Automotive Updates - 16th September 2015

• Suzuki Motor Corp said it would buy back the 19.9% stake held by top shareholder Volkswagen AG on Thursday, after an international arbitration court last month ordered the German automaker to sell its holding.The Japanese automaker said it would repurchase as many as 122.77 million shares at Wednesday’s closing price of ¥3,842.50, for up to ¥471.74 billion ($3.9 billion), via the Tokyo Stock Exchange’s off-hours trading system before the market open.(livemint)

• Navigation device developer TomTom and Tech Mahindra, a specialist in digital transformation, consulting and business re-engineering, have partnered to showcase their full line-up of Advanced Driver Assistance Systems (ADAS) services. The partnership will create an innovative portfolio for the connected car market, leveraging the specialist knowledge and capabilities within each company. TomTom and Tech Mahindra will jointly showcase expert demonstrations and innovative use cases at IAA New Mobility World at the ongoing Frankfurt Motor Show. - See more at: http://www.autocarpro.in/news-international/tomtom-tech-mahindra-develop-advanced-driver-assistance-systems-9294#sthash.FcenSDb5.dpuf

• As Ola plans investment of INR 5,000 crore in the coming year to expand its newly formed cab leasing business, automakers in the country see this as a threat which could impact their sales and volumes. It is with this in mind that automakers such as Maruti Suzuki India Limited and Mahindra and Mahindra are reportedly planning to buy stake in Ola’s recently launched leasing business.Ola has set up a subsidiary through which finance for purchase of cabs will be conducted, offering drivers easy finance facilities and other benefits.(rushlane)

• Car market leaderMaruti Suzuki India ranks highest in brand influence, followed by Hyundai Motor India and Toyota Kirloskar Motor, global market research firm JD Power said.According to the JD Power Asia Pacific '2015 India Brand Influence and Positioning Study', Maruti Suzuki ranks highest in brand influence with a score of 839 (on a 1,000-point scale), with Hyundai coming in second (767) and Toyota third (744).(Etauto)

• Renault has been growing pretty strongly in the Indian market. Post Duster compact SUV and Lodgy MPV success the carmaker has been planning on launching the KWID entry-level hatchback that uses the Common Module Family - Affordable (CMF-A) platform from the Renault-Nissan Alliance. The company is likely to use the same platform for considering the CMF-A platform for a sub-4 metre compact sedan, a 7-seater MPV and a compact SUV.(cartrade)

• The Dürr Group, one of the world’s leading machinery and plant engineering manufacturers, has helped set up a modern painting line at the new Ford India manufacturing plant at Sanand in Gujarat. Dürr says its system sets new standards for the Indian market in terms of paint finish quality as well as eco-efficiency. The new Ford paint shop in India, set up by Dürr, and officially inaugurated on March 26, 2015, claims to be the current benchmark in the Indian market in terms of energy consumption, paint finish quality and cost per unit. "We are not only achieving lower VOC and CO2 emissions here, but are also realizing the highest paint finish quality, in terms of our customer's individual requirements," says Dr. Hans Schumacher, Head of the Dürr Division Application Technology, outlining the automated paint process in Sanand. - See more at: http://www.autocarpro.in/news-national/d-rr-sets-art-paint-shop-ford-india-sanand-plant-9304#sthash.E7ASWx1X.dpuf

• With the domestic passenger vehicle sales no where near expectation, India’s largest automaker (by revenue) is looking at the untapped potential of its commercial vehicle division in international markets like Africa and Asia to spur overall growth. ET Now reports that Tata Motors is planning to set up three new overseas assembly plants for light and medium commercial vehicles, one each in Nigeria, Mauritius and Vietnam.The actions in this regard could be initiated before the end of this year. The company is said to spend around INR 120-150 cr to expand its overseas production presence.(rushlane)

•  Mahindra Auto Steel, part of Mahindra Group, said on Wednesday it opened an automotive steel processing facility near Pune.The factory, set up at a cost of $17 million in the first phase is a joint venture with China Steel Global Trading Corp and other partners, with Mahindra the majority stakeholder, the company said. (livemint)