Automotive Updates - 16th and 17th December 2015

• Minority shareholders of Maruti Suzuki India Ltd (MSIL) have approved a move by the company to let its Japanese parent Suzuki Motor Corp. invest and own the upcoming plant in Gujarat. The shareholders approved the move with 89.75% through a postal ballot that took place from November 16 to December 15.“Out of the total votes cast by the minority shareholders, 89.75% voted in favour while 10.25% voted against the resolution,” MSIL chairman R C Bhargava told reporters here.(livemint)

• After auto giants like Ford, Maruti and Honda Cars, tyre-making companies are now looking at Gujarat for setting up their plants. Tyre major MRF has zeroed in on Gujarat for establishing its greenfield manufacturing plant.If everything falls in place, MRF will be the third Indian tyre company in the state after CEAT and Apollo Tyres.The company has already set the ball rolling for its new plant and it is in advance talks with the state government.(ETauto)

• Petronas Lubricants International (PLI) officially declared to set-up its state-of-the-art lubricant blending plant in Maharashtra Industrial Development Corporation (MIDC) Patalganga (75 km from Mumbai). The company invested US$ 50 million (Rs 315 crore) in the plant, which is constructed on 25 acres of industrial land with an estimated production output of 110 million litres of lubricants. The plant is expected to commence operations by end-2017.  Amir Hamzah Azizan, PLI Group CEO, inaugurated the groundbreaking ceremony at the site of the new plant along with Giuseppe Pedretti, PLI regional head of Asia and MP Singh, Petronas Lubricants (India) (PLIPL) CEO. The ceremony was also attended by Giuseppe D’Árrigo, PLI regional head of Europe, members of the PLIPL board and senior dignitaries from PLIPL and MIDC. - See more at: http://www.autocarpro.in/news-national/petronas-lubricants-set-rs-315-crore-plant-near-mumbai-9911#sthash.VingLpAt.dpuf

• Mahindra is likely to call the S101 as the KUV100, as per a report. The new crossover from Mahindra and Mahindra will be manufactured in the company’s Chakan plant. The S101/KUV100 will be making its way into the Indian car market and will be powered by a 1.2-litre petrol and diesel engine options. Both these are new three-cylinder engines and the four-cylinder versions of these engines (both 1.6-litre) are powering the Ssangyong Tivoli. The KUV100 will even get an AMT, this will be developed by Magneti Mirelli and it won’t be using the AMT that the company is using on the TUV300.(cartrade)

• French automotive parts manufacturer Faurecia has signed Memorandum of Understanding for the sale of its automotive exteriors business worldwide to Compagnie Plastic Omnium, the company informed in a statement.The transaction is based on an Enterprise Value of 665 million euros ($732.4 million).The business that would be sold, is comprised of bumpers and front end modules, and employs 7,700 people in 22 sites. The composite business, the Faurecia plant for Smart in Hambach (France) and two joint ventures in Brazil and China are not included in the deal. (ETauto)

• The Hyundai Creta has obtained a 4 star rating in crash test conducted by the Latin New Car Assessment Programme. The car is built by Hyundai in India.The Creta scored 15.57 points out of a possible 17 in adult occupant safety and 29.87 out of a possible 49 in child occupant safety, which translates to 4 star and 3 stars respectively.(team-bhp)

• Jaguar Land Rover India (JLR India) has announced the launch of its new smartphone integration platform, InControl Apps, which has been developed in conjunction with Bosch. The InControl Apps platform transfers the interface from the phone to the in-car infotainment touch-screen, to allow users access to popular apps. Jaguar Land Rover and Bosch have worked closely with leading third party app developers, specifically in India, to enable access to an initial suite of Android and iOS compatible applications. The India-customised platform will allow access to popular apps in India like NDTV, Hungama, MapmyIndia and Zomato. - See more at: http://www.autocarpro.in/news-national/jlr-india-partners-bosch-introduce-smartphone-integration-platform-9922#sthash.JBzHfPMw.dpuf

• Honda Car India feels that the buying preference in the budget end of the domestic car market is steadily shifting towards bigger and better equipped cars. Such a change in trend puts Honda’s expertise in bigger cars in an advantageous position. Economic Times reports that Japanese automaker is studying the Indian market for an entry level hatchback.Such a model would slot below the neglected Brio but will be positioned above the likes of Maruti Alto, Renault Kwid and Hyundai Eon. More interestingly, if the company green lights the project, the small car will be specific to the Indian market and will be the first ever product to be developed by its local R&D division.(Rushlane)