Automobile Updates - 21st and 22nd February 2015

• Swedish luxury carmaker Volvo is in talks with Mahindra & Mahindra (M&M), Hindustan Motors (HM) and General Motors (GM) to explore the feasibility of utilizing the facilities of one of these auto manufacturers to locally assemble its vehicles in India. According to industry sources, the company, which has been selling luxury cars and SUVs in India through imports, is keen to start assembling its vehicles in the country in order to bring down prices and shore up volumes.Read more at: http://www.livemint.com/Industry/0ZLzy4TfGA1JkwzLvyUHGJ/Volvo-in-talks-with-MM-GM-and-Hindustan-Motors-for-assembl.html?utm_source=copy

• Fabulous and Beyond Motors India (FAB Motors) today said it is in the process of setting up a Rs 1,000-crore manufacturing facility in Telangana for the US-based Regal Raptor motorcycles.FAB Motors managing director M G Shahriq said the company had entered into an agreement with Regal Raptor to manufacture and distribute its models in India as well as in eight other countries -- Sri Lanka, Pakistan, Bhutan, Nepal, the UAE, Oman, Saudi Arabia, and Yemen.The facility will be set up with an investment outlay of Rs 1,000 crore over four years.(Etauto.com)

• The cruiser bike manufacturer, Royal Enfield, has made its intentions clear. Recently, it announced the establishment of a technology development centre in the United Kingdom. Now, the British media is reporting that the company has plans to launch three completely new models based on two totally different and new platforms in 2016. However, there are reports that one will use a 410 cc mono-cylinder, overhead cam engine, while the other is ready to sport a 750 cc parallel-twin unit. It has been reported that one of the three models will be based on this single-cylinder base and will sport a scrambler-style look.(cartrade.com)

• The new generation Ford Endeavour, also known as the Ford Everest in the international market was revealed in its production avatar recently. However, Ford hasn’t put the SUV on sale yet, as it’s still undergoing tests globally. Just two days, back Ford India has also imported the new generation Endeavour for testing. This shows that Ford is betting big on the upcoming SUV to gain significant market share in the lucrative premium SUV space, which is currently being led by the Toyota Fortuner.Read more at http://www.motorbeam.com/2015/02/cars/ford-endeavour/2015-ford-endeavour-imported-to-india-for-testing/#HC9iMYJb1CpHxEFM.99

• Toyota has taken the top spot in the motor vehicles sector of Fortune magazine’s list of the World’s Most Admired Companies. The automaker also scored well in a larger pool of peers, No. 24 overall.Fortune’s annual list is widely considered to be the definitive report card on corporate reputation. The survey measures nine attributes considered crucial to a company’s global success, including quality of management, social responsibility, people management and global competitiveness, among others.(autocarpro.in)

• DSK Motowheels is stepping their foot on the accelerator as far as the two-wheeler dream is concerned. The company had launched the brand Hyosung, a few years ago, in the Indian market. The company is now all set to introduce the legendary Italian name, Benelli Motorcycles in March. Interestingly, a company has less chances of surviving in such a high-demand bike market without a manufacturing plant, so the company has decided to establish one in Maharashtra.The factory will manufacture almost all its products that will be marketed in India. It is expected to have a production capacity of 1 lakh units by the year 2020. This will attract an investment of approximately 350 crores INR. The base work for the manufacturing plant has already begun and will be production ready only in 18 months’ time. (cartrade.com)

• The Fiat 500L is a MPV available in  5 and 7 seat configurations. Fiat has imported the 500L with a 1.3 liter Multijet diesel engine. This engine churns out 84 bhp and 200 Nm of twisting force. Other engines on offer include 1.6 liter Multijet diesel and a 0.9 liter Twinair. The 500L is available with manual and dual clutch automatic transmissions.The Fiat 500L is equipped with a host of airbags as standard and a plethora of electronic aids like ABS with EBD, BAS, ESC. Fiat India currently has only three products in its line-up- Avventura, Punto and the Linea. With the 500L, Fiat will be entering the rapidly growing Indian MPV market.If Fiat wants to launch this MPV, it will have to be localised heavily to keep the price in check.(motorids.com)