 100 percent subsidiary – HMCL Colombia SAS – has been incorporated in the industrial city of Cali, 300km southwest of Bogota. (autocarpro.in)

• Sachin Tendulkar launched German luxury car maker BMW’s next generation M3 sedan and M4 Coupe in India priced at Rs 1.19 crore and Rs 1.21 crore respectively (ex- showroom Delhi).Both the models would be available across the country as completely built up units, the car maker said.“A new chapter in the fascinating history of high performance sports cars from BMW M GmbH is beginning,” BMW Group India President Philipp von Sahr told reporters here.(financial express)

• Triumph Motorcycles India has launched two new dealerships in Chandigarh and Kolkata in quick succession. With these new dealerships, Triumph motorcycles now sell in 10 cities across the country, the other eight being Bangalore, Hyderabad, Chennai, Kochi, Pune, Ahmedabad, Delhi and Mumbai. The company has also announced that it has clocked 1,000 bookings across five model categories after opening its first dealership in January 2014. According to Vimal Sumbly, managing director, Triumph Motorcycles India, said, “Both Kolkata and Chandigarh are very fascinating markets and will help with the steady growth of the brand here in India. The opening of the two dealerships strengthens our commitment to better establish the brand in the local market.”  (autocarpro.in)

• Honda Cars India Limited (HCIL) is focused on expansion here driven by expansion of dealership network, production capacity and vehicle range. Through April – October 2014, HCIL registered 43% growth HCIL dealership network expansion is pegged at 35% during FY 2014-15 with 230 dealerships in 150 cities by March 2015. HCIL’s 200th dealership in India was announced earlier in November. 100 new dealers are planned over the next 16 months (by March 2016).(rushlane.com)

• India’s largest two-wheeler exporter Bajaj Auto Ltd is unfazed by the sharp currency devaluation in Nigeria that will raise the price of its products sold in that country, even though analysts are not so sanguine. The central bank of the African country on Tuesday devalued the naira by 8% and raised interest rates by a whole percentage point to 13% as it battles high inflation. Nigeria is one of the biggest markets for the Indian two-wheeler maker, accounting for 30% of its export volumes and 12% of its export revenue.(livemint.com)

• The original ‘tall boy’ Maruti Suzuki Wagon R has come a long way since its launch at the beginning of the 21st century. Back in the year 2000 when the Wagon R was introduced in the market, it was positioned in a new class altogether – between the smaller Zen and the bigger Esteem. Fourteen years later, the car crosses the 15 lakh cumulative sales milestone.(indianautoblogs.com)

• Nissan has collaborated with State Bank of India to provide their customers with different finance options for new vehicles. Prospective Nissan car buyers can avail loans and other finance schemes  with different options to choose from. State Bank of India has more than 15,000 branches in India and car buyers looking to buy a Nissan vehicle can avail the benefits of this tie-up. The bank will offer the longest repayment tenure of seven years to Nissan vehicles. The loans will be offered as Term Loan or as Overdraft. At present, loans can be availed at interest rates of 10.40 per cent for women and 10.45 per cent for men with a full waiver of processing charges. (carwale.com)

• JK Tyre has been awarded the SAP ACE Award 2014. The recognition is in the category of ‘Special Jury Recognition in Customer Experience – Sales’ for its initiatives taken in marketing and sales, using various new dimensional software technologies which help in process and product management. By leveraging the technology further, JK Tyre has successfully improved the productivity of its team, controlled lost sales and slow moving inventory besides improving the work-life balance of its field force. (autocarpro.in)

• Hyundai India has been a strong player in the Indian auto industry. As a social and corporate responsibility Hyundai Motor India has reportedly contributed about Rs. 2 crore to the Prime Minister's National Relief Fund that shall be useful in rehabilitating the victims of natural calamities in the country.(cartrade.com)