Automotive Updates - 7th November 2014

• The Rolls Royce Ghost Series II was launched in India today at a price of INR 4.5 crores, ex-Showroom, Mumbai. Exterior changes are reserved to redesigned LED headlights, a tweaked front bumper, chrome inserts in the air intakes and new alloy wheel patterns.Inside, the Ghost features two new wood veneers, an upgraded infotainment system with on-board WiFi and a high resolution 10.2-inch display with an upgraded touchpad controller. An optional Bespoke audio system can also be ordered.(indianautoblogs.com)

•  Bain Capital raised $400 million by selling a nearly 4 per cent stake in India'sHero MotoCorp , or about double its initial target, three sources with direct knowledge of the matter told Reuters. Bain Capital sold 8.55 million shares, or nearly a 4 per cent stake, in India's biggest maker of motorcycle and scooters, the sources said, declining to be named as they were not authorised to speak to the media. (ETauto.com)

• Daihatsu could develop low-cost models with India as the prime target market.Reuters reports that Toyota’s Executive Vice President Yasumori Ihara has asked Daihatsu’s management earlier this year to help develop affordable small cars suitable for the Indian market. While the Japanese stalwart dominates the family MPV and 7-seat SUV segments in India with the Innova and Fortuner respectively, performance in segments below is not up to the mark. The sales of the Etios twins, which received minor updates recently, have been dwindling over the years. (indianautoblogs.com)

• Suzuki Inazuma has not been able to catapult the company’s rankings in the quarter-litre motorcycle segment of the Indian two-wheeler market. A hefty price tag and old-school design did not attract many customers. And now, there is a very good possibility that the Japanese two-wheeler major may be planning to pull out the product from the Indian market. Why? To begin with, Suzuki has taken off the Inazuma from its official India website.(motoroids.com)

• In a surprise revelation, the much-hyped ‘Honda City’ has just been dethroned by the understated Maruti Suzuki Ciaz as per the monthly sales data. And it has apparently succeeded in filling the vacuum that SX4 and Baleno were not able to.Maruti Suzuki has retailed 6,345 units of Ciaz in the month of October while Honda managed to sell 5,120 units of City. This has also brought an end to the massive uncertainty Maruti was undergoing for quite some time in this segment.(financialexpress.com)

• Honda has doubled the production capacity of its Tapukara manufacturing unit in Rajasthan. The company has been facing production issue, which leads to an increase in waiting period of some of its products. Now, the production unit can produce up to 10,000 units from previous 5,000 units to reduce waiting period of its best selling mid-sized sedan- the City.(cartrade.com)

•  Commercial vehicle makerAshok Leyland is taking the help of investment bankers and talking to potential buyers to sell off - or sell a stake in - its German subsidiaryAlbonair GmbH and Prague-basedAvia Ashok Leyland Motors. Albonair specialises in emission treatment systems and Avia is a truck-making unit. (ETauto.com)

• Volkswagen India has silently discontinued the Touareg mid-size luxury SUV in the country owing to poor sales. While the German automaker’s compatriot Mercedes, BMW and Audi are doing consistently well in the same segment, the Touareg failed to garner much attention despite being a very capable SUV in the segment. One of the main reasons cited for the low sales has been brand Volkswagen itself. Even though it is positioned as a premium brand, the German automaker does not command the same snob value as a Mercedes or an Audi would with the M-Class or the Q5 respectively.(motorbeam.com)