Automotive Updates - 27th January 2016

• Toyota on Wednesday kept the title of world's biggest automaker for the fourth straight year after saying it sold 10.15 million vehicles globally in 2015, driving past Volkswagen and General Motors.Dented by a pollution-cheating scandal, Volkswagen earlier logged sales of 9.93 million vehicles worldwide, while Chevrolet and Cadillac maker GM moved 9.8 million last year.(ETauto)

• Bajaj will be launching its new bike brand on 1st of February. This brand has been codenamed as V and it will be a new premium commuter bike with a 150cc engine. This new motorcycle, named “V”,contains the metal of the India’s first and most celebrated aircraft carrier INS Vikrant. The brave legacy of INS Vikrant will now remain alive in lakhs of Indian homes, in the form of “V”.(Cartrade)

• Daimler chief executive officer Dieter Zetsche told German weekly Welt am Sonntag that a recent trip to Silicon Valley revealed that Apple and Google have made more progress on automotive projects than he had assumed.Several carmakers and Silicon Valley companies are working on developing a self-driving car. Google tested its own prototype vehicle in 2012, to which Daimler’s luxury brand Mercedes-Benz responded by developing an S-Class limousine which drove 103 kilometers without needing any driver input.(livemint)

• RC Bhargava, chairman of the country’s leading car manufacturer Maruti Suzuki India, has been awarded the country’s third highest civilian award – the Padma Bhushan –  or public relations by the Indian government. It may be recollected that in the past Ratan Tata, the former chairman of Tata Motors received the Padma Vibhushan and Padma Bhushan awards for promoting trade and industry, while Rahul Bajaj of Bajaj Auto won the Padma Bhushan award. - See more at: http://www.autocarpro.in/news-national/rc-bhargava-awarded-padma-bhushan-10251#sthash.E3ZshhI1.dpuf

• Mahindra Two-Wheelers has announced that it will present the GenZe electric scooter at the 2016 Auto Expo. The electric vehicle will be accompanied by other motorcycles / scooters from Mahindra's portfolio, along with a few models from Peugeot's range of two-wheelers.The GenZe was originally designed for students and urban users who required a vehicle for short distances. The bike has a top speed of 30 mph (48 km/h), a range of 30 miles (48 km) and was recently unveiled in its second iteration i.e. the GenZe 2.0.(team-bhp)

• German luxury carmaker BMW on Wednesday launched an updated version of its diesel-powered BMW 3 Series sedan in India, priced between Rs35.9 lakh and Rs44.5 lakh (ex-showroom Delhi).The new 3 Series is locally produced at the BMW plant in Chennai and can be ordered at dealerships across India from today onwards, BMW India said in a statement. The petrol variant of the sedan will be launched later this year, it added. (livemint)

• Indian arm of Japanese two wheeler manufacturer Suzuki Motorcycle has introduced all new Hayate EP with innovative technologies, the company informed in a statement. The Hayate EP will be available in the market in the current financial year and the pricing will be announced alongside.(Etauto)