Automotive Updates - 12th and 13th August 2015

• Government is considering giving financial incentives of up to Rs 1.5 lakh on surrender of over-ten-year-old vehicles to check pollution and address road safety concerns, Transport Minister Nitin Gadkari said.This comes at a time when the National Green Tribunal (NGT) has banned plying of diesel vehicles which are more than ten years old in the national capital region.(ETauto.com)

• Klüber Lubrication, a part of Germany-based Freudenberg Chemical Specialities (FCS), inaugurated its state-of-the-art laboratories, production and warehousing facilities at its existing site in Mysore. FCS was one of the first global automobile lubricant manufacturers to introduce speciality chemical solutions to the Indian market through its global brands Klüber Lubrication, OKS, Chem-Trend and Sur-Tec. The new facility has been built with an investment of Rs 135 crore and will cater to various applications in the automotive, food, cement, steel, textile, and general industries for both domestic as well as global markets. - See more at: http://www.autocarpro.in/news-national/kl-ber-lubrication-inaugurates-plant-mysore-9061#sthash.1pudDGDH.dpuf

• Toyota has announced the launch of www.toyotapartsconnect.in, an online portal through which it will distribute its genuine spare parts and genuine accessories to the retail market.Initially, Toyota will sell around 400 genuine spare parts such as brake pads, clutch plates, wiper blades, oil filters, air filters in addition to around 30 Toyota genuine accessories through the online channel and parts distributors. In the first phase of launch, this service will be available in Bangalore and later will be expanded to other cities.(team-bhp)

• Ashok Leyland, the second largest commercial vehicle maker in India, has reported a net profit of Rs 159.31 crore for the quarter ended June 30, 2015. This is against a net loss of Rs 48 crore for Q1 FY2015 (April-June 2014). In Q1 FY2016, the company sold a total of 24,773 vehicles and accounted for a market share of 16.95 percent. In 2014-15, the Chennai-based manufacturer had sold a total of 92,096 units, taking a total India CV market share of 14.96 percent. Commenting on the strong performance, Vinod K Dasari, managing director, Ashok Leyland, said: “The growth in market share is a reflection of our focus on profitability of our customers, and our channel partners. Further, our investments in many new products and continued strict discipline on costs have helped boost results. The overall buoyancy in the economy and strong prospect of market recovery bode well for the industry, and we seem well placed to capitalised on this growth.” - See more at: http://www.autocarpro.in/news-national/ashok-leyland-posts-rs-159-crore-net-profit-q1-grows-domestic-market-share-9064#sthash.twQ1iraZ.dpuf

• Through its annual report for 2014-15, Maruti Suzuki has confirmed that it will launch a compact SUV in India soon.The report claims that this vehicle is based on the XA-Alpha concept that was displayed at the 2012 Auto Expo. This car is likely to be the vehicle that has been codenamed YBA. Test mules of the car have been spotted over the past months. .(team-bhp)

• Nissan Motor India today launched a festive season limited edition version of its multi-purpose vehicle Datsun GO priced at Rs 4.1 lakh (ex-showroom Delhi).The Datsun GO NXT limited festive edition will be available between August and December 2015 across all 196 Datsun outlets in India, the company said in a statement.(financial express)

• O.P. Munjal, founder chairman of bicycle giant Hero Cycles, passed away in Punjab's Ludhiana city on Thursday, family sources said.Munjal, 86, was admitted to the Hero Heart Institute at Ludhiana's Dayanand Medical College and Hospital where he died.(ETauto.com)