Automotive Updates - 15th and 16th October 2015

• One of the fastest growing passenger car manufacturer in the country, Honda Cars India has announced plans to increase their total investment to INR 7,800 crore by the end of this fiscal. This new phase of investment, which is about INR 500-600 crore worth, will see the Japanese brand increasing production capacity at their plant in Tapukara, Rajasthan from current 120,000 units to 180,000 units.Apart from this, the company will also invest in making their rudimentary R&D facility inside Greater Noida manufacturing plant, a full fledged R&D facility.(rushlane)

•  Amtek Auto has hiredMorgan Stanley to find buyers for a minority stake in its overseas units, Chairman Arvind Dham said, as the auto parts maker tries towriggle out of it cash problems, compounded by a recent bond default.The company is looking to sell up to a 30% stake in some of the foreign units, Dham said on Thursday. "Any other talk of our group selling overseas assets (completely) is factually wrong. You have heard it from the horse's mouth," he told ETAuto.

• Mahindra & Mahindra has launched two new products on an all-new small commercial vehicle platform called Supro – the 8-seater Supro Van and Supro MaxiTruck for small goods movement. The manufacturer says it will target Tata Ace customers with the Supro MaxiTruck, which comes with a two-year warranty. The Supro Van is a spacious 8-seater diesel-engined people-mover which M&M says is “ideal for large families and the tour and travel segment.” It is priced at Rs 4.38 lakh (ex-showroom Thane) for the BS III variant. The vehicle’s highlights include “best-in-class seating comfort, class-leading headroom and legroom and large boot space.” It also gets a segment-first electric power steering and air-conditioning.  See more at: http://www.autocarpro.in/news-national/mahindra-rolls-van-cv-supra-platform-9508#sthash.dIwO0I56.dpuf

• BMW India launched the X5 M, a sports activity vehicle, and X6 M, a sports activity coupe, at Sriperumbadur, near Chennai, on Thursday.The BMW X5 M and BMW X6 M, available as completely built-up units, are priced at Rs.1.55 crore and Rs.1.60 crore, respectively (ex-showroom).(Livemint)

• Mahindra Two Wheelers, a part of the $16.9 billion Mahindra (M&M) group, on Thursday launched 300 cc bike 'Mojo' in the country, priced at Rs 1.58 lakh (ex-showroom Delhi).The motorcycle comes with various features like advanced electronic fuel ignition, iridium spark plug, resonator fitted intake system and twin exhausts. It also has a 21-litre fuel tank, the largest in its class. It has been developed in-house, with inputs from global partners and is designed to be at par with global products in this class.(businesstoday)

•  India's Apollo Tyres is mulling hiring a sales team to grow its business in the United States, a top company executive told Reuters, having failed two years ago to buy US Cooper Tire & Rubber for $2.5 billion.Apollo's global push is aimed at reducing dependence on the domestic market, where passenger and commercial vehicle sales are recovering slowly after a slump and where it plans to invest $400 million over the next three to four years.(Etauto)

• German luxury carmaker Audi has topped the J D Power 2015 India Sales Satisfaction Index (SSI) Study (Luxury segment) released today. Audi India ranks highest with a score of 888, followed by BMW India with 885 and Mercedes-Benz India with 878. Now in its 16th year, the study examines seven factors that contribute to new-vehicle owners’ overall satisfaction with their sales experience (listed in order of importance): delivery process, delivery timing, salesperson, sales initiation, dealer facility, paperwork and deal. Satisfaction is calculated on a 1,000-point scale. Overall sales satisfaction in the luxury segment is 883 in 2015, a 7-point decline from 2014. - See more at: http://www.autocarpro.in/news-national/luxury-car-buyers-india-happiest-audi-jd-power-study-9494#sthash.cePCaODu.dpuf